Why you don’t need to stop thinking!

This article is an accompaniment to the latest series of guided meditations to come out today – entitled ‘Letting Go of the Mental Chatter’.  There are links to these meditations at the foot of this article.

It seems a common preconception about meditation is that you need to ‘stop thinking.’

When I lead beginners meditation classes often people say at the end.

“Oh i found it so difficult to switch off”
” I couldn’t stop thinking”
” I can’t do it – I can’t stop the thoughts

My response is ‘you don’t need to.’

In our society which has everything available in an instant – we want to switch off in an instant.

‘I want to be entertained immediately and then when I am tired of all the thoughts in my head I want to switch off from them instantly – if I can’t then I am not going to bother and find something else.’

The function of the meditations I have learnt and teach to others is not to switch off  thoughts completely and become like stones!  Its to transform the mind from agitated to peaceful, from negative to positive.

For the mind to become at peace we do not need to stop thinking – we simply need to let go of the agitated states of mind and start thinking in ways that produce peace.

This process is two-fold – we can begin to let go of agitated states of mind by engaging in a simple, visualization where we imagine all our distractions in the aspect of dark smoke in the centre of our body and we breathe these out – observing them disappear as we focus on the breath.   This is a great start and this meditation is guided through following the links below.

Once the mind is semi-peaceful through filtering out the distractions in the aspect of dark smoke then we can work to transform the mind into a peaceful, positive state.

It vitally important to appreciate that meditation is not about ‘not thinking.’

If we follow meditations that have this effect on our mind then our experience will become dull and lifeless.

Also meditation practice will become boring and if we don’t see the results of not thinking coming into our mind then we will soon give up and take up something else.

The meditations below will start you off on the path to transforming your mind – next week series ‘A Holy Mind’ will look at how we can actually transform the mind once we have pacified it through following the below meditations.

Access the meditations here:

Enjoy

Thanks for the beautiful picture taken by the talented James Lee

Written by Adam Dacey
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Running, Breathing & Meditation – How to knock 15 minutes off your 10K time with a little meditation

One of the most well-known, practiced and popular meditations on the planet is mindfulness of the breathing.

This powerful meditation is used by meditators as a method for stilling and concentrating the mind – bringing the mind into focus from its busy distracted state.

For some practitioners this will be their own meditation. The length of time will vary from a busy officer worker squeezing in 15 minutes to a Buddhist monk in the caves of Sri Lanka spending 8 hours a day simply observing the process of breathing.

In Tibetan Buddhism breathing meditation is used as a preliminary practice to more profound and deeper meditations.  A way of bringing the mind into neutral before bringing about an experience of transformation.

The breath is very much related to the mind.

When we are at peace we can see that the breath is calm and we breath deeply, this is clear to see and experience.

When we are angry and stressed the breath is shallow and tight – something it is difficult to breath.

When we are in receipt of bad news or frustrated one of the instinctive reactions is to hold the breath – almost subconsciously we are aware that this will control the mind.  Sometimes it does, temporarily.

Its helpful during the day to bring the mind to the attention of the breath even when are eyes are open and we are busy, it can help to pacify and centre the mind.

One practice that we can do is mindfulness of the walking – where we focus on the experience of walking and the breath.  We try to keep centered and focused on just this without allowing any thoughts to distract.

Mindful Walking is well know and practiced – one of the many interferences that we can have with this meditation is mind wandering, just like while we are sitting, the mind takes us to another place other than where we are thus we are no longer mindful.

How about Mindful Running?

I run quite a bit and have throughout my life – especially when I was a school.  On Sunday I ran 10K and decided to run it fast. Usually when I run, i run quite slowly – the fast bones in my body are not really used very much! However on Sunday I decided to test the body and mind and see how fast I could go and how Iong I could maintain the speed.

We started off very quickly and I decided to follow the fast group settling in quite quickly to the stride – after around 5 minutes of speedy pace my mind was telling me to slow down and/or stop. My answer back – was no.  What could I do to maintain this pace – my solution was to focus on the breathing.

