Why we should stop thinking + a meditation to conquer the mind

[this article includes some audio to go with the meditation instruction which I am unable to include here on LinkedIn. If you want to hear the audio portions, go to where this article lives]

Before we get started, I’d like to put some definitions in place so that you’ll know how I’m using these words. 

• Thinking is trying to find an answer. It’s analytical and relies on the senses. So it’s limited by what we see, know, or deem to be true. It’s also limited by habit, because we think and emote the way we normally do. This makes us predictable. In thinking, we use the past as a point of reference. Thinking isn’t necessarily bad, it simply has its limits, and we tend to go over them. Unchecked, our minds repeat negative thought patterns over and over again, and that’s ruminating. It turns a conscious-subconscious mental activity into an unconscious one, and it damages relationships, health, and opportunity as it moves us deeper into illusion. 
• Contemplation is allowing the answer to come to you. It’s reflective and conscious and moves into the realm beyond the senses. It’s self aware (thinking doesn’t have to be). It’s open to new information without the limitations of analysis, and it’s led by the body’s intellect more than the brain. It’s a spiritually spontaneous activity rather than a habitual one. It does not look to the past or fret about the future. It’s inspired by the moment. The reach is limitless.  I won’t come back to contemplation in this blog but included it to help differentiate.
• Meditation is being with the answer (truth). It’s heightened awareness. It’s training the mind to relax into a specific focus and clear the mind of thought. It moves us into the realm of other dimensions and pulls it into reality. When we are lost in thought we become less aware of what’s going on around us, even when it’s right in front of our nose. In contrast, in meditation, we become fully aware of our surroundings and at a deeper level.

Our thinking mind seems to never stop. It’s restless, distracted, and it jumps from thought to thought, erratically. Buddhists call this the monkey mind. We let it happen because at some level we think it’s right to think all the time, or as much as possible, associating it with productivity, control, or having a sense of responsibility of doing something. Some of us realize how detrimental it has been to be trapped in this echo chamber and seek ways to quiet the mind. 

Because thinking often refers to the past (the known) to understand something, it can only offer answers from that limited space - that space that allowed the stressful situation and unpleasant experience in the first place. This is why we seek, and sometimes hire, others outside of ourselves to help us solve problems: to get a different mind involved. There is another way: to stop thinking. To let your divine intelligence shine through. Truth is, all the answers you really need are inside you, it’s buried underneath the noise of thought.

The reason why the shower has been credited with so many aha moments is because we tend to relax our brains more when we shower. 

Thinking vs Doing: a fine but very distinct line

When doctors perform surgery and accountants crunch numbers, they are not thinking so much as doing. Their thoughts are honed in to support their work. When thinking gets involved as an activity in itself, that’s when second-guessing, (mis)judging, and analysis paralysis happens. Narratives ensue and exhaustion sets in. Doing creates energy. Thinking ultimately depletes it. 

In my early twenties, I was training to become a trader at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Mock trading happened every day after the markets closed. When I was doing the mock trading, I was on all cylinders, unstoppable and fast as lightning. When I made mistakes I recognized quickly how to correct them. My mental faculties did what they were supposed to do, in lightning speed as is required in trading. I was more in my body: trust in my instincts predominated. You can’t afford to get heady down there. My mentors were all smiles and throwing more challenges at me. On the other hand, when thinking crept in, I couldn’t do basic math. I’d fill with self-doubt and get exhausted and overwhelmed fast. The longer I thought, the more difficult it got to come out of it.

When we are learning, we are “doing” learning: we take in new information, and we practice it. We have a question, and we ask it. This is “thinking” at its finest. The shadow side of thinking starts up with stories, like I’ll look dumb for asking this question. What if this was covered already and I was just not paying attention? What if I’m wrong? I don’t want to look stupid.

