Before you can benefit from getting out of the mind, you need to go through the process of awareness. The reason the mind can cause so much suffering and torment is that most people overidentify with their thoughts and are unaware of their mechanisms. It is not uncommon to hear an aggressive and disparaging voice in the head, which routinely mistreats and attacks us and often deprives us of our vital energy. The more indulgent you are with your thoughts, through judgments, reveries, interpretations, worries, fears, consents and disagreements, the more you surrender to being controlled by the mind. On the contrary, by gradually expanding your level of awareness through proven techniques you will feel more and more serene, satisfied and happy.
Steps
Part 1 of 4: Observe Your Thoughts When Alone
Step 1. Do what you can to reduce distractions from the surrounding world
Turn off your cell phone, television, music devices, and anything that emits images or sounds. There is a good reason why distractions are called this, it is because they take over your attention. Nowadays, giving up this type of activity can be difficult because the stimuli are addictive. However, as with any other addiction, to get better it is essential to make a clean cut at the root.
- To fully perceive the thoughts in your mind, you need to find a quiet place to be alone in silence. With the TV on and the phone ringing every five minutes it is virtually impossible to tune into yourself.
- Fear not it is not necessary to remain isolated from the world for the rest of your life, but only until you get rid of the troublesome thoughts, many of which have been stuck in your mind for a long time and are now simply returning. It will probably take between 3 and 12 months of practice, but in the end you will feel it was worth it when you realize that your mind is calm and worry-free.
Step 2. Notice the different kinds of thoughts that crowd your mind, many of which are painful
For example, they may be channeling anxiety, stress, guilt, resentment, grievances, sadness, tension, and worries. A neglected mind tends to be out of control and full of negative thoughts. Many gurus claim that this way of thinking is for the complete benefit of the mind, while it is completely useless, harmful and painful for ourselves and sometimes even for the way we perceive other people.
- It is helpful to think of awareness as a fire, and it is through this fire of observation that you can be able to burn off the old harmful thoughts, which you have been holding for a long time, and begin to demolish the part of the mind that feeds on them.
- Most meditation teachers believe that raising one's awareness is the most effective way to achieve a lasting state of peace of mind.
Step 3. Observe how most thoughts are related to the past or the future, while only rarely to the present
Generally, those who are taking the first steps along the path that will lead them to become more aware are surprised at how much time they devote to the past and the future. Many even think it is constructive to mentally go back and forth between the two time areas. In truth, the only result they get is to unnecessarily consume their mental energy and achieve only minimal results. In most cases, focusing one's attention on any situation other than the present is a waste of time.
Step 4. Don't oppose or judge your thoughts, just observe them impartially
If you tried to hinder them, their importance would increase and you would once again become a victim of the clutches of the mind. The secret is to simply detect them without expressing an opinion. Other than using the power of observation, you won't have to do anything else because it is the real solution itself.
By guiding your mind into the present, you will see that your life runs smoothly most of the time. You will begin to realize that many of your thoughts were just ghosts, the fruit of an imagination driven by fears and worries. If you stop and think, you will understand that these two mental states do nothing but make you scared and make things degenerate because they lead the brain to exhaustion
Step 5. Test how inaccurate the thoughts in your mind can be when everything in your life goes right
You will notice that they try to distract you from the fulfilling moments you are experiencing through an endless and unnecessary stream of negative mental chatter. Therefore you will be able to clearly realize the senseless way in which the mind acts when it is left to itself.
Until they examine them closely, many people believe that their thoughts are mostly helpful and constructive. Indeed, in most cases they are derogatory and harmful. This experiment is a very effective tool because it allows you to prove that the psychological part of the mind, until the degree of awareness increases, consists of a large number of derogatory thoughts
Part 2 of 4: Expanding Awareness Through the Use of Mantras
Step 1. Say the phrase "I am in the here and now" when practicing any activity in solitude
You may think that the only effective technique is to sit and meditate, but this is not the case. Training your mind to stay in the present when dealing with daily chores can be just as helpful. You can practice while cooking, doing laundry, brushing your teeth, cleaning the house, etc. The key to expanding your awareness is to notice every detail about what you are doing, without thinking about other things. It frequently happens that we switch from one activity to another during the day as if we were robots, ignoring moments that could have been pleasant, for example without noticing the pleasure that hot water on the skin causes during a shower. Remember that life is the journey and not the destination!
