"The Secret" is a popular film produced by Prime Time Productions.
"The Secret" teaches us that we create our lives, with every thought every minute of every day.
"The Secret" is based on the "Law of Attraction" which says that our thoughts (both conscious and unconscious) create our reality, whether we are aware of this or not.
The "Law of Attraction" puts a great deal of pressure on people to think positively all the time.
It makes us afraid to have negative thoughts for fear that we will create something bad in our lives.
Many of my clients who have experimented with the "Law of Attraction" report having felt a high level of anxiety around its belief system.
While I agree that dwelling on negative thoughts does have a harmful impact on health, there seems to be a missing piece...
mindfulness.
Mindfulness involves living with greater present moment awareness.
It is cultivated through meditation where we practice being aware of the breath, thoughts, feelings, sensations, and sounds.
Mindfulness meditation involves spending time each day paying attention to our state of mind, to feelings that are present, and to what's happening within the body.
A mindfulness meditation practice can look differently for each of us.
There's no correct amount of time you need to dedicate.
"Formal practice" might include an hour, 30 minutes, or 5 minutes of gentle yoga or sitting, lying down, or walking meditation.
"Informal practice" involves simply paying attention to your breath and being more 'in the moment' as you are doing your normal daily activities.
People often tell me that they think they're doing something wrong because they can't stop their mind from thinking during meditation.
This is natural.
This is just what the mind does...
your mind, my mind, the human mind.
At the start of meditation practice we typically find that the mind is constantly thinking thoughts about the past or the future.
We notice the mind drift off into worries, memories, fantasies, planning, problem solving, etc.
And some of these negative thoughts might trigger negative feelings such as grief, anger, fear, inadequacy, self-doubt, etc.
Old messages play without our even being aware that they are draining our energies.
These old tapes don't reflect the present moment yet they continue to play over and over out of habit.
While this is the nature of the mind, this is precisely what keeps us from living in the present moment.
The breath is our connection to the present moment.
When we pay attention to the breath, the body and mind are connected.
This can lead to profound states of balance.
The practice of mindfulness teaches us a more neutral way of being with our thoughts as they are in the present moment.
We learn to observe thoughts without labeling them as positive or negative.
We learn to watch our thoughts as they are happening without grasping or clinging them.
This is quite helpful in managing negative thinking.
First of all, mindfulness helps us to become aware of situations and people that trigger negative thinking.
Secondly, we can notice how what we are thinking affects our mood and our behaviors.
It's about allowing ourselves to be in a moment as it is and then learning from what we see.
We might ask ourselves, "Is the way that I'm thinking now helping me or harming me? We can use this as a cue to come back to the breath...
back to the present moment.
To me, allowing 'what is' is how we gain insight and wisdom into who we are.
We all have light and shadow within and in order to move towards wholeness and well-being we must value and learn from both.
Please feel free to contact me if you are interested in learning more about mindfulness meditation!
"The Secret" teaches us that we create our lives, with every thought every minute of every day.
"The Secret" is based on the "Law of Attraction" which says that our thoughts (both conscious and unconscious) create our reality, whether we are aware of this or not.
The "Law of Attraction" puts a great deal of pressure on people to think positively all the time.
It makes us afraid to have negative thoughts for fear that we will create something bad in our lives.
Many of my clients who have experimented with the "Law of Attraction" report having felt a high level of anxiety around its belief system.
While I agree that dwelling on negative thoughts does have a harmful impact on health, there seems to be a missing piece...
mindfulness.
Mindfulness involves living with greater present moment awareness.
It is cultivated through meditation where we practice being aware of the breath, thoughts, feelings, sensations, and sounds.
Mindfulness meditation involves spending time each day paying attention to our state of mind, to feelings that are present, and to what's happening within the body.
A mindfulness meditation practice can look differently for each of us.
There's no correct amount of time you need to dedicate.
"Formal practice" might include an hour, 30 minutes, or 5 minutes of gentle yoga or sitting, lying down, or walking meditation.
"Informal practice" involves simply paying attention to your breath and being more 'in the moment' as you are doing your normal daily activities.
People often tell me that they think they're doing something wrong because they can't stop their mind from thinking during meditation.
This is natural.
This is just what the mind does...
your mind, my mind, the human mind.
At the start of meditation practice we typically find that the mind is constantly thinking thoughts about the past or the future.
We notice the mind drift off into worries, memories, fantasies, planning, problem solving, etc.
And some of these negative thoughts might trigger negative feelings such as grief, anger, fear, inadequacy, self-doubt, etc.
Old messages play without our even being aware that they are draining our energies.
These old tapes don't reflect the present moment yet they continue to play over and over out of habit.
While this is the nature of the mind, this is precisely what keeps us from living in the present moment.
The breath is our connection to the present moment.
When we pay attention to the breath, the body and mind are connected.
This can lead to profound states of balance.
The practice of mindfulness teaches us a more neutral way of being with our thoughts as they are in the present moment.
We learn to observe thoughts without labeling them as positive or negative.
We learn to watch our thoughts as they are happening without grasping or clinging them.
This is quite helpful in managing negative thinking.
First of all, mindfulness helps us to become aware of situations and people that trigger negative thinking.
Secondly, we can notice how what we are thinking affects our mood and our behaviors.
It's about allowing ourselves to be in a moment as it is and then learning from what we see.
We might ask ourselves, "Is the way that I'm thinking now helping me or harming me? We can use this as a cue to come back to the breath...
back to the present moment.
To me, allowing 'what is' is how we gain insight and wisdom into who we are.
We all have light and shadow within and in order to move towards wholeness and well-being we must value and learn from both.
Please feel free to contact me if you are interested in learning more about mindfulness meditation!
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