How to slow down your thoughts by allowing yourself to think.
One of the vicious cycles of beginning a meditation practice is the misconception that you must start with stopping thought altogether.
That if you're not able to stop thinking,
You won't meet the goal.
The goal is to detach yourself from thoughts.
To be able to see them as not your own,
Without attachment.
I'll take a moment here in a comfortable seat,
On a chair,
The floor.
To connect to the present moment.
Take a deep breath in wherever you are.
And then a slow breath out.
Another one just like that.
Deep breath in.
And a slow breath out.
Begin to let your breath be natural.
And the breath is the first tool to focus your conscious attention.
The anchor point.
So notice the subtle sensations of your breath.
Specifically around your nostrils,
Or your upper lip.
The rise and fall of your belly.
And simply keep your attention there.
As you start to attempt to focus the mind.
And to sit intimately with yourself.
Is when the mind begins to fight back.
You begin to experience more and more thought activity.
As all of the external distractions slowly start to fade away.
The mind tries to make up for it with internal distractions.
With thoughts.
The vicious cycle of trying to stop your thoughts.
Occurs when you try to end the performance.
To force thoughts to not come up.
Because in that force.
And the thought about your thoughts.
Creates more thinking.
To turn to that vicious cycle of thinking about thinking.
And beating yourself up for thinking and thinking about thinking.
Now what if you shifted your relationship with your thoughts?
Allow them not to be your thoughts.
Simply electrical impulses.
Different pattern vibrations that we happen to notice.
And associate meaning to.
Allow thoughts to be present.
Allow them to come up.
Allow them to pass by.
Even allow yourself the grace.
To attach to one here and there.
Because what we're working to cultivate here is awareness.
The ability to notice when you've attached to a thought.
When you've identified with a thought.
And simply be able to notice.
And return to concentration.
Return to your anchor point.
Experience your meditation.
The relationship with your breathing.
With all sensations reflective of this moment.
And simply let them be.
Let thoughts be present.
Forgive yourself for following one here and there.
And simply return.
To not follow the downward spiral.
The reinforcing thoughts.
To notice and simply shift back to your breathing.
Or any other point or sensation.
That's where the growth happens.
Notice and return.
Not to stop altogether.
But to notice and shift.
To notice and return to who you are.
To notice and return to your values.
To notice and return to love.
Allow thoughts to be present.
Know in your heart they are not your own.
They're simply there.
And you have a choice.
You have a choice to follow the spinning.
Or to forgive yourself and pull back at any moment.
Whenever you're ready,
You can gently open your eyes.
The practice is to recognize that you are not your thoughts.
