5 Reasons Why You Should Learn How to Quiet Your Mind

by Remez Sasson -

Is your mind constantly restless, jumping from one thought to another? This is the usual state of affairs for most people.

Most people are not aware of what is going on in their minds. It is the natural state of affairs for their mind to be constantly thinking from morning to night, without stopping for a moment.

When do you become aware of the restlessness of your mind? This usually happens when you need to focus it on something. Then, you become acutely aware that you have no control of your mind, and that it constantly running from one thought to another.

If you meditate, I am sure you are more acutely aware than most people of the restlessness of the mind. Once and again, while meditating, you suddenly become aware that your mind has strayed away and you forgot the meditation. Time and again, you need to bring your mind back to the meditation.

There are many reasons why you need to learn to quiet your mind. Below you will find five main reasons.

1. A quiet mind works better than a restless mind

When you the mind is quiet it is easier to focus it. There is no restlessness and jumping from one thought to another. 

This helps you focus your attention on whatever you do, and enhances reason and common sense, and the ability to handle more efficiently the daily affairs of life.

2. A quiet mind is the antidote for stress

You cannot be stressed when your mind is in a state of peace. A quiet mind releases both mental stress and physical strain, conserves your energy and protects your health.

3. A quiet mind is essential for meditation

Suppose you sit down to meditate for half an hour. How much of this time do you actually meditate, and how many minutes do you think irrelevant thoughts?

While meditating, how many times does your mind wander to problems and worries? How many times do you think about things you need to do, about your work, family or friends? 

How many times do you catch yourself daydreaming instead of meditating?

A quiet mind is a great asset for meditation, enabling you to stay focused, poised and calm.

The quieter your mind is the less it is likely to get distracted.

4. A restless mind hides your inner self

You cannot see the bottom of a lake if there are waves or the water is muddy, but once the waves disappear and the mud settles down, you can see the bottom. So it is with the mind and thoughts.

The mind is the sea and thoughts are the waves and the mud. Only when the mind is quiet you can see deep inside you and discover what is beyond your mind and thoughts.

When thoughts run non-stop in the mind they constantly pull your attention here and there, never allowing you to look deeper, but when the mind quiet, it is different. 

When the mind is quiet, nothing pulls your attention, and you can see beyond the mind.

It is only when can silence your mind that you go beyond the mind. When you go beyond the mind, you discover a whole new world of calmness, happiness and power, and see the world and people in a whole new light.

5. A quiet mind is the gate to inner knowledge

The mind is a great and useful instrument but only when you go beyond it you discover your “Inner Self”. 

Thoughts, desires, worries and fears hide your “Inner Self” and by stripping them away, which you do by silencing the mind, you come to realize your “Inner Self” and who you really are.

How can you quiet your mind?

Quieting the mind is a gradual process that requires inner work. There are several ways to do so. The main roads leading to it are concentration, meditation and emotional detachment.

You can also find practical step by step instructions and guidance in the books:  

How to Focus Your mind,  Peace of Mind in Daily Life,  Emotional Detachment for a Better Life

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The Abundance of Oneness

by Carolyn Field -

Everybody knows that lots of little things can make a big thing. One tree can become part of forest; one pebble, a beach; one blade of grass, a park land; one voice, a chorus.

“All differences in this world are of degree and not of kind, because oneness is the secret of everything.” ―Swami Vivekananda

Everything gravitates towards each other. 

We are coming together if not in physical proximity then in virtual proximity and in growing awareness of each other and of our connection. 

Just noticing that we are linked will create the wave of awareness that will blazon the Earth.

There is something strangely vulnerable about one small tree standing alone or one pebble laying on a path or one blade of grass growing in a crack on the ground or one human creature sleeping in a doorway. 

Something strangely vulnerable, yet also hopeful because there is always hope.

We are not meant to be alone. 

So if one tree can make a forest, what can one forest make? If one pebble can make a beach, what can one beach make? 

