What Do You Think About When You Think About Nothing?

She says:

“Erase all thoughts from your mind.”

“Melt into the floor and think of nothing.”

I don’t know about you but I find it extremely hard to think about nothing.

The lights are out now. I guess that’s supposed to help.

I’m laying on the yoga mat (didn’t do Yoga but “all-in conditioning”). Body is tired and yes there is a bit of “melting” going on if sweat pooling beneath a torso counts.

Think of nothing.

I’m not good at this. All I manage to do is think about how to think about nothing.

What are the other seven people thinking about in their “nothingness”?

How does anyone think of nothing?

I try not to think about the errands I’ll be running when class is over, about what I’ll be photoshopping when I get home, about how to improve the playground that I’ve set up for my grandkids in my backyard.

Sigh.

I stare at the back of my closed eyelids.

Better. It’s dark there.

I’m thinking about how dark it is. But there is nothing to touch, nothing to see.

I’m a little bored.

And then I see it.

A wee wisp of floating light.

A silk scarf in space illuminated by a moon that sits somewhere out of my line of sight.

Or is it a star sliding sideways in slow motion leaving a jet stream of light?

Nah, it’s an angel thread,

an angel fiber,

angel cilia,

angel strand.

I’m still thinking. I’m thinking of the perfect word to describe that thing floating in my blackened vision.

“Start moving your fingers, your toes. Open your eyes,” she says.

What? It’s time to get up?

I’m not finished thinking of nothing.

Angel Wisp- CDW ©

Releasing Your Breath

Whenever you are stressed or can’t sleep, they say to concentrate on your breath.

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Laying under the covers, I closed my eyes and inhaled, exhaled, inhaled, exhaled. My mind wondered. “Concentrate,” I scolded myself.

In, out.

In, out.

In my mind’s eye, I saw my breath as I exhaled. It drifted to the mantle of my fireplace and peered down at me. I pretended to sleep.

It flitted around the mantle examining my wooden Pinocchio puppet, peered at pictures inside their frames and at my grandparent’s non-functional antique clock.

From there it floated to my bookshelves and I stirred when it became agitated. No doubt, it saw one of Stephen King’s books. That’s when it made its escape.

It seeped under my bedroom door and took a quick left to the piano but couldn’t muster up enough strength to press a key.

In the family room, it found my antique rocking chair where it settled into a back and forth, back and forth rhythm.

A back and forth, back and forth rhythm.

I’m not sure what other adventures it had. Nor do I know when it returned to me during the night.

I was asleep.

 

Great breathing techniques here.

 

 

Turning Your Brain into an Athlete

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Unless we train that heady organ of ours, it remains on autopilot and could lead us down a destructive course. The subconscious parts of our brain automatically guides our behavior. Sometimes, we can’t let go of negative thinking or past negative experiences.

So, if that happens, it’s time to make obstinate brain pull over, make it sit in the passenger seat and force it to listen.

(Brains are stubborn and stuck in their ways so try to be patient as you pull out the new script you have written. Read it aloud.)

You: Brain, here’s what’s about to happen and I need you to go along with me. After all, you can’t get along without me just as I can’t get along without you. So, every time you try to cover me in self-doubt, I’m not going to listen. Instead, I’m going to concentrate on all the things right with me. I’m going to force us to think positively and compassionately.”

Brain (frowning): You want to break my patterns? I like my patterns and I’ve done nothing wrong.

You: I didn’t say any of this is your fault. I’m just telling you how we are going to proceed from here on. Here. Lift these barbells. We are going to make new patterns. And to make these new patterns, sometimes we are going to be very still and very quiet. You listening?

Brain (huffing): No comment.

You: I’m going to show you a picture. Tell me what you see.

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Brain (forming a smile): Different on the outside, same on the in? We talking about compassion now?

You: At’a girl. (boy)

Brain (nodding slowly so no jarring occurs): Can we start training now?

 

 

photo credit

photo 2 credit

related article on meditation and the brain here:

Daily Word Prompt: Athletic

Redefining Disease

This man, Chris Hageseth, my writing and editing buddy, has Parkinson’s Disease. Instead of giving in to it, he redefines it. Chris is “The Director of the Parkinson’s Disease Support Group, a retired psychiatrist, author and an outspoken activist on sweating out Parkinson’s disease through exercise.”

Please read THIS outstanding article! Go Chris!! You are an inspiration!

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