Every thought has a physical sensation associated with it. If you want to experience less thoughts, particularly those of misery, experience the physical manifestation of it instead of it being mental.
If you put your attention on the physical part of a difficult or painful thought, the mental part of that energy will dissolve or evaporate.
Meditation helps us to hone this ability. With a mediation practice you become familiar of the subtle difference of holding your attention in, versus having your attention outside of your body.
When I have a new student its very common for them to let me know that they have difficulty meditating because their mind is extremely active. The minute they sit down they can’t stop thinking.
Everyone has roughly the same number of thoughts. It’s not the number of thoughts that we have issues with, it’s the amount of attention we give to them. Some people have not done the work to train their attention and therefore it’s always in the default position toward the mind.
Like a muscle, you need to train your attention so that it goes where you want it to go. You become the master of your attention therefore minimizing the amount of misery you experience.
Our thoughts are products of conditioned thinking that is compounded over the years as the mind is left untethered. The most challenging part of this practice is not developing the ability to control your attention but increasing the desire to. Initially you may notice that you don’t want to remove your attention from the thoughts that are so painful. You may notice that you cling to them and wrap yourself around them, like a warm blanket. This discovery of our human condition is unnerving to say the least. It sounds counterintuitive; how could it be possible that we want to be miserable?
The first step is becoming aware that this is exactly how we operate. Once you’re aware of this you can’t become unaware. You simply notice it when it comes up again. Your awareness of this truth is the tool used to dismantle your attachment to the negativity. Your awareness is the light that makes the darkness impossible to survive.
Try it. Start with something small, like a minor annoyance. Notice that you’re upset then see if you can remove your attention from the thought of how annoyed you are. Turn your attention toward the physical sensation that is associated with the thoughts you’re having. You may find you don’t want to. If that’s the case, just notice that about yourself. Its important not to judge yourself here. This is the human experience. It’s the case for all humans. After a moment of two of noticing this, see if you can determine where in the body you can feel something physical. Common areas could be your shoulders, your throat, your stomach or your chest, but they could be anywhere and often in more than one place. Stay with those physical sensations for 2 to 5 minutes and focus on them.
Most of us haven’t been shown how to cope with our disturbing thoughts and difficult emotions. This technique requires that you demonstrate patience and compassion. It’s just the beginning of the path toward self-love. The beauty of the journey is that each step is a step forward. You can’t go backwards. Your results, no matter how tiny, will accumulate until you suddenly realise that you just feel better. You’ll notice that you feel stronger, more confident, and capable of living authentically. It’s a beautiful thing!