A forest, a beach, a park land, a chorus, all of these and many more collectives create awareness of the abundance that surrounds us. 

Where there is abundance, there is positive energy sparking and fizzing and where there is an abundance of sparking, fizzing positive energy there is the probability of divine transformation. 

Like an interaction between chemicals that creates something staggering.

So too, our awareness of Oneness. 

Just as we notice that we are linked to one another, we will come to realize that we are linked to everything and that everything is linked to us. What a breathtaking awareness that is. 

You and I are One with each other, with the Universe and with Divinity. 

The awareness of our Oneness shall bring opportunities for a new higher nature to be possible which will in turn activate a powerful metamorphosis bringing peace, joy, satisfaction and all encompassing love.

YOU ARE LOVE

Each moment is the breeze

on a rippling green sea.

Absent are expectations,

I have no illusion of need.

When you see, without you,

nothing can be perceived,

your true abundance is clear.

You are love. You are loved.

--Michele Harvey

Poetry For Living An Inspired Life: Poems as Spiritual Meditation

micheleharveyauthor.com

The Art of Understanding Energy

by Hieu Doan -

THE BREATH OF THE UNIVERSE:

The breath of universe is a consciousness that links the physical breath to the breath and pulse of the Divine.

It can be experienced in its totality when projecting the astral body into it and merging as one but for those who are not versed in astral projection it can also be used in simple meditation and is a powerful tool for unifying the mind, body and spirit with the universe.

The experience of the breath is all about perception and the senses, so it is through these senses that you observe your breath. 

Feel it, see it, hear it, taste it and smell it. 

Allow your mind to touch all these senses, yet do not become involved, simply observe objectively and watch.

Look for the subtle areas of these senses. Find the outer limits of your senses, where perception almost disappears. Hold your mind here. By holding your mind here, you stretch and expand your mind.

Observe the nature of your breath. 

Observe where it feels strong, observe where it feels subtle and released. Notice how far it travels as it leaves your body.

Notice how far it travels as it enters your body. Follow it completely to the end of its journey – then send your mind out in this direction. 

Continue to walk the journey that your breath has begun. 

How far can you go? 

Where does your mind stop? Allow this expansion to continue. Notice the walls and barriers of your perception and be at one with them.

Do not struggle – if there is resistance, be that resistance, if there is non-resistance, be that non-resistance.

Look for the spaces in between the resistance and allow your mind to melt through these spaces. 

Melt and expand. Allow the breath to dissolve you. 

Feel the pulse of the breath expanding ever outward, melting into the universe, becoming one with the universe.

Be embraced, supported and empowered by this breath. Understand the power that comes from allowing the breath of the universe to nourish you. Breath as one.

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The Mozart Effect

by Mary Mageau -

The maternity ward in Kosice-Saca Hospital in eastern Slovakia, has discovered the perfect way to ensure harmony among its new arrivals – by playing them the music of Mozart.

Lined up in their cots the infants are a picture of total contentment. Headphones are connected five times a day to the babies as the staff discovered that music helps newborns get over the trauma of birth. 

The music therapy begins five hours after delivery and when the babies hear classical music they fall asleep or lie quietly. Music keeps them healthy and relaxed. Of recent times this new phenomenon called the Mozart Effect has surfaced. 

The Mozart Effect is an inclusive term signifying the transformational powers of music for health, education and well-being. 

It represents the general use of music to reduce stress, depression and anxiety and to induce relaxation and sleep.

Research with Mozart’s music began in France during the late 1950s when Dr Alfred Tomatis began his experiments in auditory stimulation for children with speech and learning disorders. 

Mozart’s music has been sequenced by Dr Tomatis for different activities: high frequencies for stimulating the auditory system and slower tempo works for relaxation. He found that Mozart’s structural patterning and subtle emotional expression helped to clarify time/space perception. 

The rhythmic qualities of Mozart’s pieces mimic rhythmic cycles in the brain. Mozart’s music is not overly stimulating and his classical forms such as the rondo, sonata and variation present basic ways in which the brain becomes familiar with the development of simple ideas.

