25 Jun ‘Synchronicity’ - The Amazing Power of Mindfulness 

Align yourself with your life’s flow
- Dr Shanthi Lakshmi Duraimani

Have you ever thought of calling someone over the phone and they immediately call you? If yes, then you must be experiencing a phenomenon called, ‘synchronicity’. Carl Jung was the first person to coin the term ‘synchronicity’. He defined synchronicity as an “acausal connecting principle” involving “the simultaneous occurrence of events that appear significantly related but have no discernible causal connection.” 

Scientists now understand that we are living in the multi-dimensional universe where we are all connected to each other. To be specific, neuroscientists have proved that we are all connected by our thoughts, which is a package of the energy system. When we are consciously aware of the present moment and pay attention to our thought process, the energy system will align to the right energy system in the space and allow it to manifest spontaneously or at the right moment. And, this is how synchronicity works. 

However, in the recent decade, people are busy with their work, stressed out by relationship, thereby occupied with unwanted thoughts. This results in non-alignment with the energy system in the space. So, it is important to align with the life’s flow. And, it is quite possible by practicing meditation regularly. 

Meditation helps you to slow down your chattering mind and maintain silence. The more you practice, the more you experience synchronicity in your life. I would like to share my understanding of synchronicity and how it influenced my life in a positive way. 

Soon after I graduated from my grad school, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do in my life. I thought of taking a break and go for a meditation retreat. It was for 2 months and I thoroughly enjoyed it. In the beginning, it was quite challenging to sit in one place and meditate for long hours. As the days rolled on, I started liking it. It was at this time that what I wanted to pursue started unfolding, and became clearer. I decided to pursue my Ph.D. in the field of mind-body genomics. Twelve years back mind-body genomics was a niche research area. Not many people knew what was it all about. Most of my friends, professors, and well-wishers wanted me to remain open to other opportunities, but I had settled for mind-body genomics research. At that time, I was not sure which University offers an opportunity to do this kind of research. 

I still remember the day vividly in my mind. A week after the meditation retreat, I opened my computer to check my emails. To my surprise, I got an email from my friend about the Maharishi University in the USA. I was thrilled and happy to find out that the University provides a specialised research program on meditation. And, that was the first time I encountered synchronicity in my life. Some of you may say that it might be a coincidence, but I looked at the different angle. It is just not a coincidence, but the special phenomenon Carl Jung had explained. 

I wrote to the admission officer, International Student Advisor, and the other contact person provided on the website but I didn’t get any reply. I was quite disappointed and came to a conclusion that it is just a coincidence. But then, later I realised that I was wrong. By carrying my disappointments in my heart, just in the usual way, I went to work to the Clinic where I worked part-time as an assistant manager. During my break hour, I sat in my chair with my eyes closed and meditated. A person approached me for his report. I gave his report and he asked me whether I was meditating. I nodded my head. And, he introduced him as a research scientist and a long-term meditator. We both had a long conversation about meditation. And, then I told him about my interest towards mind-body genomics and also about the University. I was so surprised to hear from him that he had visited the University many times to meet his closest friend (who happened to be my Ph.D. guide later). He also told me that he’s looking for a candidate to study the effect of meditation on aging gene expression. And, that was the second time I encountered synchronicity in my life. I was quite convinced and realised that it is just not a coincidence. I immediately wrote an email to the professor and a year later I got to the Maharishi University to pursue my Ph.D.

Although I was quite convinced that it is the positive effect of practicing meditation, and the existence of synchronicity is true. As a research scientist, I was trying to find scientific pieces of evidence to support my personal experience. And, I found out Dr. Beitman, Dr. Jonathan, and other psychologists have been working on this amazing phenomenon for the past two decades. They postulate that all human beings carry an emotional information receptor in our brain, which can transduce input into a neuroelectrical impulse. This can be activated through human intentions. It behaves like a human GPS system. For example, when I decided to pursue research on mind-body genomics, a specific intention has been created. The specific intention will activate the emotional information receptor and a specific neuroelectrical impulse gets created. This impulse can travel in the space. These neuroelectrical impulses try to connect to a related neuroelectrical impulse of another person. However, when you are stressed out and have a negative thought process towards your intention, the specific neuroelectrical impulses will be destroyed. 

So, calming your mind is important to experience synchronicity in your life. And, it is quite possible by adopting meditation into your daily life. If you trouble to find a meditation center in your town, then try Aware meditation app for free. You can learn and practice meditation from anywhere in the world. Inculcate mindfulness into your daily activities and experience the amazing power of synchronicity. 

References
1. The Path of Synchronicity. Align yourself with your life’s flow. Dr. Allan G. Hunter. Findhorn Press. 
2. Embracing Synchronicity. Jonathan Davidson. Jung Journal. Culture and Psyche. 10:3; 90-96. DOI: 10.1080/19342039.2016.1191116