It’s true to say, the more you understand about any subject, the greater your chances of becoming skillful.
To draw a comparison, let’s think about meditation apps. Out of curiosity I have recently listened to one of these and found the experience very interesting. After just a few minutes of guided meditation I actually started to feel slightly stressed. The opposite of the apps intention. The problem, as I heard it, was that in comparison to my own, the person setting the pace of this guidance, had a slightly elevated anxiety level. I ended up being guided into a place that felt nothing like calm and more like mania.
It goes without saying that attendance on a meditation/mindfulness training course, has a far greater power, in helping us fully experience the benefits of meditation. Meditating in silent solitude is a completely different experience to being guided. Guidance may be necessary at first, yet, if the pace of this leaves us feeling stressed, it would only prove counterproductive. And if it does little to teach us about the process we’re about to undertake, we can be left feeling, like we’re stumbling around in the dark. Understanding the process is part of the method!
It’s also worth considering how improved understanding of the mind, and how the intervention of meditation can affect us, helps us to overcome the reasons for why most people fail to become proficient. It’s only once we’re proficient meditators are we able to increase everyday mindfulness.
The ‘faddish’ nature of phone apps may be doing more harm than good.
The ability to stick with meditation, comes from an improved understanding of the mind, and how to overcome its unwillingness to quieten. A course that uses models, relaxed guidance, and advice from an expert is, and will always be, the sensible choice.
The cushion raises me from the floor, my legs are crossed, I maintain a little strength in my abdomen. As I imagine a fine thread, attached to the grown of my head, it gently pulls straight my spine; my chin automatically tucks itself in. Now, gently swaying backwards forwards left and right, I feel for my balance.
and meditate . . .
Eyes just closed, gently attentive to my breathing, yet notice, the flowing thoughts in my head.
my thoughts abate . . .
As my mind wanders, with these thoughts, I remind myself of my purpose: My purpose is to gain control – of this straying mind. To do so, I bring my attention, single pointedly, back to my breathing. Repeat repeat – again and again – in time my thoughts abate.
confusion dissipates . . .
Confusion is the lack of certainty and uncertainty prevails. Without thought there is neither, therefore, confusion will cease; dissipating like melting snow on stone.
and conflict is resolved . . .
Opposing thoughts create conflict. Without thought, this duality no longer exists, therefore, conflict is resolved like the merging of two rivers.
There’s a massive difference between attempting to manage stress through the distraction of stimulation and quelling it through mindfulness. Allow me to explain.
It’s often the case that we’re advised to find some kind of distraction when experiencing chronic stress is it not? Whether this is going to see a good film, socialising with friends, or whatever. All very useful. However, it isn’t really a long term solution. It can help, yet all we’re in fact doing, is stimulating the mind in order to distract ourselves from our stressers. Stress management through learning mindfulness from meditation holds some very different qualities.
Constant stimulation can never be the answer
In order to properly relieve stress, we must seek the calm, found through learning how to take control of the mind. Successful meditators are able to find a degree of emptiness where the mind can find true rest. In addition to this, the stillness of mind found in meditation, facilitates the ability to separate ourselves from our worries and anxiety.
Once we can objectively view, what may be troubling us and generating undue stress, we instigate change. Constant distraction and stimulation only inhibits this. We do need to think ourselves out of difficulties. The many means of distracting ourselves, available in a modern world, only put things off.
Perhaps poor time management is part of the problem. Utilising the paradox of taking the time to learn meditation – that leads to improved everyday mindfulness – has great value. Perhaps we will then come to understand that seeking constant stimulation, as some kind of cure, is in fact, part of the problem.
Slow . . . fit less into your schedule . . . learn to appreciate people and include meditation daily. We can’t find the cure until we learn to meditate and we can’t possibly fully appreciate others (and what they have to offer) until mindful of their presence. Slow. Down.