Dr Georgi Lozanov, a renowned Bulgarian psychologist, developed a method of teaching foreign languages that used Baroque music with a beat pattern of about 60 beats per minute.

While listening to this music, students increased their normal retention of vocabulary and phrases. Dr Lozanov proved conclusively that by using certain Baroque musical pieces, foreign languages could be mastered with 85% effectiveness in thirty days. 

This occurred because students using Mozart and works by Vivaldi, Handel and Bach (recorded at 60 beats per minute) felt calmer, could study longer and indicated a higher retention rate overall. 

Why was this so? 

These special pieces recorded at just the right tempo activated the right and left brain hemispheres. Music activated the right brain and the words one was reading and saying aloud activated the left brain.

When the body hears only a few beats per second of Baroque music the heart rate and pulse immediately relax to the beat. 

While one is in a relaxed and alert state the mind can focus and concentrate more easily. During heavy mental work our pulse and blood pressure rises and it often becomes more difficult to concentrate in this physiological state. 

Listening to Baroque and Mozart pieces as well as Gregorian Chant, cool jazz, selected new age pieces and some popular music will automatically reduce your blood pressure and pulse rate, while increasing your learning ability at the same time. This also becomes more effective when the volume level is tuned in the low to medium range.

Why not experiment yourself with the Mozart Effect? 

Listed below are several attractive and beneficial CDs to help you get started. While experiencing the healthful effects of this music you will also reap the added bonus of its sheer aesthetic enjoyment. All of it is just so beautiful.

Once you learn when your mind needs stimulation or relaxation you can develop a variety of ways to use the music to your best advantage. So relax, dream, meditate and enjoy the healing powers of music.

• ‘Music for the Mozart Effect” CD volume I is entitled, 'Heal the Mind'
• “Music for the Mozart Effect” CD volume II is entitled, 'Heal the Body'

About Author: Mary Mageau Mary Mageau is an Australian spiritual teacher and author. In her desire to share this empowering practice she has given talks and presented courses in meditation and spiritual awakening throughout southeast Queensland. Mary’s courses all focus on merging these two great meditation traditions - the contemplative paths of the West, with the classical meditation practices of the East.  km3highnote@bigpond.com

dailyom.com

Overcoming Anger and Intolerance

by Delia Quigley -

Whenever I am stuck in a moment of anger, jealousy, or greed, I ask myself, “What’s it all about, Quigley?” and immediately I am reminded that it is my commitment to become a more compassionate and loving human being.

Yes, well, easier said than done. Taking my practice of yoga and meditation out into the world gave me the opportunity to cultivate my spiritual practice by engendering love in place of anger and intolerance. 

“In joy and sorrow all are equal, thus be guardian of all, as of yourself.” --Shantideva

When we are stuck in our negative thoughts and judgments about another person, we are only harming ourselves. The dark emotions feed our body with stress and tension, and literally can create an acid condition in the blood. 

The next time you are upset with someone, notice what happens to your mind and body, and then notice how the person you are upset with is just going about his or her life, probably not even aware of the damage you are causing yourself because of your attachment to him or her.

Swami Veda Bharati has an interesting way of expressing this teaching.

" Your anger is seldom about the object present."

 Let’s say you are angry with someone in your life. The truth is, the anger is not about that immediate person or the situation.

The anger just is. That’s all. For you there is a mental conflict, perhaps something you haven’t resolved from your past. 

These unresolved emotions or unsatisfied cravings or desires continue to run your life. And whenever an opportunity arises, they jump out and hook the object of your anger.

In this way, you are dependent on the person you are angry with. Anger is the worst dependence, just as aversion is the worst attachment. 

Things you’re averse to, persons you’re antagonistic toward, that’s what you are thinking of all the time. Instead of thinking of people you love, you are thinking of the people who make you angry and irritate you.

How can something as simple as sitting in meditation and doing nothing lead us toward becoming more compassionate? 

