How to Create Mental Stillness

To create a stillness, you have to understand what you are even trying to do. Our research shows that by defining meditation as “mental silence”, which is an evolution of the mindfulness concept, we can effectively answer the key scientific questions about meditation. In YogaFIT Warrior they teach how the “mind chatter” can cause disease in the body. AND IT'S TRUE!!!!

The “Stillness Project” states: Modern medical science understands that our psychological and physical states interact in ways that have a direct effect on both our overall health, as well as our performance. Mental Silence activates the integrative power of the autonomic nervous system and related areas of the brain to increase potentials for wellbeing and performance. When activated, these systems can have a profound balancing effect on the physical, mental and emotional dimensions of the students, reducing the effects of stress, enhancing both resilience and total wellbeing.

In other words, the mind over matter hype is really true. So knowing how important the mind affects the body, let’s still the mind to heal the body.

Here’s how:

First, you have to separate yourself from your thoughts. Kind of like an observer just hearing yourself talk constantly inside your head!!!! It seems to never end. We are humans, so we have to actively stop this incessant chatter. Distant your negative thoughts from yourself as if they weren’t even your own. Observe them and try to bring awareness back to your breath.

Below are the basics techniques you can try. You can always welcome to one of our yoga classes as we always start with setting our intention and ending with meditation.

General Instructions

• Find a quiet space or at least with minimum disturbances and if possible remove shoes, spectacles, and loosen any tight clothing

• Sit or lay comfortably

• Take a few deep breaths then breathe in an easy relaxed way

• Use mantras and mudras (affirmations and hand positions that you choose) to begin developing peace and mental silence - in other words, the space between the thoughts leading into complete stillness.

• If you find it difficult to quiet the mind, just focus on your breathing. Follow the in-breath and the out-breath. Notice those incessant thoughts keep trying to get their way back in but just bring your awareness to your breath and all your senses.

Focusing on your body, what are the senses telling you?

• Touch - Notice the pressure of your bottom on the chair or your body on the floor, the heaviness of these areas and the lightness of your lips and fingertips. Take some mouth breaths and feel the cold air mesh with the warmth of your natural body heat. Find the point where these two points meet and become one. Return to your nose breathe.

• Taste - Scan your mouth, the wetness of your tongue, maybe you can still taste your meal or taste the desire for your next. Let your tongue float in the very center of your mouth, relaxing your jaw and all your facial muscles.

• Hearing - Try to listen to the noises far away, maybe traffic or people talking outside. (I know we are in a quiet place preferably but you can never have complete silence- scan your sense and you will discover your super-powers) Travel through the layers of sound until you can hear the noises only inside the room you are in such as a clock ticking on a wall. Then try to bring your hearing even more inward listening to your own breathe and even possibly your heartbeat. Maybe try to make your inhale sound like your exhale as if you were an outside observer and you cannot tell the difference between an inhale and exhale.

• Smell - If you use essential oils it’s a bonus to stimulate your olfactory system (sense of smell) that directly relates to mental stimulation. My favorites are peppermint, orange, and lavender.

• Sight - With your eyes closed, go through all the range of motion. Move your eyes to all four points of a compass and then circle each direction. This also stimulates your brain because you have three cranial nerves responsible for your eye motion and sight. You can do this preferably with your eyes closed. Enjoy the light show that is unique to your eyelids and you!!!

Think of a copy machine scanning a paper- the red laser that goes right to left or left to right. Use your mind as the scanner and start at your feet and allow your attention to dissolve into the silent space that is just above your head, and just sit and be in the state of Mental Stillness.

Enjoy the inner peace and stillness (try it for 10 minutes a day) actually, take out the word try and just do it!!!

Here's an app I love and recommend:

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