Practising Mindfulness

Category: awareness

  • Mindful Protection

    Gently bring the mind back into the present moment through focusing on the breath

    On the occasions, when we choose to open our minds to what the media is showing us, it seems like the world has gone mad. Has it ever been any different? Large scale conflicts are only symbolic of the turmoil and conflict our leaders are facing. Warped ideology (from our perspective) anger, fear, the need for control, the ego, et cetera, et cetera. All symptomatic of minds out of control.

    Take control of your mind. Take control of your life

    Self consciousness, self awareness, call it what you will. The greater our awareness of thoughts, and how they dictate the kind of life we live, the better. There are those who thrive on chaos. In fact they long for it because it’s all they know. I can relate to this. For much of my time I rejected all that was good in my life through my minds need to feed its addiction to chaos. Constant stimulation. Constant craving. The constant need to ease my loneliness. A loneliness fed by my need for chaos. Can you see the destructive cycle I was in? This is what so many of us are doing: Seeking to ease our loneliness. In the process, our minds take us unceasingly toward what we refuse to look at: Our fear and loneliness. It is us that’s creating the destructive cycle. It is our minds attempt to understand. Great leaders and philosophers of the past knew this and looked to help humanity in its struggles. Until we break the cycle, how will we ever understand? We cannot read and implement what the great leaders of the past taught us without first becoming aware.

    The solution, countless enlightened individuals have found is, mindfulness

    With practice we can get to the root of what we are. We can find a calmness of mind, underneath the chaos, that reveals pure awareness. When we have this, we’re able to notice all the beauty that surrounds us.

    Personal circumstances matter not. There is suffering, yet our suffering can be eased, when we have clear insight into how it is us that amplifies our self-destructive tendency.

    We could choose anger

    Mindfulness helps us understand, it’s what we choose, that determines the quality of life we experience. No matter your circumstances, through learning how to take control of your mind, you empower yourself to make the right choices. If you want purpose in your life make it the development of mindfulness. Develop a beautiful mind. People with purpose make their own choices. Not those dictated to them by others.

  • Mindful of Your Kind

    Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see – Mark Twain

    Being mindful of the limitations, and dare I say it, the stupidity of others, is an act of kindness to oneself. As time goes on the divide can only get bigger. . . this divide between the mindful and the forgetful. I think, ultimately, the survival of the species depends on it. There are those who are awake and aware and there are those who are not. And we must be kind. Because they really do not know what they do. It is, as Mark Twain points out, a question of kindness.

    Mindful people gently get on with their day, spreading a little kindness, where they can

    I believe now, that it is the quiet and gentle curiosity, of the behavior of others, that will demonstrate how we must be. Without judgement we can pause and reflect on how the majority live. We can then ask: What must I do to live a better life? When observing the difficulties others face we can ask: What could that person do to move forward in their life? How can they move on from their pain? How can I use kindness to help this person remember love? How can I help them become aware? And of course a genuine kindness, can only be offered to others, when we’re able to offer it to ourselves.

    By noticing the strength of racism, prejudice and hatred in society, we can gauge the level of fear

    There are those who believe they are in some way better than others. They believe they are superior. I have been pulled up on highlighting this fact, because in the process of this, I’m being hypocritical. I’m making a judgement and forming an opinion. The very thing we should avoid if we want a peaceful life. It’s a struggle to find the right balance with this. Do we remain quiet? Do we become indifferent to fear and hatred? Or do we briefly place ourselves above it in order to show people what the real issue is? For me, when I simplify humanities struggles as being a fight between love and fear, I’m able to allow my own fear to gently subside. What purpose does it serve for me to become emotionally upset at what I I see? The emotion drives me to seek answers and understanding. When I have this my equanimity returns.

  • Embracing Independent Thinking for a Better World

    Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect – Mark Twain

    We need only look into the recent past to see the evidence of how stupid we humans can be when following the majority. Independent thinking, based on some very simple rules, can often get us out of very tricky situations.

    There is enough for everyone. Enough land, enough food, enough money. It can be argued that boarders are necessary. We could say that our growing population needs to be evenly distributed so that a country’s infrastructure can cope. This is common sense. And so if we take the world as a whole, even though we have boarders, resources can easily be distributed among us all. It’s when we fear there not being enough that problems occur. The mentality of: this is mine and that is yours belongs in childhood. We, as a species, are still very much in our infancy.

