Life Refle(x)ctions #3

Our minds can be the last piece of the puzzle in order to achieve all we want and dream or, it may be the worst enemy if we let her go as she wants.

Hi there Crypto-Nauts I hope you may be having a great time. This life refle(x)ctions post is going to be a bit hard to process for some people but for others, it may be a great confirmation and maybe, a nice path to start your own journey down to the rabbit hole of your own. I will start by saying do you mind or your own mind?

The mind

Wikipedia says:

The mind (not to be confused with the brain) is a set of cognitive faculties including consciousness, imagination, perception, thinking, judgement, language and memory. It is usually defined as the faculty of an entity's thoughts and consciousness. It holds the power of imagination, recognition, and appreciation, and is responsible for processing feelings and emotions, resulting in attitudes and actions. - Source Quote

Not many people wonders about what it the mind neither the importance it has for our paths as human beings. We know its power, we live with it, we embrace it, we even feel its effect in every single thing we do but, do we really know what it is and most important do we know how can we train her?

If we analyse a bit the quote above, we see: not to be confused with the brain. Also we read: is a set of cognitive faculties. Which means it is a set of faculties that may allow us to perceive, process, think, and judge among other capabilities. If I ask the same question that was asked to my Hindu master once: Where is your mind? What would you say, after knowing that it cannot be confused with the brain? Think about that for a moment.

Its importance for life

The fact is that in this case we do not need to know it to realise its effect in our daily lives. I am a person who constantly needs to work on this, otherwise my mind it could literally eat me, digest me and puke me at will. In this times we are living, have you noticed every one is so focused about making money, earn a living and spend so much time out of themselves than many of them do not even realise the importance of a healthy mind?
It looks than this matrix it is been designed in that way. Make everyone's attention to the outside world rather than the inner world. Here is one the key if we really want to change and succeed. Having our time to look inside ourselves and start unravelling this mess we have within our minds.

Its Pros & Cons

If we let the mind go by itself it can destroy many things. I am not saying the mind is a bad thing but it needs control. Its nature is to observe, judge, name things and protect us from every possible harm. When I say harm, our mind it can relate it to change. Every little thing that can be perceive by our minds as a threat, it may trigger some kind of defence mechanisms in order to protect us from this new things that may "harm us".

Pros

• When controlled or focused, it can takes us to the next level of development.

• It is the real ally we all have for the rest of our lives. In fact this is the only closest friend we have, to be honest.

• It unchain chemicals and physicals processes within our bodies and brain. I am not an expert but you can do some research. This is why the quote: As you think, you become, it is so real as you and me. (I recommend you to watch "What the Bleep do we know").

• After creating a thought, this can become an action. After creating this action, this can become a habit. After creating a habit this may become a conduct, and then you have a way of living. So one pro of the mind is than she can shape our lives.

Cons

• It absorb a lot of "primary info" since we are kids and even from the early years of our lives, that sometimes it may be more difficult to change if the time goes on and on.

• It needs a lot of time and effort to be changed.

• It may interfiere with our reasoning by using its little friend we all know as MR. Ego. The results of a mind who control us it may be catastrophic.

• It can control us and make our lives a real hell in earth.

So what we do? If we really want to change?

Any person must develop his own ways to guide its mind. We are all different but we can use all we have in order to make deep changes. The following list do no pretend to be the only ways, but the ones I personally know by experience. Note: If you have a really messy mind you should find help because there is experts out there whom may help you if you really need to change.

1. First of all we must recognise our mind problems. Bad habits, conducts that do not allows us to be in our fully potential. We must observe what really is going on. Here we need some lonely time, preferable in a very peaceful environment i.e: forest, beach, etc.

2. If we are using drugs, like for example Marihuana(a.k.a Weed) we should stop and detox ourselves. We cannot think or even observe our minds if we are in this kind of altered states of consciousness. Believe me I have been there 2 or 3 times in my life and you cannot be yourself.

3. If you are using medication in example psychotropics(Xanax, Zoloft, etc.) then you will have to talk to your doctors to deep in and to find another ways. Personally I have found than natural methods are better than chemicals but, as I said I talk from my personal experience and if you are under medication, talk to the experts.

4. After doing all the above, if you need to do them, now you must establish some healthy routines. First one: meditation. There is plenty of resources out there. In the following lines I will share my personal meditation practice for you. Second one: physical exercises. You may have one of two practices that you really like. Even if you do not like to exercise yourself, you must find something that connect your physical body with some kind of mind effort. This way you will start release some natural chemicals into your body and your mind will start changing.

