Do you ever find yourself waking from a blissful sleep only to be bombarded by every random thought in the universe? My focus for today will be "How" to utilize what we have available to shift this. Ideas welcome!
The quieter you become, the more you can hear. –Ram Dass Well, duh! Of course you can hear more when you are quiet. But wait… hear what? What are you supposed to hear? This advice is not just about not talking. It’s about quieting the chatter inside our heads that goes nonstop from the time we wake up until the time we finally fall asleep. That little voice is harder to shut up than you think, but it’s definitely worth learning how to do. Almost nobody can do it right off the bat, so don’t feel badly if you fail the first time or the first ten times.
It’s been said that slowing down the mind is like hitting the brakes in a car that is speeding down the highway at 65 miles per hour. When we do this, what happens? The car keeps going for a while. It can’t possibly come to a full stop right away. Plus, it’s dangerous for us to do this. Instead, we have to put on the brakes firmly but slowly, and the car will eventually come to a stop. It’s the same with meditation. You’re not going to be able to completely stop the chatter all at once, but you will eventually be successful.
You have to give the mind something to focus on. One idea is to focus on your breath. Another idea is to focus your attention on some outer sounds around you, such as a fan whirring, a heater hissing, a bird chirping, etc. Some people listen to quiet, beautiful music, or nature sounds. You can also chant a spiritually charged word. Some people say OM or AUM. I use HU, pronounced like the word hue. Whatever word you use, take a deep breath and chant your word on the out-breath for as long as you can. Then fall silent and take another breath. Chant once again on the out-breath. Do this slowly.
God speaks in silenceYour thoughts will intrude, but that’s OK. Just let the thought go and return to quiet, inner mindfulness. Keep dropping thoughts and returning to the silence. Try not to think about your appointments for the day, your next meal, your various problems, or the next thing on your agenda. They can wait. Be here, now. http://mettahu.wordpress.com/tag/quieting-the-mind/ As I was searching for an answer to this question I began to rethink my past several months. I have been brain chatter free in the morning. So what was different this morning? I use piano music to sleep to and when I wake the sweet tinkling of this is there and my brain instantly smiles. I also realized that this morning, the dog that has been barking for the past several days, was not. My favorite sound to wake to is a cricket chirp. I do believe that so far the majority of my research points to having something to focus on as soon as you wake will keep the chatter quiet. Whether this be your breath, a song, a personal chant or the neighbors dog. Mindfully engaging the brain allows for peace inside.
The quieter you become, the more you can hear. –Ram Dass
ReplyDeleteWell, duh! Of course you can hear more when you are quiet. But wait… hear what? What are you supposed to hear? This advice is not just about not talking. It’s about quieting the chatter inside our heads that goes nonstop from the time we wake up until the time we finally fall asleep. That little voice is harder to shut up than you think, but it’s definitely worth learning how to do. Almost nobody can do it right off the bat, so don’t feel badly if you fail the first time or the first ten times.
It’s been said that slowing down the mind is like hitting the brakes in a car that is speeding down the highway at 65 miles per hour. When we do this, what happens? The car keeps going for a while. It can’t possibly come to a full stop right away. Plus, it’s dangerous for us to do this. Instead, we have to put on the brakes firmly but slowly, and the car will eventually come to a stop. It’s the same with meditation. You’re not going to be able to completely stop the chatter all at once, but you will eventually be successful.
You have to give the mind something to focus on. One idea is to focus on your breath. Another idea is to focus your attention on some outer sounds around you, such as a fan whirring, a heater hissing, a bird chirping, etc. Some people listen to quiet, beautiful music, or nature sounds. You can also chant a spiritually charged word. Some people say OM or AUM. I use HU, pronounced like the word hue. Whatever word you use, take a deep breath and chant your word on the out-breath for as long as you can. Then fall silent and take another breath. Chant once again on the out-breath. Do this slowly.
God speaks in silenceYour thoughts will intrude, but that’s OK. Just let the thought go and return to quiet, inner mindfulness. Keep dropping thoughts and returning to the silence. Try not to think about your appointments for the day, your next meal, your various problems, or the next thing on your agenda. They can wait. Be here, now. http://mettahu.wordpress.com/tag/quieting-the-mind/
As I was searching for an answer to this question I began to rethink my past several months. I have been brain chatter free in the morning. So what was different this morning? I use piano music to sleep to and when I wake the sweet tinkling of this is there and my brain instantly smiles. I also realized that this morning, the dog that has been barking for the past several days, was not. My favorite sound to wake to is a cricket chirp. I do believe that so far the majority of my research points to having something to focus on as soon as you wake will keep the chatter quiet. Whether this be your breath, a song, a personal chant or the neighbors dog. Mindfully engaging the brain allows for peace inside.