Space Between the Notes

I consider the practice of self observation to be a fundamental starting point when establishing a healthier relationship to the mind. This process of receptive awareness, which can be found in many meditation practices, is a bit like like slowing down the speed dial on a record player. By slowing the speed, there comes a point where it is possible to clearly hear each note. Then if you slow a little more, it becomes possible to hear the space between the notes.

Imagine doing this with your mind. Slowing the mind, first to hear the individual thoughts as they arise. Then to hear the space between the thoughts.

Why is this practice helpful? Well it teaches us some important fundamentals about who we are and our relationship to our mind. Firstly, it shows us the kinds of grooves we get stuck in, the particular thoughts and situations which activate and aggravate us. It shows us our patterns. Secondly, as we become proficient, it helps us catch our patterns as we are moving into them. Once we catch them, we find we have CHOICE and this choice is like a golden gift. We can choose to remain under the influence of our fluctuating, rather erratic and sometimes neurotic mind, or we can operate from the spaciousness. Suddenly we move into a new relationship with our mind, which moves towards relating to it as a tool which is there to support us.

Health and the Mind

We have come to equate ‘good health’ with the health of the body. There is now well established advice about how to care for our bodies, through nutrition, exercise, and healthily environments. The over-arching message is focussed on removing toxicity, whilst promoting nourishment and balance.

It is less common to consider the nature of our inner environment, the way we use our minds, how we think, our beliefs and attitudes, and our response to emotional experiences. Research is now showing that nourishment and balance within the mental and emotional realms of our experiences is AS important for our health and well-being, and when out of balance this environment can become toxic and erosive on our health. It is important to eat well, exercise and nurture the physical body, but do you pay equal attention to nurturing your mind?

A little science

There are numerous and simultaneous process’s going on in the mind at any one moment, and we are only aware of a very small proportion of these. Each thought or emotion can be viewed as an energetic experience, activating chemical and vibrational patterns that send signals to our brain and other parts of the body. These signals creates a cascade of chain reactions which directly effect the cells.

Positive and negative emotions/thoughts affect our physiology differently. Where positive emotions/thoughts produce electrical charges that emit faster and higher frequency vibrations, negative emotions/thoughts produce lower frequency vibrations and are associated with heavier sensations, triggering stress chemicals such as cortisol in the body. This pathway linking mental/emotional experience to the physiological mechanism of stress in the body, is so important given that we know stress plays a huge role in the onset of ill health.

So every thought which passes through our mind, whether we are aware of it or not, holds an energetic marker, a vibration, which leaves an imprint in the body, and also is likely to have a powerful impact on behavior.

Healthy Mind Series

I have been circling around the issue of the mental/emotional wellness for 20 years, since my earliest days as a Clinical Psychologist, and I have been fortunate to explore it from the perspective of many different therapeutic techniques. However, my personal journey with meditation and mind-body practices has brought a sense of mental spaciousness, clarity and emotional ease that has supported me in every aspect of my life, in my work, relationships, in parenting and my self-care.

I truly value what I have learnt and it has taken me sometime to distill and make sense of my experiences. However, I am now so excited as I feel I am in a place to share with others. I have created a program called ‘Healthy Mind’, a 4 session online series which will support the cultivation of a healthier relationship with your mind through holistic and awareness practices.

If you are interested to join the next series please contact me.