When you run at a fast pace then there is nothing really to think about other than running. You are almost forced into a mindful situation.  Naturally the attention focuses on the breath and the posture.  So I decided to focus on the breathing and allow the concentration and the breath to carry me around the course.

Athletes talk about entering into the zone – a concentrated state where they are single pointedly focused. Once they have been there they want to return to it as it’s a peaceful and elevated state. The worries and concerns of life disappear. For many competitive athletes event their sport can become a worry, their time or the little competitive battles they have on the course around so entering into this zone can be a quite a respite

This zone can be reached in meditation when we are concentrated.  Its different but there are similarities.

One of the main issues that a meditator has is the wandering mind and also being to stuck in the head.

The process of running is very grounding – when you run at your full speed with focus then this is a wonderful experience and one that can both centre, concentrate and discipline the mind.

So my breath carried me round at speed – I managed to maintain the speed and focus. When my mind told me to stop or slow down I simple brought it to the sensation of the breath.

I wasn’t interested in keeping up with anyone or chasing after anyone – just go around enjoy each moment and stay concentrated.

I ran across the line – 15 minutes quicker that my previous 10K – for the purpose of this article actual times are not important and a distraction.  The subtitle of this article is a little teaser

After I recovered and had a drink I turned to someone next to me and said ‘Hey how did you do?’ , he said ’44.35′.  The conversation came to an abrupt halt.

Running can be so much more than times and position, lycra kit and trainers.

Some are dismissive of sport and see it as meaningless or competitive.

Like anything it depends on your intention.

Written by Adam Dacey
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Tasting Ideas

If you scratch beneath the surface of Meditation – you come to the point where you realize its a lifetimes work – a way of life -

It’s easy to have an opinion about Meditation practice without having done any.

So many people miss out on the incredible benefits – brushing it aside as simply wishful thinking or a mild tonic for the brain!

The potential within the mind is infinite. Meditation can radically effect both your mind and consequently your physical health.

It’s beyond intellectual.

This is why is makes little sense to say that you have completed your study.

I engaged in over 10 years of formal study of Buddhist meditation techniques and after that time I’m still just touching the surface.

Part of the process of training is thinking differently about the world in which you live.

Not just thinking  – but to act upon those thoughts.  To bring knowledge from the head into the heart.

When I was at college I studied Philosophy and my world was introduced to the incredible minds of Aristotle and Nietzsche.

For example briefly:

Aristotle stated that happiness is a flourishing of the soul.
Nietzsche stated that things do not exist how they appear.

Brilliant & tantalizing ideas but how to put them into practice?
How to make these ideas effect and change your world?
How to make theories such as these a reality?

Unfortunately I wasn’t told.

It was only when I stumbled across a Buddhist monastery in the Himalayas, it was introduced to me that you could take an idea about reality, mix it around in your mind through the power of contemplation, arrive at a conclusion and then focus on that conclusion with single pointed concentration – that’s meditation & will change your mind and change your life.

Much of western philosophy proposes ideas but doesn’t provide you with the tools to integrate them into your life in order to see changes take place.

Meditation & Contemplation are tools you can bring into your life to help digest and taste ideas, cultivate.

Written by Adam Dacey
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Weight Watchers or Mind Watchers?

One of the main resolutions to be set at 12.01am on the 1st January is to “Lose Weight”.
Some people manage, it some don’t.
2012 will be the year when many accomplish their optimum weight, for others it will be the one when they become obese.

Obesity is a big, fat issue in the Modern World.

Even back in 1829 Sylvester Graham introduced a diet which included mainly vegetables and his own branded biscuits – the Graham cracker!

The world of excess and the mind that fuels it have many consequences on our body and mind.
The Weight Loss industry is a multi billion pound one.
Think of the time, energy & worry that is put into thinking about weight.