Consider how life is for the goldfish. The environment he lives in is fairly small and constrained, and yet, it’s all he knows. The goldfish is unable to experience what lies beyond his bowl. He knows there’s something else out there; a distorted world of strange shapes and patterns. He can push up against the glass and try very hard to reach this other world, but no matter how hard he tries, entry is forbidden.
Can we help?
We might want to lift him out of the bowl. We scoop him up with our hands and say: “Look at what else there is!” But as soon as we do, he starts to die. His gills are unable to extract the oxygen from the air and his convex eyes are unable to see. Perhaps, in the hope that they might evolve, we could take many generations of fish out of the bowl for short periods only. Their gills and eyes adapting to the air; their fins becoming more like hands and feet.
Of course I’m partly talking about Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection. The fish that’s able to survive for the longest, outside of its normal environment, gets to pass on these survivalist skills. Skills that potentially develop into their very makeup; their genes.
What if we can’t wait for millions of years?
For this goldfish experiment of ours to work, without millions of years of evolution, we could build an apparatus. This device would enable the goldfish to see and explore the outside world. We could place lenses over his eyes to help him see, we could develop a way to pump oxygen directly into his veins. We could oil his skin so it doesn’t dry out. What then of his brain? Would it not be the case, that his brain would also need some kind of development, to help him fully appreciate his new found world.
We would of course need to fully understand how to relate to this fish; to understand how he thinks
Yes, a form of translation would be needed; methods of communication would need to be developed, and ways of connecting with his perceptions, required. Once we have all of this in place, it might be possible to help our little fish, see beyond, the bowl.
Most, if not all of us, are living in our own restrictive fishbowl
The range of our perception has been adapted to fit our environment. We’re unable to fully appreciate how beautifully minimalist this is. During the millions of years it took for us to reach the stage we have, certain things have been lost, or have evolved in their use. Our gills have become lungs and our fins have become hands. We’ve adapted further have we not? We can now travel back to the water. In order to achieve this we take small pieces of our current environment down with us in the form of SCUBA (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus). So what of us escaping our environment in other ways? Well, we’ve now further proven our cleverness, by surviving for short periods of time in space. So what about escaping the fishbowl of our thinking.
The expression ‘fishbowl-thinking’ describes how we’re trapped within the environs determined by our beliefs
Our thought experiment helped our goldfish. We skipped millions of years of evolution through creating an imaginary scenario, and then developed a suitable apparatus, for escape. So in this respect, how extraordinary it is that in reality, we have reversed the processes of evolution, inflicted upon us, by creating SCUBA. In reality we have returned to the sea.
In order for us to escape the environs created by our beliefs we must also use tools
We cannot escape fishbowl-thinking with the same kind of thinking that created it. In other words, we must seek to escape the expectations defined, by our beliefs. We don’t know what we don’t know and can’t believe what we don’t yet believe. As such, we must suspend logical thinking, if we are to escape the environs of our beliefs. The first step toward achieving this, is to suspend our normal, restrictive, thinking.
Our workshop is specifically designed to teach the basics of mindfulness and meditation in one day. We believe in a no nonsense approach to teaching, and seek to remove much of the unnecessary confusion and mysticism, surrounding our specialism.
During a meditative state, we seek to raise our conscious awareness, so we may better understand the nature of our thoughts. Hypnosis differs in some respects to this. Even though the word hypnosis originates from the Greek word hupnos, meaning sleep, we must not confuse it as such.
Whilst ‘under’ hypnosis, we are in fact wide awake. All that has altered is our state of mind. This altered state concerns the bypassing of consciousness, so we may open the mind sufficiently, to gain access to our unconscious processing.
It is often our unconscious beliefs and understandings, that directly conflict, with our conscious desires. As such, learning the skill of self-hypnosis, awards us the ability to directly alter those things that unconsciously hold us back.
Raised self-awareness has to be one of the most powerful means of improving the quality of our lives. In real terms, the way in which this is achieved, is quite simple. The tools and information required, in order to begin the process of raising self-awareness, can be shared within one day.