    That said, it is not all of us that remain in our infancy. We could look at an individual such as Bill Gates and say his attitude and philanthropy is a reflection of his maturity

    Immediately, there are those who will say, oh well it’s okay for Bill Gates he has more money than he could ever spend. And extreme examples are open to this. However, putting this to one side, if we all took Bill Gates philanthropy as an example, and gave away the same proportion of our income, it wouldn’t amount to that much. But would certainly make a massive difference in terms of how wealth is distributed. All that needs to happen is for us to grow a little so we may lose the same mentality as our children.

    Ultimately, all of us are only ever custodians, of what we think of, as our possessions. And this includes land. In time all boarders will change. How will we continue to distribute land as the planet rearranges itself? Something it has done from the very beginning. Do we just fight more wars and continue with the hatred and anger we’re currently experiencing? There will be generation after generation of this. Or will we eventually reach the kind of understandings needed for a long term, peaceful, survival? I would suggest more thinking, away from the majority, is required. You can start today. Can you not? Time to pause and reflect.

  • Mindful of the Game #2

    Poor timekeeping is saying: Your time is worth less than mine. You are unimportant. I am important and to help you understand that I’m going to keep you waiting

    Other human beings remind me everyday of how unimportant I am. I get it. I’m nothing. About as insignificant as an ant they’ve just stepped on. Although this is the case, when I’m reminded of this through people being late, it isn’t actually at any cost to me. The loss is theirs.

    Never be fooled by the excuses. When people are late it’s because they have no respect for your time. What this teaches you is, they have no respect for their own time. In more ways than one, they are not present

    And so this is what the individual with poor timekeeping has to teach you. Heed the lessons and gently remove yourself from their lives. I simply have no time for those who don’t respect mind. I remove them from my attention. Done. I can no longer understand a word they say. And as such, I have nothing to offer them. If only they knew how much they’ve lost.

  • Mindful of the Game

    By taking a moment to process the kind of responses people give, can help to ensure the rules or purpose of the game, (it’s always a game) are fully understood

    Often, when talking to friends, family and partners, we can neglect to register the nature and true purpose of the interaction. Most importantly, there are times when the interaction has a nefarious root. Responses can be geared so that their effect, if not quickly realised, are unconsciously damaging. Subtle gaslighting if you will. Always slow and consider any potential hidden agenda when interacting with other game players.

    It may not be possible to read the true purpose of the interaction first time. No matter. Just acknowledge how the conversation or questions make you feel. In this way the next time you’ll be ready to play the game differently

    Consider something as simple as giving your opinion on how something looks. It may be that the true intention (unconscious intention) is to ultimately dismiss your opinions as worthless. Are you being lead to feel that your opinion will help to ease someone’s indicisiveness only for this to then be ignored? Does this happen often? Be aware of the game and learn how gaslighting in this way can be played to give others a harmful advantage. Harmful, because ultimately, it’s psychologically damaging. Once you’re aware (mindful), of their fear based advantage, it becomes neutralised. Your love based gameplay can come into force when you gently point out your awareness of their intention. They will of course deny any nefarious intention and this, once again, is just gameplay. Be aware.

  • My Front Door

    What does your front door look like? Is it strong and sturdy? Or does it look like it could easily be broken down?

    Where I work the door is mainly made of glass. It has an open sign in the window when I’m there. Very recently a lady called Mrs Hackaday called in to complain that we hadn’t been able to help her. To me she seems to have become a little fixated. She tells me she has recently lost her husband. Goodness knows where. And she tells me she used to be a psychologist. I mentioned I used to be a Hypnoanalyst. She didn’t stay long after that. Better results you see.

    I feel it’s okay to have a glass fronted door where I work but wouldn’t want this kind of door where I live. I remember the door of my childhood home was at least 50% glass

    Think of this: The greater my awareness the stronger my front door. It’s not as if I’m always hiding behind one of those little spy holes. Not at all. In fact, if I decide to open the door, I see the whole person standing in front of me. Disability and all. The question is whether or not I decide to open the door in the first place. The spy hole helps. My awareness helps me to make this decision. I ask If opening myself up to this person is of any benefit to me, or am I likely to be angered by their forgetfulness (lack of awareness).

    I think of mindfulness as my beautiful front door. My mind safely protected behind

    Yes. Protected. Because so many people are forgetful of their manners and seem intent on knocking very loudly. Even attempting to break down the door with a battering ram. But now? Not a chance. My awareness is my beautiful, sturdy, front door.