When I ran my first series of meditation classes in the mid 1990′s next to the session was a weight loss group. I was always taken aback by the numbers. In the meditation class there were around 10-15 people. The weight watchers pulled in 80-100!

It was during some of these classes that it first came to me that we can go on diets and engage in healthy eating programs but is this really addressing obesity at its root. Surely if we have a problem we need to address it at its root?

It appeared to my mind that the root cause of obesity is in the mind. In particular the mind of desire and impatience.

Desire tells us to eat quickly and more than we need, impatience wants to eat food immediately and sacrifices whole food for convenience.

These two minds are the main reasons for weight gain.

Often when people change diets they approach their new diet with the same mind they put on their weight with – the diet becomes an obsession, an attachment, just as previously the food was. Dieting doesn’t bring space and peace into the mind. Often a person can be on a permanent diet, so still the main object in their mind is food!

A more constructive approach is to see food for what it is – its fuel to sustain the body, it sometimes tastes good, sometimes doesn’t – eat what you need, pause when your eating, finish your meal and then stop thinking about it!

The multi billion pound weight loss industry would be threatened by these words if they were broadcasted from the main TV networks – the snack oils, tablets and potions which are available are sold and make so much money as a result of information not being made available to them that the main cause for obesity and weight gain is in the mind.

At the UC of San Francisco they have recently engaged in studies that reveal how meditation can help to reduce weight.
They had a group of two overweight women and split them into two. One group had access to mindful eating techniques and practiced meditation for 30 minutes a day. The meditation was a method to prevent the group from ‘comfort eating’. The preliminary results are showing that the women who were not in this group increased their weight and the women who practiced mindful techniques managed to maintain their weight and their was a significant drop in their cortisol levels ( increased cortisol levels are one of the effects of stress).
The survey is revealing that mindfulness helps to sway an individual’s mind away from the junk and onto more constructive activities.
The Scientific Research that is being revealed to the world by top Universities is helpful for people who need to see the evidence of the power of meditation.

It’s not enough though – the best way to see the effects is to engage in the practices yourself.

Mindfulness and Breathing Meditation can help a person on the path to a healthier life – if we can train the mind to reduce the power of unnecessary desire and impatience (which are the effects of mindfulness meditation) then we have found a very powerful remedy to a healthy, balanced life.

What do you think Weight Watchers or Mind Watchers?

Written by Adam Dacey
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Mind Wandering, Yale Research and Meditation

For thousands of years now meditators have discovered through their own experience the incredible benefits that arise from a regular, focused practice.

Popular techniques that have arisen out of ancient eastern religions practices such as mindfulness training, breathing meditation and loving kindness practice have integrated well into modern society.

Those who approach their engagement with the world from a scientific perspective  feel reassured and more inclined to practice when research takes place that proves the benefits of meditation.

Yale Universities Neuroscience Clinic have recently engaged in research which has indicated that meditators can deactivate a part of the brain that is involved with mind wandering.

Distraction and in particularly ADHT are linked with depression – when the mind wanders its distracted thus more likely to slip into a negative spiral.

TM organization have engaged in extensive research revealing that meditation can help those who suffer from ADHT .  Underlying ADHT is anxiety -  meditation helps to pacify the mind and reduce anxiety.

When I lived in a Buddhist Retreat centre one of the most important aspects of the training was focused, concentrated work.  To keep the body and mind active, focused, to contribute to the community and to reduce distraction.

Often when new people came with mental issues they would find quite quickly that there negativity would burn up – not because of sitting navel gazing and performing mental gymnastics but improving the mindful muscle they have through quality meditation & focus and concentration in their daily activities.

Mind Space’s recent Meditation in Schools in programme sessions held in Portishead revealed one of the main benefits that the students experienced was an increased focused and concentration.  Some of the students were surprised, as they entered into the sessions believing that meditation spaces you out…far from it.

One of the benefits which Yale University have noted is that because of the ability to focus and maintain awareness then meditators have a greater skill in bringing back their wandering mind onto the task at hand. Helping them to  be more focused and concentrated on whatever activity they are engaged in.

