"One has to watch the fluctuations of the mind without touching anything. By remaining as a neutral witness of thoughts, sensations, and perceptions, one comes to know that which is prior to the mind."
~Swami Atmananda Udasin
Dear ,
Note: I'm excited about the upcoming mini-retreat on Thursday April 14, Awakening in Relationships. Please click here for details and to register.
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What is it like when we're caught in a busy mind? We’re flooded with thoughts that doubt, compare, judge, worry, and ruminate.
And what do we do with all these thoughts? Repeat the same stories over and over, engulf others in unnecessary details, and compulsively share our self-doubt, seeking advice from anyone who will listen.
I was once in the courtyard of a yoga studio waiting for a daylong training to start. I struck up a conversation with a young woman near me who proceeded to ask questions nonstop. How many people will be here? What will the teacher be like? Will we have any breaks? How hard do you think this will be?
My answer to all of these questions was, “I don’t know.” And I felt compassion for the anxious reality she was creating for herself.
Isn’t this how many people live their everyday lives? Attached to thinking, swirling around in the contents of the mind, trying to know what can’t be known, trying to control what can’t be controlled.
Would you like to know why you’re not peaceful and happy? You’re somehow believing the thoughts in your mind. It’s as simple as that.
So let’s open to discovering that there’s a whole other relationship you can have with your busy mind—and it’s available to you now and in every moment.
It’s a way of relating to your mind that frees you from stressful thinking. It’s kind…and supportive of your peace and happiness. Sound good? Here’s how:
- Experiment with turning your attention away from what your thoughts are telling you—because they’re limiting, false, and mostly unnecessary;
- Lose interest in your thinking—because it undermines your well-being;
- Feel into what’s happening in your body as a way to reconnect with presence here and now.
- Rest in the open space that remains—once you stop engaging with the content of your thoughts.
Your attention is a precious resource, and what you pay attention to is what becomes your reality.
The beauty of losing interest in your thinking is this: you’re not resisting your thoughts or trying to get rid of them. You’re not efforting to make them more positive.
You simply stop giving thoughts your attention.
A peaceful mind is not muddied by excessive thinking. It’s infinitely curious, unendingly open, fundamentally unattached, and at ease with not knowing. Thoughts come, but they’re not given the time of day.
Turn your attention away from your mind and into the lived reality of this moment. What is here right now? What is fresh and alive?
You’ll discover the peace you long for, outside of your busy mind, right here waiting for you...
Gail
Note: You are welcome to join my next event, a 4-hour mini-retreat on Thursday, April 14. We will dive into the topic of Awakening in Relationships. Please click here for details and to
register.
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