MAKE MONKEY-MIND WORK FOR YOU

Make Monkey-Mind Work for You

            It’s probably a mainstream cliché at this stage to utter the words, ‘Gratitude is the Best Attitude.’ However, as with all clichés, it contains more than just a grain of truth. There are many techniques out there for ‘practising gratitude’ and they all work.

            The approach I like best, takes no extra time out of anyone’s day and is a swifter soother than other approaches I’ve tried. It also allows us to make Monkey-Mind work for us rather than simply for its own entertainment.

             I like to practice it outdoors while walking from A to B, or simply going for a stroll. It can certainly be done indoors if you wish, but I don’t recommend practicing it while you’re driving any kind of vehicle, with or without an engine. This is because it does require some attention and really, all your attention should be on the road if you’re driving/riding.

             Here’s how to do it:

Step One: As you walk along, in your mind, Say Thank you for everything you see.

            That’s it!

            Now, here are some details: Include every single thing your eyes fall on, however strange they may seem, as well as anything else you are inspired to think of. This really easily becomes a stream of consciousness experience and Monkey-Mind LOVES stream of consciousness! Now, instead of a constant babble in your head distracting you from being present, you can direct the babble to create a very soothed and resourceful state.

             Let me give an example of how it might sound in your mind as you’re walking along:

‘… thank you for my legs, thank you for shoes, thank you for shoelaces, thank you for feet, thank you for paving stones, thank you for the Romans, thank you for pizza, thank you for cheese, thank you for cows, thank you for green grass, thank you for trees, thank you for the smell of coffee, thank you for coffee, thank you for cinnamon buns, thank you for bakers, thank you for colour, thank you for beauty thank you for eyes that work,thank you for traffic lights, thank you for pedestrian crossings…’

            You get the idea, I’m sure. It can be quite entertaining to see what your mind will throw at you; just say thank you anyway. Have fun and thanks for looking in; everything you need is in there!

Rex.

Ps: On Sunday, I’m going to explore what I think of as the Myth of Motivation.

TAKING IT TO THE STREETS

Taking it to the Streets.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzBBBrKfjIQ

...Today’s hack for self-soothing is an indirect one. Instead of trying to directly do something for ourselves, it can be as effective to do something for other people; maybe good karma too. The books are full of advice about forgetting our own woes by getting involved in helping others, so this is not a new or original idea.

However I like to do it in the simplest and easiest way I know.

To do it, you’ll need to go out on the street or into a public space; hence the title of this post. Very simply you’re going out to bless everyone you see with the following words, ‘I send you love and golden blessings’.

Let me first put it down step by step and then I’ll describe how to do it and how not to do it.

Step one: Go for a walk on a street or in a public place.

Step two: Pick anyone walking ahead of you in the same direction and let your eyes rest softly on them.

Step Three: Keep your eyes on them as you say the following words to yourself: ‘I send you love and golden blessings’

Step Four: Pick another person and repeat the process until you’ve had enough.

Note: Do not go out and do this until you have read the important ‘how to /how not to’ below.

           

How to/How not to: Do not make eye contact with anyone while you’re doing the hack; you’ll make them nervous and they might call a policeman. However, you will need to keep your eyes on the person while you’re giving the blessing - best then to do this for people who are walking away from you.

            It would be better to say the blessing in your head; if you say it out loud you will have the distraction of having to deal with people’s reactions to you, whatever they may be. Let your eyes be soft.

            I try and keep my eyes on the person I’m blessing for the whole time I’m saying the blessing. If for some reason my eyes lose contact with them, I start again.

            In about ten years of practicing this I have had one occasion where my eyes didn’t seem able to rest on someone to whom I had intended to offer the blessing. It was very strange, as soon as I began to say the blessing in my head; my eyes seemed to slip off them. I only tried twice and then I stopped trying in case they neither wanted nor needed a blessing from me.

            I recommend anyone having a similar experience treat it in the same way; it’s probably more respectful like that.

