Mindfulness trick

You're giving very nice advice there, Ryan
I think, some people need time of mental "vacuum" to let all the feelings and thoughts out of the subconscious.
What brings me back to now is running.

How long does it take you to stop the memories chatter in your head before you can start thinking ahead?

Hi Alex,

Thanks, there's no set time for the chatter to quite down. Some days it lasts longer, others for a shorter period of time. It depends on how much your awareness is pulling back and how much "stuff" you're allowing to surface. If you're experiencing emotional distress there could be more chatter, but these are the exact times to sit and ride it out, for you grow most when meditating through uncomfortable situations. Reveals your attachments to you, really quite liberating.

The key is to keep sitting everyday, without fail. Increase the time spent sitting each week by a few minutes and eventually the chatter gets quieter and quieter.

RB

I guess what it boils down to is, why should we want to become more mindful. For me, it means being more conscious of what the stream of thoughts contain. It would be nice if you could just meditate and turn off the stream but that is not realistic.

So I feel that a conscious awareness of thought patterns helps me choose a better feeling thought. Where I stay stuck is when I allow the stream of negative thinking and negative emotions to take over by default. It feels like I am sitting and spinning (or stewing ) and then reacting to the feelings resulting from the negative thought patterns.

This is where mediatation helps me the most. I still the mind for a few minutes, thank the "ego" for sharing. Then I point my attention on something to appreciate. Here is the key to pulling out of the spin. If I can find just one thing in my current environment to appreciate, I can soon get a cascading affect by finding another, and then another.

I got this trick from Abraham-Hicks and it is known as the rampage of appreciation. This brings you back into the now and helps you choose a better feeling thought. Then you are on your way back up the emotional scale.

It is simple in concept but I find the ego does like to resist the process. So it takes some practice.

Thanks Ryan, for the great topic.

Basic exercises care you put into a state of awareness where distractions are let go and the power of the mind is able to operate more efficiently. With these exercises, you can concentrate better and think more clearly.