  • Love is Forever

    Through leading a good life, when we are gone, all that remains is love

    It isn’t complicated, leading a good life. In fact, it’s the simplest thing there is. I think of the people who’ve led peaceful lives and I gain a sense of the love that remains. After the peaceful man or woman is gone there are only fond memories. There are only memories of the lessons in love they taught us.

    Like many there’s been fear in my life, yet, there is the knowledge, that holding on to the memories, beliefs, and feelings fear creates, is pointless

    Yes it’s true, these things don’t remain after we’ve gone, they’re forgotten, so why hang on to them now? Let them go. In my mind, the most influential people of the past, are the one’s who’ve led peaceful lives. It’s those people who’ve stayed within the boundaries of decent, loving behaviour, that endure in the memories of the majority. I don’t see monuments, cathedrals and places of remembrance, for the haters, or controlling, power hungry, dictators.

    All evidence of man’s existence will of course one day be gone but, it’s my belief, that even then, what will remain is information containing the evidence that we have loved. That we have loved each other, our home, and ourselves. Look up at the stars and instantly fall in love with the wonder of the universe. Look at each other, through the eyes of an innocent child, and you will love. So sit for a moment and let it all go. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that we seek to lead peaceful loving lives, because this, is all we leave behind. Love. x

  • Inwardly Outwardly Aware

    Brief inward focus can vastly improve our external experience of life

    It’s my experience that we must limit the amount of time we spend inwardly focused. Focusing on our internal environment, at times other than during meditation, can be counter productive. We have things to do, busy lives to get on with, and it is those of us who’re able to switch between inward and outward focus, at appropriate times- for the appropriate amount of time – that benefit the most from their mindfulness practice.

    It’s also my experience, that those who come along for therapy – and successfully focus intently and inwardly during this time – and then easily switch to being mindfully in the present moment – are the ones who benefit the most from the therapeutic process. Much of the change-work needed, as a consequence of Analytical Hypnotherapy, happens either during the therapy session or later when asleep. We must be able to fully commit our attention to everyday life at all other times.

    Meditate from between 10 and 40 minutes every day (inwardly focused) and work at being fully aware in the present moment (outwardly focused) at all other times. Following this simple principle ensures we’re not being overly absorbed – contemplating thoughts and feelings, so we can get on with the serious business of living life fully. Meditation, combined with Therapy (be this Hypnotherapy or a more drawn-out type of intervention) helps us to build on our ability to remove internal conflict and become increasingly present moment focused. Live life to the full.

  • The Grey Market

    Image by amh1988
    Your brain is a very delicate instrument that may not have been handle with care in the past, ensure it’s treated with respect now

    As with all things on the market today there’s the good, the bad, and the ugly. When it comes to mental health, one of the first things to be aware of, is the tendency for the mind to continue with familiar themes. What the mind knows and has become accustomed to will be the general theme pursued. To put it bluntly, if all you’ve ever known is an amateurish attitude to your wellbeing, then that’s unfortunately the very thing you will seek.

    To a greater or lesser extent everything is grey market. Buying a product from those who manufactured it is very rare. When visiting a therapist you’re not actually meeting the creator of the treatments

    So with this in mind, what we must look for, are the signs that identify the product or service, to have originally come from the genuine source. We must look to ensure corners aren’t being cut and that professional standards are being met. You cannot expect to feel better, through pandering to the minds whim, of pursuing the amateurish treatment it might have become accustomed to. Get to meet the genuine article and show your mind the respect it deserves.

    Home-based Hypnotherapy Services now available

  • Peaceful Rage

    Image by earthroom
    I wake up in the morning, consider, and I feel rage

    Silence. I consider the present moment and realise there is nothing to say. Only silence will calm this torrent of rage I feel. The power required to remain silent is the very power that will calm me. I will not scorn or laugh or shout. I will simply breath out red mist. I’m unable to criticise. I’m far too aware for that. This means I see you. I see you. Raise your awareness and fend off the behaviour I’ve considered. Shush.

    We must use its energy constructively

    This energy we feel must be focused and centered on where it will be of positive value to ourselves and others. When it is time to talk, make the words meaningful, and light. Don’t be as the violent journalists, we must only teach how to be, rather than how not. We must feel like we have a choice and the consequences of our choices explained. Harm no one and find a way to make your life as loving as possible. Feel the rage and focus its energy on finding a peaceful solution. Thinking about this helps us realise it will only ever be the way. We can never gain peace through violent use of our rage.