Can you control the thoughts that come and go in your mind? I barely can and the success I have is because I practice meditation for a few minutes first thing. We can't blame the brain or get mad at ourselves for our straying thoughts or daydreams, just as we can't feel bad about our dreams during sleep - they just happen. The brain is just doing its "thing" as we used to say. The heart beats, the brain thinks. I would have loved to have meditated years ago when thoughts I didn't want were invading. Now that I'm a happier person, I meditate because I'm looking for an answer to a particularly nagging question or situation I'm in. Either to get rid of our unwanted thoughts and/or to give us the quiet space we need to find the answers to life's questions, meditation works.
When I first began, I tried some techniques I had read about like Dr. Wayne Dyer's "Getting in the Gap". After much practice, that helped to keep me in the present moment. By staying present I was able to observe my mind drifting and bring it back to focus. When I'm focused I can apply my mind to the question or situation. And again, when my thoughts drift (notice I didn't say, "when I drift") I bring them back to the task at hand. I've discovered all kinds of things when I'm in my zone of focus. For example, I wrote the outline for an article about using the coach approach when communicating with friends and loved ones, and from there I developed a class that I present to the local university Lifelong Learning Institute. I believe I'm most creative when in my zone of focus and I credit meditation with that success.
Interestingly, as a side benefit, I feel better all day because I started my day by giving myself the gift of a focused mind through meditation. I also find I have more peace of mind overall because I'm able to work on situations around guilt or shame (Brene Brown says guilt is about making mistakes and shame is feeling as if we are the mistake).
Consequently, I teach my clients about meditation and if they want to, I do a guided meditation with them to help them start or continue their practice. I'm not sure I will ever achieve the state of meditative mind that people like Eckhart Tolle seem to have, but I keep practicing because it feels so good. Love and peace of mind to all. Deb B.
When I first began, I tried some techniques I had read about like Dr. Wayne Dyer's "Getting in the Gap". After much practice, that helped to keep me in the present moment. By staying present I was able to observe my mind drifting and bring it back to focus. When I'm focused I can apply my mind to the question or situation. And again, when my thoughts drift (notice I didn't say, "when I drift") I bring them back to the task at hand. I've discovered all kinds of things when I'm in my zone of focus. For example, I wrote the outline for an article about using the coach approach when communicating with friends and loved ones, and from there I developed a class that I present to the local university Lifelong Learning Institute. I believe I'm most creative when in my zone of focus and I credit meditation with that success.
Interestingly, as a side benefit, I feel better all day because I started my day by giving myself the gift of a focused mind through meditation. I also find I have more peace of mind overall because I'm able to work on situations around guilt or shame (Brene Brown says guilt is about making mistakes and shame is feeling as if we are the mistake).
Consequently, I teach my clients about meditation and if they want to, I do a guided meditation with them to help them start or continue their practice. I'm not sure I will ever achieve the state of meditative mind that people like Eckhart Tolle seem to have, but I keep practicing because it feels so good. Love and peace of mind to all. Deb B.