TALES FROM THE BOBBI LAMA

The mind is a truly amazing miracle, isn’t it? And our minds can’t even wholly wrap around the miracle that it is! Thoughts are generated with or without our permission, and on a constant basis. Intangible, creative, often fear-based for survival, our thoughts race and relax, sometimes as a result of high brain survival activity. One of my discoveries in life is the wide range of meditative styles and methods that help me quiet my mind. For me, what works best is a directed focus away from that monkey mind. Sometimes it’s the breath, sometimes it’s guided imagery, sometimes progressive relaxation, and sometimes a physical repetitive movement, but they all work because I use them to focus away from the thoughts that stream by default.

If you think about your thinking, you’ll notice it jumps to worry or planning thoughts of the future, or it replays something from the past maybe with joy or regret. How delightful it is when we can be present, accepting, noticing, appreciating with simple gratitude for what is surrounding us in the moment. And as often as I remind myself of the peaceful reward of this kind of mindful thinking, I’ll keep catching those more engaging thoughts that try to bring me back to my stirred-up busy brain. In fact, I believe that one of the reasons we watch television is because it serves as a distractor…a way to disconnect from the monkey’s agenda. For a little while, we leave “our stuff” and, temporarily attach to the emotions of the characters in the storyline. The problem is, we then become engaged in the business of mentally interpreting, judging, engaging, and predicting “their stuff. ”

What I find works for me recently is sitting still in a place where I can feel connected to what surrounds me. I prefer being outside in nature so I can notice and attend all of my senses and leave my other thoughts. I like to feel the breeze on my face, notice the temperature, and hear whatever birds or cars in the distance because it helps stop that busy monkey from stirring things up in my mind. Sometimes a short walk will do it, as I notice my feet on the uneven sidewalk, look into the woods and listen to the birds, or notice the individuality of people’s homes and yards. And when my mind settles down, my breathing relaxes, and my body resets to all of my peaceful rhythms.

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