Mantras are one of the most powerful tools for starting to come out of the mind and, at the same time, begin to dissolve the knot of negative thoughts. Many people find it difficult to repeat this in their mind, but once this is done the past will remain behind and the future will cease to exist. The only moment you will ever have access to is the present. It may take a long time to fully overcome the events of the past and stop worrying about those to come in the future, but when you succeed you will experience a feeling of extreme freedom
Step 2. Strictly repeat your mantra, regardless of what your mind tells you
So far she has been used to commanding and will not like her authority being questioned. Like a pro boxer, he will attack you from every angle, but don't let your guard down! By now you are aware of his plans, so don't believe all the absurd lies he tells you.
- Many of the things you hear in your mind are not even correct. Often you have simply heard them say from someone or you have imagined them yourself in the past based on a system of false beliefs. There is no reason to live the rest of your life giving importance to thoughts that are not even true, but before you can get rid of them you have to become aware of their existence. What we are not aware of remains within us, so the first step is to become aware of its presence.
- Another deception of the mind is to tell you that trying to stay in the present is the most ridiculous thing you have ever done. Don't believe this either! Your goal is to rigorously repeat the mantra until you realize that there is more silence within you. Eventually it will happen, it simply takes time for the mind to realize that now you are holding the reins, not the other way around.
- Be prepared that observing your thoughts is often painful. In fact, among the gurus of awareness, the name used to describe them is "pain-body". It consists of a pile of old negative and revolting mental residues and, as with all residues, it takes time to eliminate them. In difficult times, remind yourself that awareness is the sponge that allows you to remove them and get a pure and clean mind. At that point, when it happens to get dirty again, it will be much easier to restore order. You will have become the captain of the "ship"!
- Repeating a mantra while dealing with normal daily chores is an ancient and powerful technique called "neti neti", which serves to prevent the thoughts that normally crowd the mind from reaching it in the present. Meditation gurus teach this technique for a very specific reason: it really works!
Step 3. Get in touch with your breath when you are in a place where you cannot repeat your mantra
We are often surrounded by people and by talking to ourselves we could be judged to be at least bizarre. Although it may be time to let your friends know that you have decided to live in the present rather than being guided and limited by the deceptions of the mind.
- Don't try to control your breathing, just focus your attention on the air entering and exiting your body without the need for your intervention. Breathing techniques can do wonders to stave off destructive emotions, such as anger, frustration, and anxiety, which would otherwise give you the feeling that they have taken over your body from within.
- What often happens with emotions is that they make us feel lost and completely helpless in the present moment. One of the most powerful tools you have at your disposal is the breath, because the only time you can breathe is "here and now". It can help you quickly regain your balance if you feel upset about a situation or person. Remember that the more you can inhale and exhale slowly, the better. However, try not to keep a too intense pace; you will not benefit from becoming a panting "dragon".
- When you find yourself experiencing a moment of difficulty, tell yourself to be calm and try to calmly bring your attention back to the present. Even before you know it, you will come to your senses and regain control. Also remember that you have never been those negative emotions and that they do not describe you in any way. You have to let them go so they don't get trapped in your body.
Part 3 of 4: Recognizing and Welcoming Your Insights
Step 1. Focus on what your inner self is communicating to you rather than the voices you hear in your mind
Buddha, like many modern gurus, taught that the true self is the intuitions suggested by the higher self and not what the mind says. The latter represents only the conditioning and the ego. The moments when you step away from these cages to get closer to your being are those when you really give your best. Every human being, in the ordinary state of consciousness, occasionally moves in and out of his or her mind. With practice, you will be able to live in this place free from the bars of thoughts most of the time.
People who have learned to transcend their mind claim that they only think for a small percentage of time and that when they do, it is a pure and genuine form compared to the traditionally confused one
Step 2. Pay special attention on occasions when you are thoughtless or in a "no-mind" state
These periods will initially be short, but gradually lengthen over time. When they happen you will perceive a feeling of inner peace and quiet that you may never have experienced before; try to grasp that you are on the right path. That should be your natural state, which has been obscured from the mind for a long time. With practice that sense of peace and stillness will become more intense and will persist regardless of what is happening around you.