Naturally through greater focus on our activities – whatever it may be: sport, writing, accounts, music, listening, thinking there is a greater depth & quality leading to a richer experience of life.

Seasoned meditators and even those who have just started meditating  will be able to tell you this – now the greatest Universities of the world are reassuring those skeptics and helping to redefine the meaning of ‘meditation’ in the minds of many who have previously brushed it aside as meaningless.

It’s refreshing that we are starting to see evidence that not only does meditation help you when you are engaged in the disciplined ‘act’, but also has a radical effect on the rest of your life.  It is this bridge that is most important and reveals how the practice of meditation can radically improve the quality of ones life.

Written by Adam Dacey
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Mobile Apps, Technology, Meditation and Mindfulness

Technology in itself has no meaning – its how we use it…

Some tools that are invented can be helpful and improve the quality of both our external and internal life.

There is a school of thought which believes that Google is shrinking the brain.
My Maths tutor at school would never allow a calculator to be used. I still remember his words now and resist the temptation when I have some Math to calculate.

When we have a question we can ask Google – especially with reference to knowledge which we haven’t yet acquired – a world-wide library at our fingertips with information we can access in an instant.

Great! but the speed in which we access that information can depreciate the value of the knowledge and reduce our attention span thus reducing the power of our memory.
Perhaps we look something up which we know but just can’t be bothered to think and remember it.

How many phone numbers do you know off by heart?  Now with mobile phone memory sometimes we don’t even know our own number!

There are now millions of apps which we can access and download to our mobile phone.  Mind Space is currently designing a series of apps for your mobile phone – they will help you to experience peace within your life.

Recently I have been looking around at different app stores, one app in particular stood out – which is seen as quite clever but will illustrate the point made below.

The app. is designed so that when you park your car it registers where you have parked your car – so  when you return to a busy car park it will show you exactly where your car is.
Sometimes even in a small car park we can forget where the car is parked – ever had that experience?

So this app will remember for you – nevermind cultivating mindfulness and improving our memory this app will offer that service for you.

Mindfulness is like a mental muscle we need to train it if its going to work well. Relying on apps to do this looks like it is improving the quality of our life but actually subtly can be reducing the quality of our mind and thereby our life.  Of course like anything it depends on the intention we have when using it.

However for as many convenience apps there are available for your phone there are also apps to help improve memory and mindfulness.

Technology is increasing in our world – I believe whether this benefits the world depends on how we use it not so much the technology itself.

Most importantly how can we use technology to improve the quality of our own and others minds….

Written by Adam Dacey
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EU Summit, Follow Culture, Isolation, Friendship, Social Networking & Saying Hello!

A few thoughts..

We have seen the UK taking a step in a slightly different direction to many of the European states with a decision to distance themselves from EU involvement.

This post is not of a political nature and is neither for or against this decision – it’s just this news made me think about two different extremes of mind.

1) The mind that isolates oneself from the world around us.
2) The mind that is continuously looking for connections, networks and relationships

Often one can lead to the other.

We can be sitting in the middle of a large network on F.B with a 1000 friends, out with a group of many friends, hanging out at a family gathering & feel alone.

On the other hand we can be walking alone on the top of a mountain and feel connected to the whole world…depends on the mind.

The latest trend on Facebook is un-friending!

Ruthlessly going through your list of friends and un-friending those people from school you have seen for over a decade.

The internet can be a great tool for networking and building bridge between communities – it can also be a platform for isolation – all depending on how we use it.

The need for acknowledgement is often central to the human psyche – and can make us feel less isolated….It takes courage to stand up for your thoughts and intentions when it seems everybody else is going the other way.

What would you prefer: popularity, acceptance & acknowledgment by society or… to stand up for and follow what you believe in which may take you in a different direction from the masses.

The greatest change in society arises when someone makes a stand, thinks for themselves and moves forward in a new way

Loneliness is a state of mind – a mind with the shutters closed, it’s often self-perpetuating and is an experience feared by those who say yes when they are not sure or really mean no.

