The human mind is capable of doing amazing things. At the same time it suffers from mind chatter or monkey mind— the constant stream of uncontrolled thoughts going on in the back of the mind.
With an untrained mind we spend much of our time worrying about things that may or may not happen. This depletes our energy, puts us in a bad mood, and keeps us up at night. It can lead to anxiety, depression and/or addiction.
A fundamental mindfulness practice is the ability to notice what we are thinking in a neutral way. We don’t block any thoughts.
If we wish to calm the racing mind we must learn how to allow thoughts to go through the mind one at a time. We don’t deny or cling to any particular thought.
We notice thoughts without labeling them as good or bad. They are just thoughts. They may or may not be the truth. We don’t need to believe everything we think.
In a meditation practice we notice a thought, let it go, and bring the attention back to breathing in and out. It’s okay to have the same thought 100 times. Just keep doing the process: acknowledge, release, come back to the breath.
This practice is simple but not easy. But it may just be worth your while if you wish to free yourself from habitual thinking, foster creativity, open your mind to new possibilities, and lower your stress level.
