The Blackboard in Your Mind

The Blackboard in Your Mind

Imagine arriving at a classroom with the chalkboard being completely filled with mathematical and scientific formulas. You sit down at your desk. Before the teacher even begins his talk, you get discouraged and distracted by what is on the blackboard. Do you understand any of the formulas? Is this information new or old? Is it a test?

Suddenly, you become a little anxious. You find it harder to hear the teacher explain your daily lesson. He teaches slowly and peacefully, yet, you find it hard to listen to the calmness, because the anxiety has your full attention.

This metaphor is a prime example of what happens in meditation when you have too much unresolved information in your mind. To erase the chalkboard clearly would be the answer. But how?

This is an age-old question that spiritual men and women have been asking since the beginning of time. I’d like to share some insights as to how I change the board  and enter into a solid state of meditation daily.

Your mind has three parts: the voice that regulates the body (hunger, fear, pain, thirst, and sexuality); the voice that deducts current information (your awakened state—as in work); and the inductive mind, which is the observer and the artist within.

Calming the reptilian brain, the voice of the body, can be the easiest of the three. Most people simply do some sort of rigorous exercise, like yoga. Or, if they are already fatigued, then do progressive relaxation of the body, using the deductive mind as a tool to relax the limbs and slow down the breath, which would regulate the heart beat.

Here is one particular exercise I use:

·       turn on a metronome to 60 beats per minute (there are many cell phone apps);

·       begin to inhale for six counts and exhale for six counts;

·       if you feel that your body is tense, you may add an eye movement. Move your eyes high to the ceiling on the inhale, and to your toes on the exhale. Or left and right as you inhale and exhale;

·       do this for 3-5 minutes, trying to stay very focused.

To calm the deductive mind, simply release from the control of your body, your breathing, and your eyes. As you begin to observe your breath and wait for each exhale and inhale, your mind automatically releases from control the body. The ego mind is a master at retaining your attention, so beside this, we must also create a deal with the cognitive deductive mind.

I say to myself, “If you (my deductive, chattering part of the brain) want to communicate with me, you must show me a picture on the blank screen in front of me.” Then I imagine a black screen or blackboard completely empty. I wait here in the silence.

If I hear a voice trying to speak, I either consider my latter command again, or ask the voice, “Who is speaking?” Again, I wait in the silence.

So, going back to our blackboard image at the beginning, the objective is actually to clear the mind of intentionally trying to solve what is on the board, not erase it. Simply let it be. Create another board with nothing on it. Watch the new black screen. Allow for spirit to create answers on it, instead of in your own mind.

The paradigm of meditation is completely setting your self apart from the ego. You watch your mind and body compassionately, as opposed to trying to figure life out. In so doing, you create a place (the blank screen) where spirit can communicate.

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Bo Sebastian is a Hypnotherapist and Life & Health Coach, available for private sessions to QUIT SMOKING, Lose Weight, New Lap-Band Hypnosis for Weight Loss, CHANGE YOUR MIND, CHANGE YOUR LIFE! at 615-400-2334 or www.bosebastian.com. FOR COMMENTS: Go to the Bo Sebastian link under the title and there is a place there to create a comment. Thanks.

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