You Are Not Your Mind…Nor Your Thoughts (Linking-Thinking #1)

Leave a comment April 19, 2022 debreen

It is fitting to begin the first installment of the Linking-Thinking series with the above entitled statement: You Are Not Your Mind…Nor Your Thoughts. I cannot express adequately to you how intriguing and important this idea has become to me. Namely, that I-AM not the thoughts I think or feel about myself. How can this not be true? This way of perceiving self is all I’ve ever known. After all, even the famous French philosopher and mathematician René Descartes said, “I Think, Therefore I Am.” So learning or believing that I can relate to myself as a human Being and not a human Thinking or a human Doing, first requires an intellectual leap of disbelief. The possibility that I-AM existing as pure consciousness, separate from what I think, is hard to grasp. I have always attached my identity to the thoughts I have about myself; about the things I’ve experienced in my past and about the things I want to experience in the future. And yet, there is within me a knowing that this possibility, of peaceful Being, could be an absolute truth which ultimately connects me (and all of us human-beings) to our life Source and Force.

As I explore the topic of my tagline: Think…Feel…Be, in the weeks to come, I will be curating and showcasing the ideas of enlightened leaders of the mind-body space, from past and present. I will delve into my own questionings and understandings and lack of understandings as I discuss new ideas and topics each week. I would very much enjoy hearing from any of you, my readers, to discuss and discover what your impressions and experiences are in the realm of each week’s topic.

Ultimately, my goal and purpose in this space is to share my journey and interest in enlightened living, as I attempt to understand, grow, and integrate myself into a more perfect union of mind-body-spirit. I will include quotes from the masters in each week’s offerings together with questions for contemplation and consideration. I look forward to a shared journey with those who follow along as we push the doors and windows of our hearts and minds open to receive the fresh air of creative, intentional ways of living and being. So let’s go…shall we…onward to the high country! This week we learn from Eckhart Tolle how to un-link our thinking from our Being. Tell me, have you had any success or experience with the practice he describes below? I look forward to hearing from you.

Many people live with a tormentor in their head that continuously attacks and punishes them and drains them of vital energy. It is the cause of untold misery and unhappiness, as well as of disease. The good news is that you can free yourself from your mind. This is the only true liberation. You can take the first step right now. Start listening to the voice in your head as often as you can; be there as the witnessing presence. When you listen to that voice, listen to it impartially. That is to say, do not judge. Do not judge or condemn what you hear, for doing so would mean that the same voice has come in again through the back door. You’ll soon realize: there is the voice, and here I am listening to it, watching it. This I am realization, this sense of your own presence, is not a thought. It arises from beyond the mind.
So when you listen to a thought, you are aware not only of the thought but also of yourself as the witness of the thought. A new dimension of consciousness has come in. As you listen to the thought, you feel a conscious presence — your deeper self –behind or underneath the thought, as it were. The thought then loses its power over you and quickly subsides, because you are no longer energizing the mind through identification with it. This is the beginning of the end of involuntary and compulsive thinking.
When a thought subsides, you experience a discontinuity in the mental stream — a gap of “no-mind.” When these gaps occur, you feel a certain stillness and peace inside you. This is the beginning of your natural state of felt oneness with Being, which is usually obscured by the mind. With practice, the sense of stillness and peace will deepen. In fact, there is no end to its depth. You will also feel a subtle emanation of joy arising from deep within: the joy of Being.
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle, pg. 27

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Just Practice

Leave a comment January 27, 2016 debreen

As a personal trainer I often admonish my clients to put their mind into their muscles when they engage in strength training activities. It is my fervent belief that we train our muscles best when we practice putting our mind on feeling what our muscles are doing throughout each exercise repetition.

The energy of the mind is the essence of life. Aristotle

When it comes to strength, muscles or otherwise, I believe our mind is our most potent, powerful agent and ally for change in our physical body and in our life. What we think (believe) has the potential to germinate the seeds of well-being or dis-ease. With every thought, with every belief, we grow ourselves stronger, larger. It’s just that simple. If you want to get better at anything, then your betterment is determinant upon your practice of doing.

Your brain reflects the way that you think throughout your life. You kind of shape it by your thoughts and your behaviors. If you play violin for eight hours a day, then the parts of the brain responsible for helping you to play the violin will get larger. If you’re thinking stressful thoughts for the whole day then those parts of the brain are going to get larger and other parts of the brain will deteriorate. Jo Marchant

Your brain is like a muscle that responds (grows) by the thoughts you put into it from your mind. Your mind is superior to your brain. Your mind (your soul, your personality, your will) feeds and directs your physical brain. Conscious and subconscious thoughts bathe your brain with input (thought for food…food for thought) 24/7. Check your thought diet! Are you consciously or unconsciously feeding your brain junk food? Junk thoughts?

If you think you are in danger, your brain sets into motion your fight or flight response. Your breathing respirations increase as does your blood pressure; all systems are on high alert, ready for action. Conversely, if you think you are in safety, your parasympathetic pathways are engaged, and your body is calmed, your breathing is slower and deeper and your blood pressure returns to normal. Your brain needs your mind to direct its resources in accordance to your body’s needs. Your mind drives your body. Have you checked whose in charge lately?

The mind is willing, but the body is weak.

Whatever virtue, trait or ability you want to improve or enlarge in your life, you must only do one thing: PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. This is so simple. This is why I am often fond of saying, “less is more”. It only takes one thought, one act of your will, to put into motion a healthier, happier life. You decide. So please do not be careless about what you think because it will effect what you practice.

Put Your Mind Where Your Muscle Is

Leave a comment February 16, 2015 debreen

If you want to gain power, strength or stamina from your exercise training, then try putting some mindfulness into your next exercise session. Whether you are training for strength or endurance, pay attention to what you are asking your muscles to do for you! Put your mind on the muscle you are currently working, make sure you focus your attention on your form during every repetition. Involve your mind in the exercise activity and require it to focus its understanding on feeling what the muscle is doing. Can you visualize the muscle lengthening and shortening with every repetition? Can you focus the energy of your breath on your working muscle(s). Do you perceive health and strength surging through your blood vessels as weakness is expelled with every exhalation? When you practice this kind of mindfulness during exercise, you are effectively training not only your body, but also your mind; this is how your brain is made strong and how you increase mental discipline! With every mindful intention you make during your exercise session, you are making new neural connections between your mind and body and you are laying down new foundations for well-being; you are teaching yourself how to re-create vitality into your body every time you put your mind on your muscle!