When you stop thinking, you open up space to take in new information, see and learn new things and make new decisions, spontaneously. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, or quickly finding conclusions for everything (knowing it all), you get to bask in the curiosity and wonder of new information that you haven’t thought of in that way before. This slowing down speeds up the upgrades in quality of life. You get to immerse yourself as a full participant in new experiences. Even the every day becomes new. Like when you see a sunset or the panoramic landscape at the peak of the mountain you just hiked, and it takes your breath away - you are literally inspired. Your thoughts stop. You are immersed in beauty and become one with it. It becomes a part of you. This intelligence becomes a part of you. You are heightened.

The world is changing at an exponential rate. We are changing, or at least it behooves us to change, along with it. When we look to the past to understand the present, we superimpose the past onto the present, and we miss things. We miss opportunities. To stop thinking is to, as they say, empty the cup to create space to truly take in information and gain new experiences.  

The trick is to suspend thinking and move into being. Being is doing. It’s an act of being in the present moment. It’s how you conquer the past and how you set the trajectory of your future in the direction of your highest good. 

This isn’t to say we shouldn’t think. Just maybe not as much as we currently do. We ruminate, turning over old stories repeatedly in our heads and with others. We project our thoughts onto current events. We label them “experience.” When we do that, we use our experiences to experience the same old. It’s just habit. We become stuck in a repetitive time warp.

Being in the present can feel strange in the beginning. If you’re not so familiar with it, welcome! This is where you find peace. Peace carries with it the power to heal, connect with Source, feel ease, create, and experience Bliss. It’s where your next step is revealed and where new experiences unfold. 

Meditation to stop the rumination and conquer the mind

This meditation is also called the Meditation for When Nothing Else Works. It strengthens your access into the present moment where the magic happens. 

It combines mantra and breath. Mantra focuses on specific sounds to replace the thoughts that keep cycling through your head. It codes over the negative self-talk. The way the mantra is used in this meditation has you working with your breath in a very specific way to enhance vitality and concentration. It seeds the vibration of gratitude, which can only be felt in the present moment. 

The mantra is 

Wahe Guru Wahe Guru Wahe Guru Wahe Jio 

Pronounced: wah-hay-g’roo  wah-hay-jee-oh. To hear how this sounds, go here.

It means: the ecstasy I feel when moving from darkness to light, from ignorance to wisdom.

Say the entire line 8x in one exhale

To hear how this sounds, go here.

It’s normal if you’re unable to say this 8x in one exhale. Start with 4 to 6 times and build up your lung capacity and concentration from there. 

Your body will learn to take a deep enough inhale, and to control your exhale from your diaphragm, to make this happen. You’ll learn to say it fast enough to get it out in one exhale, and slow enough not to get tongue tied. 

• You can do this with your eyes closed or open. 
• Ideally, do this sitting down with your spine tall. You can also do this while sitting in your car, taking a walk, or standing alone in an elevator. Don’t slouch with your head forward. Do hold a tall posture: spine lengthened, chest slightly raised, shoulders melted down and slightly pulled back, neck slightly tucked in.
• Instead of unconsciously picking up your phone to scroll your feed, put your phone down and do this meditation instead. 
• A few minutes is all it takes, and you can do it several times a day, or whenever you think of it. You can turn it into a deeper practice by practicing this meditation seated in a quiet space for 11 minutes. 

Go here for an audio that you can practice along with me for 3 minutes, though I encourage you to keep going for longer if you can.

When you’re finished, take a moment to notice any shifts in energy and quality of consciousness. The goal of meditation is that each time you come out of it, you come out upgraded. Before you get up, you can imagine yourself walking through an open doorway as your upgraded Self, leaving behind the parts that no longer serve you. Remember to say thank you.

If this isn’t happening for you, check in with your honest self. You might be going through the motions, getting lost in your monkey mind, and checking your watch to see how much longer. Make sure to set an intention to be present as you begin, and to keep coming back to it when you float away. Meditation is a practice, so keep at it and you’ll get there before you know it. Most importantly, enjoy the journey. Let me know how this goes for you. 

Love, Savitree

Love, Savitree

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