We begin by discussing the importance of how brief examination of the past, highlights any difficulties we may be facing, in the present. This includes our beliefs: how they are formed and how they continue to help or hinder our thinking in the present moment. Mindful understanding, of the extent to which the past influences the present, automatically raises our self-awareness.
The techniques we teach, for recognising and removing the buried beliefs and character traits that seem to limit us through life, have proven invaluable. The School of Mind is committed to empowering you with these skills and resources.
Living a life, with all the unnecessary suffering and anxiety removed, is achieved when we better understand ourselves and how our minds work. Once we see clearly, the type of mechanisms we employ to manifest our own obstacles, the less likely it is, they will arise in the first place.
Contentment, mixed with a healthy appreciation of life and all it can offer, is something also awarded through raised self-awareness. It is true to say, once we have learnt how to be contented, our achievements, large or small, are far better appreciated.
The Freedman College – Specialist school offering Training Workshops in Mindfulness and Self-hypnosis
Instability is created when the mind is grasping and craving to be somewhere else. We’re unhappy, restless or bored with what’s happening right now, and so we crave to be somewhere other than the now moment. This creates powerful feelings that drive us to unsettle our situation, in an attempt to satisfy, our craving for stimulation.
We go out for a drink; we crave the attention of others; we seek any stimulation just to satisfy our craving. We grasp at the next thing, constantly looking ahead, to what we might be doing next. If there’s nothing happening in every moment, we fear that we’re somehow, missing out. We’re never settled, thinking there’s always something better, or someone better to be with. This is instability. Horrible when seen for what it truly is.
Stability
There’s a lot to be said for being stable and living a stable life. Some might associate stable with boring, or worst still, normal. Also, we might need to experience a period of instability, before we begin to seek its opposite. In this vein, we could adopt the view, that it’s instability that has become what’s boring. When feelings of instability are a constant, eventually, we’ll tire of this.
Routine
Many of us actually seek to avoid routine. We see routine as monotonous, and the flat, neutral feelings associated, as hard to cope with. Some routine is useful. When we have certain things in life that are regular; timed to occur at regular intervals, we form stability. Meal times are an easy example of this. Some children are raised with no regular meal times and so miss this particular grounding of routine. We need a certain amount of routine. It is important.
Meditation Leading to Mindfulness
Learning the art of meditation – in order to improve everyday mindfulness – is a sure fire method of creating greater stability. As with anything to do with self-discipline meditation takes strength of mind and persistence before it becomes one of those positive habits. The ability to bring the mind back into the present moment, time and time again, helps to discipline the mind and steer it away from the craving and grasping, associated with instability. In its simplest form, that really is the nature of instability:
The mind craving to be in a state it has become accustomed to
Those of us who’ve grown up in an unstable and insecure environments become accustomed to this. The mind sees it as normal. For there to be quiet and stillness is suggestive of there being something wrong. The ‘quiet before the storm’ is an uncomfortable place for some children.
For these unstable, insecure children, the quiet before the storm is often more frightening than the storm itself. As a result, it’s even more important for the unsettled adult, to remain in such a state (unsettled) because the quiet has become associated with anguish and fear. Therefore, the adult survivors of such an upbringing, can find meditation, particularly challenging.
Stability before the plan
As touched on in previous posts, meditation itself, can have an unsettling effect. When we’ve become accustomed to instability, and indeed this is the method we’ve employed to cope with difficult circumstances, meditation creates a change, the mind will initially fight against. Even so, we must find stability, and control over our impulsive nature, in order to form a coherent plan, to escape difficult circumstances.
Constant chaos and instability becomes a vicious cycle that’s difficult to escape. If the plan we’ve formed, is simply a reflection of a chaotic mind, it is bound to fail. So in this respect, learning how to still and settle the mind, before we begin to plan our escape, is a must.
Remember, by firstly understanding how we’re creating instability, we’re able to see what steps are needed, in order to find its opposite: Stability. A beautiful place to be.
Practising Mindfulness 