It gives us space in which to see ourselves and address our pain. In doing so we can better see others’ pain and open our heart to what they are feeling. The Buddhist warrior practice of Tonglon means to exchange yourself for another. 

As you breathe in the pain and suffering of others, you send out love and happiness to the world. 

 In Tonglon, you take on, through compassion, all the various mental and physical sufferings of all beings: their fear, frustration, pain, anger, guilt, bitterness, doubt, and rage.

In exchange, you give them, through love, all your happiness, well-being, peace of mind, healing, and fulfillment.

Buddhist meditation teaches that the purpose to this lifetime is self-realization, which requires that you first clear away the illusion that shrouds your mind in order to perceive the reality of existence.

Amaro Bhikku, renowned spiritual teacher and Buddhist monk, says that,

“Patient endurance is to hold steady in the midst of difficulty, to truly apprehend and digest the experience of dukkha, to understand its causes and let them go.” 

 Dukkha translates as suffering, unsatisfactoriness – the inherent insecurity, instability and imperfection of conditioned phenomena. 

Combine a limited space with a certain ratio of bodies – a family (all their opinion, experiences and beliefs, vying for attention and demanding love) – and you have a challenge that requires awareness and a certain amount of respect.

deliaquigley.com

Overcoming the 5 Obstacles to Meditation

by Tracy Latz MD - 

I had the pleasure of hearing John Cianciosi speak at the Mid-South Federation of the Theosophical Society in America Annual Meeting at Lake Junaluska, North Carolina.

John was ordained as a Buddhist Monk in Thailand and trained under one of Thailand’s most gifted and influential meditation masters, the late Venerable Ajahn Chah. He is also author of 2 books titled “True Freedom” and “The Meditative Path“. 

What I loved most about hearing John speak was how he put what I knew to be true (the most likely barriers to achieving a true inner state of bliss or oneness with meditation) in the most direct, simple and easy to understand way.

In this post I intend to share my wisdom along with John’s clear explanations. I hope it is helpful! 

The goal or purpose of meditation is achieving a state of perfect clarity/perfect unity with the “wonderful Radiant Luminous Mind”- or “Radiant Heart”.

What is this state of ‘Radiant Luminous Mind’ or ‘Radiant Heart’? 

John Cianciosi likes to say;

“If you are thinking about it, then that is not it“. 

When you reach a state of luminous unity or luminous absorption, the world of the 5 senses ceases.

When in the state of ‘Radiant Mind’, a person reaches bliss and pure awareness with no sense of duality (the highest goal). Such a state changes our attitude, perception and false views about our self.

THE 5 OBSTACLES / HINDRANCES

1. Preoccupation With the Physical/Sensory World (the 5 Senses): 

We must be willing to let go of the world of physical senses at least temporarily when in a state of meditation. This is why it is advised to seek out places of silence/quiet and spaciousness in the early stages of meditative practice.

This can, however, be difficult for people who are faced with survival issues on a daily basis or for those who have a need for hypervigilance of their surroundings (such as some people with control issues, anxiety, or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder).

2. Excessive Mental Energy / Taming the ‘Monkey Mind': 

Once we escape from the outer world, the world of the mind is often thinking about the world ‘out there’. This is the ‘doing mind’ that thinks about what we are doing or what we need to do.

The concept of “Right Intention” in a Buddhist meditative practice refers to a renouncing of the preoccupation or fascination with the sensory world, the past and the future. John Cianciosi recommends the following mantra when pursuing a meditative practice: “Less Doing, More Being“.

When we achieve full ‘Being‘ in meditative practice, we find that the ‘Doing‘ in daily life is more fruitful and meaningful.

Many people ask “What is the best technique for achieving a deep meditative state?“ 

Often people will frequently change their meditative practice or try different techniques hoping to find ‘the one that works‘. It really does not matter which technique you use.

Just as there are many paths that lead to ‘Enlightenment‘, there are many meditative practices that lead to the goal of ‘Luminous Mind‘ or ‘Radiant Heart‘. The important thing is to find a meditative practice and stick to it. Constantly ‘changing up’ to the “newest” meditative practice is another form of ‘Monkey Mind‘.

