Wise Mind Meditation

Wise Mind Meditation

"Connecting to Your Inner Calm and Clarity"

Find somewhere comfortable where your body can feel supported. Whether it be sitting in a chair, lying on a bed, or just lying on the floor somewhere, you won't be disturbed. It's important that you don't drive, cook, or use any machinery while listening to this meditation. Turn off or disconnect phones and tell your family members or others that you live with that you're going to take time to relax and ask them not to disturb you. Once you're in your quiet place and have set this time aside, make yourself comfortable ensuring arms and legs are uncrossed and supported. Preferably sitting erect in your chair with your head comfortably supported on your shoulders. You might choose to close your eyes, or simply look slightly downwards and allow your eyes to become unfocused.

Noticing Your Breathing

Now just notice your breathing. Take several normal slow breaths and notice what that feels like. As thoughts and sounds and to your awareness, you can just notice them and let them pass without responding to them. Just let them come and let them go. That's okay.

Mind Functions: Emotion Mind vs Rational Mind

We can think of our mind as being in two parts: emotion mind and reasonable or rational mind, and where those parts overlap is wise mind, that wise inner part of you that can make sense of it all, that knows your conscience, your intuition, that part of you that knows you so well, that knows how things really are.

Rational Mind: Constantly Active

Rational mind is always switched on. Creating thoughts. Constantly trying to work things out, analyzing, making sense of our world, our experiences. But we can just notice them because that's what rational thinking mind does. That's okay. We can notice thoughts. Take a breath and carry on. It will pass.

Emotion Mind: Driven by Emotions

Emotion mind creates thoughts driven by the intensity of our emotions and body sensations create thoughts that suggest the worst, the most unhelpful. The unimaginable then becomes the imagined. Emotion mind responds to feelings and body sensations. Maybe that body alarm system when we feel scared and under threat, the adrenaline response, a normal response to danger that helps us fight or escape. But often that survival response is not needed. It's okay to let thoughts and feelings go.

Emotion Mind Opinions

Emotion mind forms opinions based on emotion and heart. If you can argue about something, it's an opinion. It's come from emotion mind. Rational mind deals with facts, head rather than heart. Wise mind is that part that overlaps both.

Constant Scanning of the Mind

Our minds are constantly scanning, trying to make sense of our daily lives. It's what the human mind does. It creates thoughts, random mental events, passing streams of words and pictures. It's okay. That's what the human mind does.

Allowing Thoughts and Sensations to Pass

At any time now that you notice other thoughts, sounds or sensations coming into your awareness, that's okay. We can just notice and allow them to go. We can choose not to believe those thoughts because they're just thoughts and may well not be true thoughts or thoughts. And that's okay. It's what the human mind does. We can notice thoughts, pause, take a breath and carry on. It will pass. Thoughts come and thoughts go.

Focusing on the Present Moment

Our mind focuses on ourselves, on what we're thinking, on what we're feeling. Just thoughts. They will pass. Thinking rational mind. Always working hard. Trying to do its best. But our mind is not always our friend. We can notice thoughts, pause, take a breath and carry on. Thoughts and feelings come and go. They pass.

Creating a Safe and Peaceful Place

Now I would like you to bring to mind now a place that you have positive feelings about. Somewhere outside. It might be an actual place that you have visited, or maybe somewhere that you've seen a picture of, or just a place that you can imagine. This place helps you feel comfortable, peaceful, relaxed, and secure. Just spend some time now developing that image in your mind's eye. Look around you in this special place and notice what you see. Colours. Shapes. Outlines. Light. Shadow. Movement. Build the image in your mind's eye. Noticing more and more detail as you look around.

Engaging the Senses in Your Safe Place

What else do you see? What else do you notice in your special place? And now just focus on the sounds in this peaceful place. What do you hear? Perhaps sounds near. And those carried from farther away. Sounds that are soft and quiet and those that are louder and clearer. Whatever you are doing in this special place, bring your attention now to the textures of this place. Of what you can see. The textures around you. And of whatever is supporting you, beneath you. Imagine reaching out and touching those things around you and notice what they feel like.

Noticing the Environment

Perhaps notice the temperature of this place. The temperature in your skin and in the air around you. The air as you breathe in this special place. Perhaps noticing any movement of air on your skin. What pleasant sensations do you notice in your body? And where in your body do you notice them?

Focus on Peaceful Feelings

And as you look around in this place, notice what you see. Notice what you hear. And perhaps notice what you can smell in this place. And as you focus on that scene in your mind's eye right now, just notice the positive, pleasing feelings that you're experiencing right now.

Inner Quietness and Calm

Whilst you're there in your special place, start to become aware of the quietness within. The quietness within your mind and body. Other thoughts and sensations will come and go and that's okay. Just bring your attention back to that sense of inner quietness and calm. Notice where in your body you notice it. That feeling, that sense of peace. Just you, your inner self within you. Always within you.

Wise Mind: Your Inner Advisor

Wise mind, that wise inner part of you that is always there, often drowned out by mind chatter and sensations, but always there. Quiet. Calm. Peaceful. Wise. Knowing. Intuitive. Understanding. Accepting. Trustworthy. Reliable. Strong. Honest. Truth. Your wise inner advisor. Always there within you. Take a few moments now to just be with wise mind. Listen and hear what wise mind is saying to you about a difficulty, a concern, about anything. You don't have to ask a question. You don't have to do anything other than just be. Listen.

Listening to Your Inner Wisdom

While peaceful in the presence of wise mind, any time that thoughts, sensations, or sounds come into your awareness, just notice them and bring your attention back to your breath. To wise mind. Always there. Wise mind. Always there. Often in the background. Often drowned out by thoughts coming swooping in. We believe those thoughts. We react to them. We get upset, anxious. And that affects what we do.

Mind's Tendency to Wander

Wise mind though, is still there, always there, waiting for us to listen, to hear, to know. Always here now within us. Our minds are often elsewhere. Our minds delve into the past so that we remember things that upset us. Or we might think about things we should have done or shouldn't have done at that time. Our minds fly off into the future as we worry about some future event, thinking that bad things will happen and that we won't be able to cope with them. Often, always in our heads. That's just what the human mind does.

Returning to the Present Moment

We can learn to notice where our minds are, and simply bring our attention back to the task in hand, or onto your breathing. We can notice. Pause. Breathe. Listen to wise mind. And carry on. It will pass. Notice when your mind wanders off into the past, into the future, into present day concerns. That inner focus focusing on our own thoughts and feelings. You can just notice that your mind has drifted. Then simply bring your attention. Bring your mind back to where you need it to be.

Wise Mind: Always Available

Wise mind always there? Here? Always knowing thoughts will come and that's okay. They will pass. Pause. Take a breath and listen to wise mind. Notice those other unhelpful and inaccurate thoughts. And listen to wise mind. Any time you're disturbed by unhelpful thoughts, distracted by sensations, just know that they are just that. And they will pass. Wise mind always? They're always here.

Practicing with Wise Mind

This knowledge and awareness of wise mind will help you. Anytime that you need that help. Just pause, take a breath, and listen to wise mind. Make it a regular part of your routine. Spend time 2 or 3 times a day just to be quiet for a few moments. To be in the presence of wise mind.

Returning to the Present

And whenever you are ready, you can bring your attention back to the room. Notice the chair or bed supporting you. Notice and become more aware of your surroundings where you are right now. Open your eyes and slowly look around the room, seeing what you see, hearing what you hear and notice what you notice. Becoming more and more alert, but keeping some of those feelings of this wise mind meditation while your body responds, feeling more energized and refreshed and calm.