I was struck this morning by something I heard the spiritual teacher Mooji say. “Use your mind. Don’t let your mind use you.” When my mind goes rattling down the tracks of certain stories and makes me feel crappy, I’m being used by it.
It reminded me of something another teacher called Sadhguru points out. If your arms were always bouncing and jangling and shaking, they wouldn’t be of much use. You couldn’t write or chop onions or scratch your head.
Our mind is like our arms. If it’s always buzzing, agitated, worried, or running off down ruts in the road, how can we use it effectively?
We naturally keep our arms still until we need them to do something for us. We can practice the same thing with our mind.
If you want to try it, you can start small. For just a few seconds, while doing anything during which your mind usually chatters away, try just being present with the activity. Just open the microwave door. Just walk down the path to your car. Just put on your shirt. Experience what’s happening.
The more I do this, the better the quality of the thoughts I do have.
Less is more.
to be big, become small.
to matter, be fine
if you don’t.
to be heard, whisper,
unless, goat-like,
you find yourself
bleating