It's nighttime. You are tossing and turning. Your brain won't shut off. Or you are in a meeting or deep conversation but your mind is spinning you away from the topic at hand. These moments highlight how often we spend in our brains. Brains are a good thing of course. They tell us if a traffic light is red, they remind us to walk one foot at a time and they recognise the faces of co-workers. But it's not up to our brains to make our lives better, they are only part of the mechanics of our body, they are not the motherboard. The energy centre of the mind lives beyond the physical boundaries of our bodies. It is expansive, unlimited, free. While the Brain is like a tightly wound ball of string that seems to follow a pattern and then returns in circles, the mind is outer space - endless, open.
Practice spending time in your mind through mindfulness techniques. Wherever you are sitting, imagine the items around you are alive. Feel the energy they give off. If people or animals cross your path, watch their movement, imagine their breath. Focus your energy on the very moment at hand and on how lucky you are to be in this moment, in this space, surrounded by these items and living creatures.
Do you struggle with "getting out of your head"?
What do you practice to spend time in the expansive mind?
I love the idea of focusing on how lucky we are to be in the moment. We end up spending so much time ruminating about the past, for yearning for the future, that we neglect the present.
ReplyDeleteThe older I become, the more I become in touch with my reptilian mind, with my body, with my limbic system.
ReplyDeleteI deliberately move away from my cognitive mind. It has nothing to do with my emotions or my "felt self," which is nonlinear. I'm thankful that I'm left-handed.
I meditate, pray, practice silence, solitude, praise and worship. The latter two are two different spiritual disciplines. All of these practices expand my mind and my mindfulness; they create space for my soul, which allows me to truly live in a transcendent way.
Thanks Vanessa for the encouragement you offer.
How long have you been on this healing journey? You inspire me to be more mindful, I am glad you can share your daily thoughts with me.
DeleteVanessa,
ReplyDeleteI've been on the journey for decades; but it didn't take decades to get there. It simply required a decision, the best one I ever made.
Enjoying life fully requires effort. But effort was not the basis for my spiritual awakening.
I tell others that where I am, characterologically, anyone can experience, and perhaps enjoy more fully than I do. I still have plenty of areas where I can grow. (Then again, that's one of the beauties of life---ongoing flourishing.)
I've simply found a cache of bread. My life's joy has been sharing with others that they also can feast upon this bread. It has nothing to do with me.