Another one of John Cianciosi’s favorite sayings is: “It takes a lot of wisdom to be lazy“. 

He recommends trying a simple Breathing Meditation (a form of mindfulness meditation) if you are new to meditation where “you don’t have to do anything at all… just breathe“.

In a breathing meditation you just simply focus on your in-breath and out-breath- becoming aware of the rhythm without attempting to control it. This helps give the mind something to do rather than focus on the internal mind chatter of thoughts about our daily life and what we ‘ought’ to be doing other than meditating.

3. Too Little Mental Energy / Dullness: 

A calm state of dullness is not luminous mind because the clarity is missing. Once the issue of excessive mental energy from internal chatter (‘Monkey Mind‘) is under control, our inner focus needs to be that of “Being“. We need to be putting our energy into awareness - how to be awake and just be present in the moment. 

When this is done properly, the experience leads to vibrant wakefulness. The ‘Bliss‘ and meditation becomes easier. As the mind becomes increasingly quiet, the inner space expands and becomes vibrant, luminous, radiant.

This flow of continuous awareness within our present, awake mind becomes more present daily with regular meditative practice.

4. Guilt or Remorse: 

John refers to this in the Buddhist tradition as “not living the Good Life“. He believes that there is not much to be done about this issue. This is where he and I disagree.

In my experience in 19 years of clinical practice and over the past 10 years in teaching meditation classes to people who have suffered from guilt, depression, anxiety and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, 

I have found that this obstacle is not insurmountable. That is one of reasons my co-author (Marion Ross, Ph.D.) and I wrote our first book “SHIFT: 12 Keys to Shift Your Life“.

We found that many people were stuck in various ways in their physical, mental, emotional or spiritual path due to overwhelming sense of guilt, shame, feeling unlovable, negative self-definition, sense of abandonment, inadequacy, powerlessness, anger, resentment, heartache, stress, and fear of the unknown. In our books and guided meditations we give easy to use tools and techniques to shift these obstacles out of your way.

5. Doubt / Lack of Trust: 

In order to achieve the goal of “Luminous Mind” or “Radiant Heart” in meditation, we must have a willingness to put aside the aspect of the unknown. We have to accept that we are not perfect and the we do not know everything.

We have to be willing to start from where we are at this moment and realize that our experience will be our experience. It may not be what our friends or proclaimed ‘gurus’ experience. 

No one can show you the way on your path other than to assist with getting you started in your meditative journey.

If you are dedicated to a meditative practice, it is possible to reach a deep meditative state and, thus, to reach the state of “Luminous Mind” or “Radiant Heart”, transcending sex, age, and eventually all concepts of duality.

This is the first step in the journey to ‘Enlightenment’. Prayerful meditative practices have been used in all religions and spiritual paths by seekers, sages and avatars for thousands of years.  Why shouldn’t it work for you as well? 

Your meditative practice will fluctuate over various stages and periods in your life. 

That is okay. There are times for assimilating, reconsidering and refining an approach. “Luminous Mind” or “Radiant Heart” is both a wonderful aspiration and a challenge for a lifetime. It can bring true inner peace no matter what is going on in the physical world or in your life.

Loads of Inner Peace, Bliss and Light to you on your journey! 

About Author: Tracy Latz, M.D., Mh.D. (a.k.a. The Meditating Shift Doctor) - Check out The Shift Doctors’ books, videos and CDs at the Shift Your Life Site shiftyourlife.com/shift-store  The Shift Doctors (Tracy Latz, M.D. & Marion Ross, Ph.D.) are available for keynote talks, classes, events or for seminars (1/2 day or up to 2 day) on personal transformation, team-building, motivation, anger management, intuitive development or collaboration for private groups, conferences, corporations or corporate events. Contact them at info@shiftyourlife.com or find out more about them at shiftyourlife.com

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