Have you ever noticed the continual stream of thoughts we have from the moment we wake up in the morning? First comes a thought, followed by thinking about a thought. Then another thought and another and so on. Before we know it, we have arrived at work, or we forgot to accomplish something, or we find ourselves late for a meeting, etc. When we are at work, we think about what we are going to do when we get home. When we are home, we think about what we are going to do when we get to work. We even have “special” thinking times when we are alone and have time to think for ourselves. As if we ever turned it off in the first place!
What is The Mind? The Mind is a tool to create. However, we get hooked on it. Consider that being hooked on the mind is the biggest addiction in the world. We allow the mind to entertain us all day long. Thinking about the past or the future. Thinking about what could happen or should’ve happened and not what did happen. Invented stories. A continual distraction from this space right NOW. It’s exhausting! Until of course, we have had enough. At this point, many of us turn towards meditation and other likeminded practices searching and seeking truth.
Every single thought has a direct impact on our physical body and our environment. Even “good” thoughts. I recall when I used to wake up in the morning after having a great dream, all I wanted to do was stay in bed and replay the dream over and over. I was hooked. If you would like to prove to yourself just how impactful your thoughts are, notice your face muscles exactly as they are right now without changing a thing. Now relax all your face muscles and notice the difference. That was thoughts impacting your muscles.
Meditation is a vehicle which can bring order to chaos and an emptying out of all false stories and beliefs and restores our true nature. By dropping all our stories, we blossom into the greatest version of ourselves. The searching and seeking stops and the discoveries begin. Eternal discoveries. (Now relax all your face muscles again).
When we wake up in the morning, there is an aliveness. No more rolling the eyes and dragging ourselves and our stories surviving life. No more internal narration of our day as if trying to convince someone. An imaginary friend per se. Notice how others walk and notice that it is their stories they are dragging with them throughout the day. (Now relax all your face muscles again). Now notice our own walk and how our stories are impactful.
To meditate, nothing needs to change. We do not need a certain sitting position. We don’t need to give up coffee. We don’t need the mind to be quiet first. We don’t need gentle music. There is nothing we need “first”. All that is required is our willingness to give up our stories. Are you ready to give up your stories?