Quieting your mind

Hello, fellow thinker!

This is my 20^th letter of the Sober Thinker. 🙌🏼

The more I write about my sobriety, the more I realize it’s not just about the drinks & smokes, it’s about life’s triggers that made me turn to alcohol for escape. These days, when the world gets loud and I need an escape, I find one in meditation.

I first learned about meditation during my teenage years, around the same time I took my first yoga class. The instructor was excellent, helping me slow down and focus on emptiness. Initially, I wasn't sure what to expect, so I simply followed her guidance. She led me through a body scan meditation, starting from the sensations in my toes, then gradually moving up through my feet, heels, calves, knees, thighs, and all the way up to my head. The aim was to relax each muscle as my mind focused on it. The process of identifying, relaxing, and then letting go of each body part was an incredible experience. By the time I completed the scan up to the crown of my head, I felt all the tension vanish. My focus settled on the area between my eyebrows, just above the nose, where I experienced a profound moment of stillness, balanced between consciousness and nothingness.

Over the years, as I delved deeper into yoga, mindfulness, and Stoic philosophy, I realized that meditation and achieving mental stillness have been recognized by humanity for centuries as the secret to inner peace.

• Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor, and Stoic philosopher: "Nowhere can man find a quieter or more untroubled retreat than in his own soul."

• Lao Tzu, ancient Chinese philosopher and writer: "To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders."

• Mahatma Gandhi, leader of the Indian independence movement: "I meditate so that my mind cannot complicate my life."

I'm someone who loves to share discoveries with others, so I often try to introduce meditation to friends, family, and colleagues. However, I've found that many people struggle with it. They either find it difficult to quiet their minds, overwhelmed by incessant thoughts, or they are too apprehensive to confront their own minds in silence. Others have yet to try, skeptical of its benefits or unsure of what to expect.

Just as your heart pumps blood without conscious effort, and your stomach digests food automatically, your brain, too, is an organ that performs its functions reflexively. We can choose to quiet the ongoing narrative and internal dialogue by becoming an observer. Imagine there's you, your voice, and then a second voice that observes, "Here I am, talking to myself." Beyond these, there's the mind's eye, watching both. It may seem like there are many layers, but if you go deep enough, you'll find there's only one observer.

I turn to meditation and mindfulness when my brain feels overloaded. The constant barrage of work, life, politics, and news can create overwhelming noise in our heads. When it gets too loud, I take a few minutes to center myself and halt the thoughts.

It typically begins with me sitting upright, hands resting on my crossed legs. I take deep breaths, filling my lungs to their capacity, holding it, and then exhaling fully. A few minutes in, as my mind inevitably starts to wander, a vigilant inner voice gently nudges, "There you go again, thinking about that thing again." I let those thoughts pass, and in doing so, open a window in my mind's eye.

Despite my eyes being closed, I can visualize a space opening up, like a tear in the fabric of reality, leading into a wormhole. Each thought that I acknowledge and release widens this portal. Eventually, after letting several thoughts pass, the void engulfs me, transporting me into a state of absolute nothingness. There, in the vast expanse of thoughtless space, everything turns brilliantly white, lifting me into a realm of weightlessness and formlessness, free from worry. In this void, I find complete stillness. Peace.

Maintaining that state of stillness is a testament to one's discipline and continuous practice. Often, I find that I can only hold onto this tranquility for a few fleeting moments. If it takes six minutes to reach this serene state, the duration of stillness itself might last mere seconds. The challenge lies not just in reaching this state of calm but in the ability to remain within it.

Yet, even if this moment of complete stillness is brief, its impact on my mood and mental well-being is significant. It feels akin to rebooting a computer; suddenly, everything operates more smoothly, and efficiency is restored with a renewed sense of clarity.

 Namaste.

Have you tried Meditation? How have you found meditation to help you?

Links to Stuff this week:

• Marcus Aurelius - Meditations: Ideal for a bedside table.

• The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment. This was the very first book I read on mindfulness and meditation.

Please share this letter with a friend if you think they will enjoy it too.

Keep thinking, my friends!

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