Harnessing the Power of the Mind

Linda Heron Wind, Ph.D.

As the energy continues to accelerate, the most common difficulty I find in myself as well as in those I work with is that the mind also accelerates. In the face of swirling change in the physical world, the mind wants to run from one thing to another attempting to control things, or to obsess about what is not working. Certainly these are issues that the mind has had for a long time due to its nature and education, but its capacity for interfering with our happiness has greatly increased over the last year. While we have all been engaged in various practices over the last few years that are designed to quiet the mind and free it from its obsessions, we appear to have come to the point of needing to make our moment-to-moment existence a practice that quiets the mind.

The place that we are quickly moving to is one where our guidance needs to come directly from the heart with support rather than interference from the mind. You can easily detect when your mind is interfering by the feelings of frustration, inner conflict, stress, and fear that arises. When the mind is supporting the heart there is a feeling of wellbeing, lightness, and flow. So the question is how to get your mind to play a supporting role rather than needing to be the main character in your play.

Part of the solution is to give your mind something to do that it actually can do well. Choose what you would like your mind to focus on rather than letting it aimlessly wander into stories and places that are neither within its control or its business. The mind may have bad habits that it automatically goes to when you do not consciously direct it such as looking for the worst case scenario or what is not working. The problem with such habits is that they are based on stories and not facts and they tend to create emotional response. Instead give your mind the task of identifying what is story and what is fact, a task it can do and enjoys doing. Releasing the stories and sticking to the facts, that are always neutral, does not send you on an emotional rollercoaster ride.

Giving your mind a task that it can do tends to help the mind feel in control and relaxed. You can ask it to look for all that is working which usually brings feelings of gratitude. You can ask it to notice the beauty that is surrounding you all the time. If it must be obsessive then give it something that enhances your heart centeredness to move within endless cycles such as chants, affirmations, inspirational sayings, songs, or prayers. While all of these are a type of directed business of the mind, they work to bring the mind into synchrony with the heart and ultimately to a more relaxed and peaceful state.

Since energy follows focus, another way to bring the mind closer to stillness is to focus on the roots that extend from your feet into the ground or even on the bottom of your feet. This draws energy away from thinking and into the body producing a sense of quiet or emptiness in the mind. Actually standing on the Earth in bare feet or leaning your back against a tree and feeling its roots going deep into the Earth will also be helpful. The more grounded you are, the quieter your mind will become.

As we move toward the winter and the coming new year, we must learn to move from this deep place within us where there is inner harmony and peace. Only then will we be able to respond to the changes in the world around us from a place of trust and love. When the heart and mind are in synchrony life can be awesome!

My powerful mind
Can work to support my heart
Or create conflict

Practicing presence
Holding focus here and now
The sacred moment

If you have comments on these articles or ideas for future topics, call Linda Heron Wind at (585) 924-5620 or send e-mail to LHWind@aol.com.

Page last modified November 14,, 2005 by RMC