My friend moved to London to be in thick of it.
For the first few months she felt so lonely – isolated, unacknowledged, pushed to one side.  She survived by following suit with the mainstream – head down, competitive burners on…

We can bring new people into our life simply by looking up & around acknowledging and saying hello!

The old phrase ‘together we are stronger’ has some merit – but we could also say ‘together we are more confused’…too many master chefs in the kitchen…

Written by Adam Dacey
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The Silent Mind – Introduction to the Guided Meditation

Watch the introduction for this online series of meditations by pressing play on the video below.
For the best result – make the video full screen by pressing the button in the right hand corner of the video
and listen with headphones.

How precious is a silent mind?

A silent mind brings peace, stillness and contentment.

We can start to develop the habit of meditation – all activities that we engage in regular arise from establishing habits.

Start to meditate regular and become familiar with being still – physically & mentally.

It’s virtually impossible to have no thoughts in the mind.

Instead try to develop and cultivate thoughts that are similar to inner peace – love, affection, generosity and gratitude – try to stop distraction from taking over through the power of our determination.

In the two meditations – 5 minutes and 30 minutes we will make  a determination to sit still each day and still the mind in meditation – through focusing the mind and preventing distraction

Meditation in School Project Motivation

This week we had a Meditation in Schools workshops with a group of people learning about the Meditation in Schools project.

These sessions are of a practical nature and show practitioners who are interested in meditation how they can contribute to the Meditation in Schools project.

My experience now of running these sessions and bringing Meditation to Schools is that it is a natural wish for people who already have experience of meditation in their own lives to want to bring it to children and students.

When you realize and appreciate the great benefits that arise from Meditation then you always think what would my life have been like if I had learned earlier.

Offering a child access to meditation is one of the kindest most special gifts that you can give to them.

They may not use the techniques straight away but they have at their disposal an incredibly powerful tool which they can turn to throughout their life.

How kind for schools and teachers to offer this to students from an early age!

My own passion and desire to bring Meditation to Schools came as a result of  having to travel all the way to Nepal to stumble across meditation.

When I finished college I spent 6 months Teaching English in Nepal and it was here that I discovered the practice of meditation.  If I hadn’t traveled there, I may not have learnt or discovered how to meditate.

Sometime people think that you need to travel East to discover meditation – this is false. Meditation is a global activity and can be learnt in the classroom where you learn how to read, count and write – if it is made available.

The Meditation in Schools Project is motivated to making this happen.

Watch feedback from students who have engage in the Meditation in Schools project here.

Meditation, Meetings and Guide Dogs

Yesterday I was invited to a meeting of representatives from local volunteer and charity organizations – hosted at the WCRFM

A pleasure to make connections with such inspirational people in the area.

They wanted an introduction to Mind Space and a guided meditation.

I find no pleasure greater than bringing meditation to people who have not meditated before and introducing it in settings where there has been no previous practice.

We all sat around a large conference table – around 25 people; I introduced the work that Mind Space is doing and explained the process of practicing meditation.

We then sat for around 20 minutes engaged in meditation.

Parts of the meditation was spoken, guided instruction but lots of space also for them to enjoy the silence they had created.

There was a special atmosphere created in the room a positive experience for everybody to take with into the rest of the day.

There was a representative from the local blind centre – he enjoyed the session and had come with his guide dog.   The guide dog was incredibly well-behaved and quiet – apart from the occasional contented chew!   The dog seemed to enjoy the session and had a slightly glazed look at the end.  At the end of the meeting I went over to greet the dog and tell him what a good job he had done during the session…

My first experience of  guiding a session with a dog attending – and hopefully not the last.

The guy from the blind centre said that he hopes that we can come and visit the centre and deliver some sessions for their group…

After the session we had a group discussion about the benefits of meditation and the importance of bringing silence into our day.

What would the world look like now if during every meeting there was a period of meditation and silence?!