Our minds are thought-making machines.
We are constantly narrating our experiences,
Current,
Past,
And future.
A never-ending train of dialogue running through our minds at all times.
This dialogue tells us which of the brain networks we are in.
If we are mind-wandering,
Ruminating,
Having anxious thoughts,
Or worrying,
Or daydreaming,
We know we are in the default mode network or the salience network.
If our thoughts are about our current experience,
Accessing memories of stored knowledge,
Not personal or emotional,
Reasoning,
Learning,
Problem-solving,
And comprehension,
Then we know we are in the executive control network.
Use this next exercise to begin to hear these thoughts as an objective observer,
Simply with the goal of listening without attachment or engagement.
To watch these thoughts move like train cars without getting on,
Bringing awareness to what brain networks we are in,
How these thoughts influence our experiences,
And ultimately giving us power to choose which train car we get on and which we allow to pass us by.
Let's begin.
Find a comfortable position laying down or if you're sitting make sure your spine is erect.
Roll your shoulders back and down.
Relax your neck so that you're not stretching.
Close your eyes.
Take a deep breath.
I will walk you through the instructions and then allow you time to engage.
I want you to watch with curiosity and openness as your mind does the work of a mind,
Constantly creating something to be talking about.
Imagine these thoughts as though they are train cars and you are watching them move along the track.
If you have found that you are engaging with this thought,
Either by agreeing or by fighting and disagreeing with it,
You know you are now on the train car.
Simply notice this.
Take a mental step back and return to the observer position off of the train and watch as the thoughts pass on by.
They will come and go and you have the power to choose to step off.
Now spend the next two minutes engaging in this thought awareness exercise.
You you you you Open your eyes and return to the present moment.
Spend the next few minutes thinking about how that practice felt for you.
The more aware of our thoughts we become,
The more control we have over them.
By taking the position of the observer,
We lessen the power of those thoughts,
Enabling us to interrupt and redirect them as needed,
Ultimately freeing us from the hold of unhelpful thought patterns and empowering us to rethink our lives.
