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How to Rest -- Mindfulness (Part 5 of 5)

Updated: Dec 19, 2023

Life coaches, therapists, healers, and contemporary yogis often recommend positive thinking as a way to improve life. Although the concept seems easy, consistent positive thinking is difficult to achieve. A few thousand years ago, in an era of parchment paper and message delivery by pigeon, it was much easier to come by. But today, in an age of technology, marketing, and a 24-hour news cycle -- thinking positive is all but impossible. There is a corporate agenda to "shock" viewers to keep interest. And what is "provocative" is often not positive.


Thus, the modern challenge for many of us is to learn how to “undue” bad programming. We get bombarded with so much negativity and are desensitized to its effect on our mind-body. We have a steady diet of violence from sports, video games and entertainment. Experts suggest to “tune out" and "turn off” in order to "tune-in" to our inner being. The question is how do we do it?


Mindfulness techniques help us “pay attention on purpose.” This helps cultivate awareness. Awareness helps us sort out our thoughts. With awareness we see that the origin of our thoughts is unknown. Thoughts don't "belong to us" we choose them. Once we slow down enough to witness thoughts and emotions as they happen, we are able to "design" our thinking. With consistent practice, we begin to see ourselves as the "seer" or soul. We recognize that we are an observer to a multitude of thoughts, choices and, actions. The thought selections, in turn, produce our lives. So, positive thinking is less about being "positive." Rather it is more about "right" thinking. Right thinking is subjective to what is positive aka "right" for us.


Identifying ourselves as an "Objective Observer", we are able to select thoughts. Life is then fluid in nature. 'Easy come easy go.' Ease in life cultivates true rest in moments of downtime. Positive scenarios in real life, begin with positive thinking, and positive imagining. This is not to say we sit in moments of fantasy and day-dreaming. But we evolve by managing our thinking. Think for self and self-development. Make each thought a positive one. Select positive thoughts and discard the rest. And when a bad thought comes into mind, ask yourself, “Says who?”


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