5. After you start the meditation combined with long walks(which is good to observe yourself and your thoughts), also with exercises(Surf, basketball, yoga) you will notice that you will feel different in many ways.

6. If you want to deep in even further you can take a piece of paper(it is better to actually write than type) and start writing down all the things you observe from yourself as: judgements you normally do, reactions you have before certain people or situations, recurrent thoughts you have that may cause you inner conflicts, etc. Write down even the most crazy things and you will amaze about what you have inside your mind.

7. After writing all that down, I repeat in a piece of paper and actually with a pen or a pencil, then you can take another piece of paper of papers(if you need more than one) and start writing about how do you imagine you can do better? Also write about is there options instead of reacting in that way? How I would like to be?

8. Put all that papers in a private place where you can see them every day. This will help you to realise it and to take the responsibility of your thoughts and actions.

9. Finally, be patience with yourself. Many of us have more than 20 years of wrong thoughts, habits and ways of being so this takes time but nothing it could be more worth for your own life.

Key points to really deep in

Have you notice how we can dive ourselves into life changes because of other people? I remember myself doing this process the first time, while I was living in Morocco because of a french girl(Oh l'amour, Oh lala) but after some years I have realised this is something I will do for myself. I have in mind that by doing this all my life can change and this will affect positively with all my relationships. So this is key, do it because you really want. If you realised that you are happy as you are, then remember this as soon as you start complaining about your ways.

Another thing is that not many people is ready for this. This why in the beginning of the post I said: This post of life refle(x)ctions is going to be a bit hard to process for some people. So you need to be around people who may help you. If you hang out with people who do not care about this, you are in danger of quit the whole process and doing the same as they do. It is important that you realised this, even if the people around you may not understand it. Life is about you, you are the one who really matters. Everyone is doing many things and they are living as they want so. It is up to each and one of us.

Meditation in the Light

If you have reached this point of the post, let me congratulate you because it means you are committed to deep in. So I will share with you the meditation I do every day, even when I just want to continue sleeping or doing something else. It may seems as a very simple process but it is very powerful.

What do you need to do this Meditation?

1. Between 10 minutes or 20 minutes of your daily time.

2. A quiet place where you can seat in a cushion. If you live near to a forest or a quiet park, is a great place to meditate.

3. Optional: A Solfeggio Audio(like this one here) within your Ipad or SmartPhone. Using a headset is even better.

4. Patience, so you can start to meditate step by step. At the beginning your mind will try to get crazy with many thoughts but, eventually it will calm.

5. If cannot bend your knees, do not worry, meditate using a chair or even in your own bed. You must find a time in your day, when you can be calm. I do it every morning after taking the breakfast and after doing my brain exercises.

After being prepared for the meditation. We close our eyes and take a deep breath. Repeat this process and just focus on your breathing. Do not pay attention to your mind if it starts to bring up weird thoughts. Focus on you breathing. When you feel more calm, imagine a candle in front of you. Imagine this light goes from the candle to the space between your eyebrows(the called third eye) as soon as the light is there imagine your face brighter and more relaxed. Then take this light and imagine is going to your heart. When it touches your heart, it becomes full of light and now take this light to your mind(imagine your mind is a substance that surround all your body and brain) now imagine this light makes your mind to think all what is good and to leave all negativity.
Now take this light to your eyes so they can see what is good, so your eyes can see all the good within you and others. Take this light to your nose, so you can remember that any time you are agitated you can calm yourself by breathing. Take now this light to you ears, so you can listen what is good and leave behind all the gossip and bad talking from others. Now take this light to your mouth and tongue, so you may speak the truth but without hurting people, so you may talk what is good. Now take this light to your arms and hands, so you may do good actions for yourself and others.
Take now this light to your legs and feet, so they can take you for the life with firm steps and if you fall, you will raise up stronger and wiser. Take now the light to all the parts of your body, specially if you have pain or any decease so the light can heal you up. Now take the light to all your city, imagine it is travelling and filling people up with peace, all around the world. In this stage, think about all your family(Mom, Dad, Brothers, Sisters, Grand Parents, Cousins, etc.) and imagine how this light surround them and make them happy. Take now the light to your friends and specially to those who you have consider your enemies. Now repeat yourself(without talking, just in your mind): The light is in me, I am in the light, The light and I are one.
Now take the light to your heart and leave a big portion of it right there, so it can guide you and remember you where the love is, take the rest of this light to your third eye(the space between your eyebrows) and imagine how it goes back to the candle. Breath two or three times and come back to the present moment.

If you have any doubts or suggestions, you may write me a message within the comment sections. I really hope this may help you develop yourself and to calm down your mind. Peace out.

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