Dear Yogis,
“Thoughts
become things. Choose the good ones.
~Mike Dooley, author of Notes from the Universe
Our 6th chakra, Ajna, the center between the
eyebrows….our third eye. Here we meet up with the mind.
Oh my.
Our minds are amazing tools. But how many of us
instead find ourselves slaves to our thoughts. Referred to as
‘monkey mind’, that constant inner dialog telling us how we feel, what might
happen, the fifty things that must get done today, what is right, what is wrong
– spinning and changing direction on a whim. Not a tool, but the
commander in chief.
And living in this fast paced, high tech age has only seemed
to ramp up its speed and intensity. The constant barrage of information,
noise and lights fill our mind until we begin to feel like Fox News
with two screens and two moving tickers along the bottom. One
thought to another to another to another…..until we have literally squeezed out
the space between thoughts. Controlled by thought.
Right now – just STOP. Stop everything. Suddenly
STOP. Notice what happens. Now begin to move and think again….and
then STOP. Suddenly.
Another way to practice this is to close the eyes and watch
the breath. Begin to notice the gap at the end of the exhale and over
time lengthen it. Allow yourself to see this gap. Feel it. It
is the entryway “in”. To me it feels like being suspended in mid
air. It contains nothing, yet contains absolutely everything. It is
our place of peace.
So back to choosing our thoughts. In order to
choose them, we first must be able to watch them. In order to watch them
we have to be able to detach from them to observe. And we have to put the
space back in between them so we can at least differentiate one for the
next!!! This is called meditation.
Meditation is simply stopping to watch. Anyone can do
it. I have many people tell me they can’t meditate because their mind is
too busy. That is the same statement as I can’t do yoga because I am
inflexible. Which would be the same statement as I can’t diet because I
am overweight. Anyone can meditate. It is a lifelong process that
can begin at any moment. A daily practice – as all parts of the yoga journey
are. I have heard meditation referred to as “dental floss for the
brain”. I love that!
Meditation needs no financial investment – just the desire
to know yourself better and to feel better. You can sit in a chair, or on
the floor or your bed, with a pillow propped under you so that your hips are
slightly elevated. But sitting as opposed to lying. And
start with just 10 minutes. Everyone has 10 minutes each day.
Everyone. And pick a time that you can do every day. Morning works
well for this. Set your alarm 15 minutes earlier, brush your teeth, go to
the bathroom and then sit. It will give you back much more than 15
minutes of sleep ever could hope to (or just go to bed 15 minutes
earlier!).
I like to wrap my shawl around me. It tells my body
that it is time to be still, like going into a cocoon. Then close your
eyes. Take a quick scan through the body to release any holding.
Then watch your breath. Just watch. You can count your
breaths backward starting from 50, or you can watch and feel that space at the
end of every exhale. And when the mind begins to wander……and it
will……just notice. See where it went, and then bring it back to the
breath. Over and over and over.
When you are finished, awaken the emotion of gratitude in
your heart and send its vibration out. Thank the Universe, and then open
your eyes. Aaaaaahhhhh….ready to begin your day from this
place of peace.
Like any new habit we are trying to form, it will take
time. But since “you” are the commander in chief, and not your mind, all
you have to do is decide that you are going to do it. That’s it!
Just decide and do it every day for a month and watch what
happens. Oh, and when your mind tries to talk you out
of it each day…..notice that too.
Meditate, live vividly.
Ooooommmmmmmmm……………………
SARAH
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