Community

Sunday Sayings – Meditation

Forestwood
snow cottage sweden sverige skellefteaa
A Cottage in sweden

Weekly Saying

Man kan sola sig en hel dag i en varm tanke

“One can lie in the sun a whole day with just warm thoughts“

Swedish proverb

Thoughts and Meditation

pensive thoughful looking upward

One of the benefits of incorporating a regular meditation practice into your life is in helping to settle the mind.

With the constant expectations and intense stimuli around us in the modern world, thoughts may easily race out of control and threaten to consume us. Or, when all is quiet and we’re alone for too long, our mind and thoughts can worry us and give us no rest.

Relief may be found in relaxing the mind. Recurring or troubling thoughts may elevate our mental state and encourage the release of adrenaline and stress hormones in our bodies. Clearing the mind, or stilling those thoughts, especially the recurrent ones, may give the emotional self attached to those thoughts, a much needed break.

Sometimes it is impossible to ‘clear’ the mind; to just think more positively.

That’s when it may help to step back from one’s thoughts and see them as separate to your own self. Because they are!

You are not your ‘thoughts,’ alone! There is a person and a body in there too.

Looking at your thoughts as if you are an observer, as a silent witness can help quieten a tumultuous mind.

When I felt like the emotions deriving from troubling thoughts, especially negative ones, were consuming my thinking, I found the following analogy helpful, in promoting mental stillness and calm.

Meditation Exercise – Be an observer

Find a quiet place and:

Imagine that you are sitting on a riverbank and that you see a leaf or branch, stick or even a flower, (if that suits you), floating along with the stream’ s current.

That leaf/twig/flower is floating down the stream towards you. You see it approach, floating on that gentle current, and you continue watching it, in your mind. It continues to float by and eventually you see it pass in front of you, the current then taking it further downstream and then finally out of your sight.

stream

Each branch/leaf/petal, is a single one of your thoughts.

Sometimes that floating stick or branch might get stuck on a rock, or the riverbank itself for a while, before the current again catches it and it floats away out of sight.

Each thought is a different leaf or stick that will pass by on its way. You remain calm, staying out of the way, a silent observer on the riverbank but watching this from a distance.

In this way, you see yourself as separate to your thoughts, a silent observer.

Keep your thoughts positive because your thoughts become your words. Keep your words positive because your words become your behavior. Keep your behavior positive because your behavior becomes your habits. Keep your habits positive because your habits become your values. Keep your values positive because your values become your destiny.

-Mahatma Gandhi

The emptying or observing of emotions is like pressing a reset button on all the stress hormones and neurotic needs caused by daily life situations and experiences.

We can all use a Reset button at times!

There are many other methods of meditation that are useful to still the mind. I found mindfulness and bead meditation to be most useful for me.

meditation
Bead meditation and mantras

You have to find the method that suits you best.

Happy Sunday

Published by Forestwood

A philosophic Aussie writes here at StPA, one who will readily admit to loving Scandinavia. I'm interested in global politics and what drives us to be who we are. Scratch the surface and you'll find a practical Environmentalist with an egalitarian bent, trying to unleash a little creativity via the written word. Scandinavian culture, literature and traditions are close to my heart, even though I'm Australian. Travel and courteous discussions greatly broaden the mind, so I travel if I can and am always up for a vigorous, respectful discussion. I'm an avid reader, a writer and I enjoy photography and crafts, particularly traditional art forms. I hope you'll find 'Something to Ponder About,' in my WordPress Community.

38 thoughts on “Sunday Sayings – Meditation”

      1. No. Just musing on your post and thinking out loud really. You know how it is when a thought crosses your mind and you find yourself saying it out loud, or in this case hitting send. 😊

        Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you. It works for me! Even if that stick gets stuck there and didn’t seem to move, I look around tee bend to see what the next thing floating by, (thought), will be, thereby distracting myself.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. OK, yes, but much to do with my parents right now. And quite depressed by what is happening to our planet. Australia on my mind every day.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. I know that feeling. Both our parents are coming to the conclusions of their lives in terms of age, mine require more help and I live some distance from them. The planetary concerns seem overwhelming and this is why I could no longer work in the environmental field. It seemed to be gloom and doom wherever I looked. I think when you have children you are much more conscious of the future of this world and what will happen.
        I have reconciled this problem in my own head by making changes when and where I can, in doing everything I can, in my own small piece of the world. This might include campaigning to increase awareness,but it also might include something as simple as composting scraps or installing solar power, using less energy and more public transport to name a few. This helps me to focus on the things that I can do to help the planet, rather than the things we can’t change.

        Liked by 1 person

  6. I’d never heard of bead meditation before, even though I practise yoga (though I’d call myself a very junior student). I think this may be really helpful for me. I find it very difficult to still my mind and stay ‘in the moment’. So I’m following this up. Thanks so much.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I am happy to introduce you, Margaret. Did you also find the linked post? It details bead meditation in more detail. You can use any beads or even just tap your fingers with your thumb to keep track. So portable and helpful in settling a busy mind. Have you tried meditation itself, before? I am sure you will find Yoga wonderful for the body and spirit.

      Liked by 1 person

      2. Emptying or stilling the mind is a perennial battle, and requires practice, Margaret Some days those thoughts get stuck on reoeat no matter what. In some ways, not trying to still the mind works the best. Surrendering rather than trying really hard to quieten the mind, can help. I also look forward to see what is coming (read floating), around the corner of the stream on the current! ( ie start looking for the next thought – in curiosity). Then it is a if the mind hesitates a while before the next thought is revealed or emerges. In that short pause, there can be quiet, calm and stillness. Good luck with the beads. If the instructions aren’t clear, just ask me.

        Liked by 1 person

    1. If it works for you watching those leaves, then great, Jo! Meditation can take different formats through the one vector!! I imagine you as quite a chilled person?

      Like

      2. I love your alter ego but am not surprised you are hyper with all the miles you have walked. Have you been adding them all up over the years?

        Like

      3. The walks are actually a great way for me to escape the noise in my head. I love to be outdoors. No idea regarding mileage. Lets just say lots 🙂 🙂

        Like

  9. What a great way of meditating, and this method will probably help me a lot! I also found the post on bead meditation very interesting and I think this method too will be greatly beneficial to me! Wow! From one post of yours I now have so many options for calming my racing mind. Many many thanks!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Good luck with the meditation! I hope to find something that syncs with you.
      I was just reading your post on Maleny and thought I might try out the boardwalk. I go to Maleny regularly but never knew it was there! I will check it out! Nice to meet another ?Qld blogger?

      Liked by 1 person

      1. You can download the map of the Maleny trail from the link in the post. We have been wanting to do the walk for ages….. but isn’t it always the way that when you do, something else comes up! We will definitely be back to do a longer walk there!
        Yes, Im another QLD blogger! I live at the other end of The Range! Moving here has been the best move we made!

        Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.