Please Excuse Our Renovations

Noisy mind chatter distracts you from being in this moment. And, since being in the present moment, with a quiet mind, is a prerequisite for peaceful meditation, this easy exercise of watching your thoughts will empower you to slow down that inner mind storm.

Not only that, but it is so relaxing and enjoyable that some beginners consider it to be a meditation in itself.

Beware of your false ego…but don't resist it

I recommend that you play with this exercise a few times before you decide whether it’s working for you or not. Watch out for negative ego thoughts. As you slow down your busy mind chatter, you will know the exercise is working for you. But your ego will feel threatened and try to convince you otherwise.

The last thing your ego wants is for you to experience a quiet mind.

Are you ready to stop your mind chatter?

Set aside about 15 minutes for this exercise. Find a quiet place and get comfortable, sitting up is best so you don’t fall asleep. (But, don' worry if you do - meditation gives you everything you need and if it is sleep then so be it.)

Please turn off your radio and TV. Relaxation music is not recommended during this exercise.

By watching thoughts flow through your mind, you will begin to notice what is happening in the present moment.

Thoughts, in this context, include:

• sounds of birds singing outside your window and cars going by, a dripping faucet, or the hum of a heater, or a fan, peoples’ voices;

• sensations in your body such as an itch, a slight pain, or even a slight headache.

Recommended time is approximate. Please do not use a harsh sounding alarm clock. A meditation timer with a very gentle tone is OK, but trust your internal clock to let you know when it's time to open your eyes. Just give yourself enough time to feel comfortable watching what is going on in your mind.

Being gently alert is more important than how long you spend in each segment. The more alert you are the more you will notice.

Be perfectly innocent, like a child with a new toy; let go of expectations.

Note: To make this exercise easier, you may wish to invite someone to read this exercise to you. You could take turns reading it to each other for the first couple of times you do it. Soon, there will be an audio version of watching your thoughts posted on this website.

Let’s begin.

1. Watch your thoughts.

Take a few deep easy breaths, allow your awareness to come into the present moment and feel your entire body relax, then gently close your eyes.

For about 1 minute, easily watch thoughts flowing through your mind. Just watch them and let them go. Don’t strain, don’t try, just let go and relax.

Now gently open your eyes.

Did you notice thoughts moving through your mind? What else did you notice? Did the busy mind chatter slow down? Were there lots of thoughts or a few thoughts?

Please continue.

2. Count your thoughts.

Now you will count your thoughts for a couple of minutes. For example, if you notice the sound of a bird singing outside, count that as thought #1.

If you notice a sensation in your body, count that as thought #2.

If you have a thought like, “oh there’s a bird singing, should I count that?” Count that as thought #3.

Thought #4 might be, “I wonder if 2 minutes has passed yet.” Just notice it, let it go, and keep counting.

And so on, count as many thoughts as you notice.

Begin now by gently closing your eyes. Relax and just watch the thoughts moving through your mind. Then easily, effortlessly begin to count each thought that comes into your awareness. Keep alert during this exercise.

Continue this for about 2 minutes, then gently and easily open your eyes.

How many thoughts did you count? Were there five? Great! Were there twenty? Great! It doesn’t matter how many thoughts you had. Did you find it easy to count them? What else did you notice during the exercise?

If you wish to close your eyes and repeat the exercise of counting, please do so now. Remain alert and observe the movement in your mind.

Now, what did you notice that time? How many thoughts did you count? Did the mind chatter begin to slow down? Did you notice where the thoughts came from? Where did they go?

3. Stay alert as you watch your thoughts – without counting this time.

Once again, gently close your eyes and watch the thoughts moving through your mind. Do not count. Just watch. Stay alert. Continue for about 2 minutes, and then open your eyes.

Did your thoughts begin to slow down? Where did they come from? Where did they go? Did you find yourself getting caught up in a stream of thoughts that went off into a story? And then what happened? Did you notice a space between your thoughts? A short space? A long space? Great!

That space, or gap, between the thoughts is the portal to the stillness within you. That space is what you want to cultivate for an ever-expanding experience of peace and joy.

The key to expansion is to just let go and allow whatever happens to happen without controlling, without straining, without trying.

With your soft, gentle, awareness on that space, a universe of quiet unbounded peace and joy will open up to you. It has always been there and it will always be there whenever you allow your awareness to be there.

Now that you are able to control your busy mind chatter, and have had a glimpse of the stillness within, you are ready to learn how to meditate.

If you are among the group of individuals whose intellect needs to be satisfied before you move forward, then you can begin by reading Easy Meditation For Beginners.

Or, if you usually leap before you look, like I do, then please just contact me now, and we can discuss, via Skype, the best way for you to proceed.

And, please watch this site for a more detailed introduction to the Ishayas' Ascension. It will be here soon, I promise.

This handy web tool notifies you every time new material is added to this website. That way, without having to browse through the entire site, you can easily just go straight to the topics that interest you.

You do not even have to leave your email address. Look for it in the left margin of this page.

To return to the page you just came from, just click the left arrow in your upper left hand corner of your browser window.

Students of the Relationship Rescue Course:

Next>>>Article #4. The Art of Coping With Stress

Please click here to go from Mind Chatter to Meditation and Relaxation.