Step 3. Trust that those inner insights are enough to guide you in life
The people who find it most difficult to transcend the current state of restriction are those whose mind has a significant interest in maintaining control. Therefore, the less credit you give to his quirks, the less you will struggle to convince yourself that your higher self knows what is best for you.
Step 4. Don't be troubled by negative emotions
Let them introduce themselves, but don't hold them back. With practice you will find that they will leave as easily as they came. Remember that your true being does not correspond to either the mind or the emotions. Nevertheless, the latter are a guide and are necessary in life. The secret is not to react internally.
Step 5. Realize that the only thing you are expected to take infinite care of in life is the present moment
When you do, life immediately becomes easier.
Part 4 of 4: Be Present to Yourself
Step 1. Use your mind only in situations where you need to think critically and set goals
Only use it for constructive purposes once you realize you are able to keep it most of the time in the present. The best way to exploit it is to think and plan. It's easy to believe that you need to think a lot in life to be able to survive, but in reality it often just gets in the way of what you are doing.
- A notable benefit of working on your mind will be realizing how much mental clarity you can experience when you voluntarily choose to think! That's right, you have the ability to decide when to delve into an issue and the rest of the time just enjoy life, which is why you came to Earth.
- When making plans, however, make sure you are really setting goals and not just worrying about possible future events. If you find that you are simply distressing, it means that the mind is most likely still in control of you, and not the other way around.
Step 2. Go back to repeating your mantra if you find that the old thought patterns have taken over
It certainly takes time to train and maintain awareness.
If you need to go back to repeating the mantra, trust that you have taken some big steps forward from when you started anyway
Step 3. Keep your mind in the present by avoiding holding back too many memories
Many people believe that their past was much more beautiful and fulfilling than the present, but the problem is that it is in fact gone. There is no way to relive it, it's time to leave it behind and move on. By focusing on memories, you will inevitably get stuck and won't give yourself a chance to be happy again.
Many experts who teach how to be present to oneself point out the danger of mulling over memories shared in the past on Facebook or photographs that portray happy moments from years ago. They also suggest not wearing clothes and not using things that you have had for a long time as they hold an ancient energy that can become a negative influence. The best thing you can do is surround yourself with objects that are vibrant and fresh. Heirlooms may look perfectly beautiful on the surface, but energetically they stay old. On a higher or lower plane, everything has a presence
Step 4. Spend time in nature to stay in touch with the sounds and the presence of the living creatures around you
When you live in the present you can actually hear the melody of the universe if you listen carefully. In many cases the reason people are unable to hear it is that their minds are conditioned and chaotic by the incessant flow of thoughts. Focus on the rustle of leaves, birdsong, gurgling water, and all the other sounds that you generally don't notice because you are enraptured by the mind.
Step 5. Accept life events without resisting
Rejecting the situations that existence brings with it is what causes suffering. When difficult circumstances involve other people the task is generally more complicated, in fact there are times when it is necessary to let others know that you do not intend to accept their approach to life.
The trick is to communicate with them clearly and purposefully, without showing anger or losing control. In other words, you may have to be strong and steadfast on the outside, while on the inside you accept that life sometimes expresses itself that way
Advice
- Through the awareness process, you will stop providing your thoughts with a place to thrive. Essentially you have to deprive them of the fertile soil they have enjoyed so far.
- Many meditation gurus teach that the mind is the source of all suffering. You can positively alter the quality of your existence until the last day of your life on Earth. How much you will be able to improve it really depends only on how determined you are in wanting to lighten the load of the mind.
- By practicing these techniques, you will begin to free yourself from the conditioning of the mind, which are the sum of past events and beliefs that you have inherited from others and from your culture.
- As you have probably deduced, awareness is a very powerful tool that will allow you to enter a new dimension of consciousness. Even though many people still totally identify with their thoughts, this new state of being is the direction in which the whole of humanity is moving. By moving early, you will be in an advantageous position!
