By Michaiel Patrick Bovenes (Author, Teacher and Creative Founder of 'Soul-utions')
Technique One: Breathe Slowly
Begin by inhaling a deep breath through your nose and as you slowly exhale through your mouth, mentally repeating the word “relax”. Repeat these three or four times. You can say the word, “relax” out loud at first, but has captured your attention. What are you thinking or worrying about? Is your mind in the past or the future? Are you thinking about someone in particular? Explore what has captured your attention and then repeat the breathing exercise above to practice silently repeating the word, like a mantra. Next focus your awareness on whatease it with your exhale.
Begin by inhaling a deep breath through your nose and as you slowly exhale through your mouth, mentally repeating the word “relax”. Repeat these three or four times. You can say the word, “relax” out loud at first, but has captured your attention. What are you thinking or worrying about? Is your mind in the past or the future? Are you thinking about someone in particular? Explore what has captured your attention and then repeat the breathing exercise above to practice silently repeating the word, like a mantra. Next focus your awareness on whatease it with your exhale.
Tip: You can visualize that as you exhale, you are breathing out the thoughts and feelings from your mind through your mouth, like bubbles floating off into the distance.
Technique Two: Write
This exercise will help you gain clarity and perspective. Find some paper and write down your thoughts. This will help you slow down your thinking and release what’s “on your mind”. As you write, remind yourself… “I have these thoughts… I am not my thoughts; I have these feelings… I am not my feelings.” Let the words flow out of you and write them down without editing or being concerned with grammar or spelling.
To clear your consciousness fast express in writing what’s on your mind. Then take these papers and destroy them. Tear them up and throw them away, flush them down the toilet or burn them. You want to destroy the writing with gusto and intensity. Mentally tell yourself, “I am letting go of these thoughts and feelings. I am freeing my mind.” This technique is great for insomnia, on restless nights, like I described above.
This exercise will help you gain clarity and perspective. Find some paper and write down your thoughts. This will help you slow down your thinking and release what’s “on your mind”. As you write, remind yourself… “I have these thoughts… I am not my thoughts; I have these feelings… I am not my feelings.” Let the words flow out of you and write them down without editing or being concerned with grammar or spelling.
To clear your consciousness fast express in writing what’s on your mind. Then take these papers and destroy them. Tear them up and throw them away, flush them down the toilet or burn them. You want to destroy the writing with gusto and intensity. Mentally tell yourself, “I am letting go of these thoughts and feelings. I am freeing my mind.” This technique is great for insomnia, on restless nights, like I described above.
Tip: An important fact, you can not write as fast as you can think, so when you write down your thoughts you will slow down your thinking automatically. This is one of the benefits of journaling and why it is considered a meditative experience. It slows your mind down and focuses your attention quickly.
Technique Three: Hum
Take a few moments and hum the lyrics of a favorite song. Concentrate on remembering the lyrics and feel the vibration of humming in your throat, face and chest. This will benefit you two ways:
Take a few moments and hum the lyrics of a favorite song. Concentrate on remembering the lyrics and feel the vibration of humming in your throat, face and chest. This will benefit you two ways:
1. Concentration and remembering the song will focus your mind.
2. The vibration of humming will ground you into the sensation of your
physical body.
It is a great technique and you can do it anywhere at
anytime. After just a few minutes you’ll feel a difference.
Technique Four: Visualize
Follow this simple guided meditation. Close your eyes. Breathe deeply three times and mentally (silently) say the word “relax”. Imagine a “basketball size” sphere of white light hovering about twelve inches above your head. Focus your mind to visualize the minutest detail. Imagine that you see it and feel the warmth radiating down on the top of your head. Next imagine this sphere slowly lowering and touching the crown of your head.
Take another deep breath and bring the sphere down around your head, like a helmet. Imagine that your head is filled with white light. If you were to open your eyes, the light would stream out from inside of you. Imagine the light dissolving these scattered thoughts.
Follow this simple guided meditation. Close your eyes. Breathe deeply three times and mentally (silently) say the word “relax”. Imagine a “basketball size” sphere of white light hovering about twelve inches above your head. Focus your mind to visualize the minutest detail. Imagine that you see it and feel the warmth radiating down on the top of your head. Next imagine this sphere slowly lowering and touching the crown of your head.
Take another deep breath and bring the sphere down around your head, like a helmet. Imagine that your head is filled with white light. If you were to open your eyes, the light would stream out from inside of you. Imagine the light dissolving these scattered thoughts.
Focus on the
light, feel its warmth and sense it filling your mind with peace and
comfort. Breathe naturally for a few minutes. When you are ready,
simply open your eyes and go back to your activities. This is great for
a quick focus before an important meeting. You can do this in a
parked car, at your desk or in a bathroom stall.
Technique Five: Be Sensual
Focus your attention on your five senses. This provides a mental boundary to contain your scattered mind. Being sensual simply means to be aware of your five senses. Smell the air, feel the temperature on your skin, listen to the sounds around you and taste the food that you eat. Being sensual brings you into the present fast and effectively.
Focus your attention on your five senses. This provides a mental boundary to contain your scattered mind. Being sensual simply means to be aware of your five senses. Smell the air, feel the temperature on your skin, listen to the sounds around you and taste the food that you eat. Being sensual brings you into the present fast and effectively.
You now have five easy ways to
focus your mind and harness its power. Your mind will help you make
more trustworthy decisions throughout your day and you’ll experience
overall greater inner peace.
These techniques will offer fast
and temporary relief of a scattered mind.
“Breathe in the FUTURE -- Breathe out the PAST.”