            I find with this hack, that I become so involved in practising it that I lose my self; it’s when I stop that I realise how soothing it has been for me – maybe for the people receiving the blessings too; who knows? It also often seems to smooth my entire day.

Have a play and tell me what you experience has been. Thanks for looking in!

Rex

THE 'ESS' WORD

THE ‘ESS’ WORD.

An abstract concept which gave me a lot of grief in the early days of my journey was, ‘SURRENDER’. It seemed that books, teachers and even (well-meaning but interfering) friends were always commanding me to Surrender.

It seemed logical of course; in any conflict, the surrender of one party creates the possibility for peace. Now in a siege or a war, a white flag might do, but what if the siege, the conflict, is inside you?

Surrender for me was just another one of those things that everyone knew was essential to inner peace (… and inner peace is really just an extremely soothed state…) but nobody knew how to do it.

These days people don’t seem to use the word ‘surrender’ much, instead they talk about ‘giving up resistance’. I think they’re the same thing; when your enemy tells you ‘resistance is futile…’ they’re actually telling you to surrender. However, I’ve found few practical techniques for ‘giving up resistance’.

Why might we want to do this internally? Those of us in the so called Developed World have grown up in a culture which worships conquest and dominance; we have built our wealth on the broken backs of Mother Nature and the (so called) Undeveloped World. Why would we ever entertain any kind of surrender in ourselves?

Very simply, if we’re suffering even slightly from stress, giving up resistance and surrendering will soothe us and bring us to a place of internal peace. The practice is simple and easy to learn, gives results quickly and grows more powerful with use. It’s a great resource to have and valuable for staying centred in a world that grows potentially more stressful by the day.

Here is how you do it:

Step One: Identify whatever it is to which you need to surrender/ stop resisting.

Step Two: Say the following words to yourself, ‘I welcome this… (Sadness, anger, resentment…whatever it is.)

Step Three: Pause, pay attention to your breathing and notice the extent to which you feel soothed.

Step Four: Keep repeating steps two and three until you feel completely soothed. At that point you will be free of resistance, and experienced Surrender. Sometimes you may feel tired, other times quite energised, either way, you will notice that you feel lighter.

That’s it.

Sometimes we find ourselves grappling with a story in our heads, sometimes the dominant experience is one of an uncomfortable emotion and other times an uncomfortable physical sensation that we recognise as emotion in our bodies. However it doesn’t matter at which level you’re working with your stress, the mental, emotional or physical. Simply keep doing the steps until you feel soothed.

Have a play and feel free to give me any feedback! Thanks for looking in.

Rex.

PUT YOUR FINGER ON YOUR LIPS!

PUT YOUR FINGERS ON YOUR LIPS!

You may remember when you first went to school at the age of four or five; when the teacher wanted the class to be quiet she would command everyone to put their finger on their lips. I have memories of sitting there with my forefinger on my lips, the tip of the finger touching my nose. It always struck me at that age that when my finger was in that position I felt less inclined to talk in a nice way.

These days I’m always struck how rituals that are old and instinctive contain a germ of truth.

The express intention of teachers making children put their fingers on their lips may have been to stop the lips moving. However, the effectiveness of the ritual is probably rooted in something else.

 
 That old ritual is a lovely, simple soother that will work for you as an adult. I find it works best when I’m tired or weary and I have a moment to sit down and not do anything. Here’s how to do it:

Step One: Make sure you’re sitting down.

Step Two: Now take the index finger of either hand and place it vertically over your lips with the tip touching the bottom of your nose and lying in the groove above your top lip. Allow the lower part of that finger to rest against your chin.

Step Three: close your eyes and exhale. Notice how soothing that feels.

 That’s it. Play, enjoy. Let your finger be relaxed, support your chin with the same hand if you wish, but be sure to keep the length of your index finger in contact with your skin, from chin to tip of nose.

             

As always I welcome questions and feedback either here or on facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/rexhealth?ref=hl

 or if you prefer, privately in an e mail:

 horsefriendrex@gmail.com  

Thanks for looking; now, go out and soothe yourself!

Rex.