Three Techniques for Quieting Your Mind

Posted on July 2, 2008
Filed Under Meditation and Awakening Consciousness, Spiritual Development |

A mere week ago, I was telling a client that I thought it was impossible to completely stop ourselves from thinking. I subsequently received some guidance that actually had me prove myself completely wrong! In the past week, my mind has quieted down remarkably during meditation, to the point of true quiet and emptiness. Naturally, I then get really excited about my states of emptiness, leading to attachment … and new thoughts! Nevertheless, I have never before experienced true cessation of thought for prolonged periods of time.

Here are three of my newly discovered techniques for creating a quiet, peaceful, empty mind:

1. Observe the space between your breaths

This technique came up in one of my coaching sessions. We tend to breathe unconsciously. If we pay close attention to our breath, however, we will find that there is a slight pause when our inhalation turns into an exhalation, and again as our exhalation turns into inhalation. These little pauses are the turning points in our breathing cycle. Our breath has been flowing into our body as we inhale, and is now reversing its flow back out of our body as we exhale. The flow reverses again as we inhale once more, and so forth.

Our breathing cycle and the flow of our thoughts are closely linked. Have you ever been so completely concentrated on something that you found yourself holding your breath? It happens when we are particularly intent on the present moment. Our entire mind becomes focused on one thing, and our breath ceases.

As we focus on those tiny pauses between our in- and out-breaths, we find that our mind quiets down at those points in our breathing. These turning points in our breath cycle will lengthen slightly as we pay closer attention, allowing for a greater pause in our thoughts.

Without holding or interrupting your breath, begin extending those brief silences in your thoughts. Focus on the emptiness in your mind as your thoughts are briefly interrupted when your breath reverses itself. Try not to suppress your thoughts forcefully. Instead, focus on the space in between thoughts and breaths. By practicing this technique, you can learn to quiet the constantly running narrative of thought most of us experience in our minds.

2. Visualize letting go of your thoughts

Imagine that you are holding a bunch of balloons in your hand. As your thoughts arise, imagine placing each of them into one of the balloons. Now focus on your hand holding the strings of the balloons. Imagine letting those balloons go. Off they go, into the sky!

Instead of looking after them or watching them float away, focus on the empty space that is now in your hand. The thoughts have drifted away, leaving only emptiness behind. As you repeat this visualization with your newly arising thoughts (which may well be: “hey, my mind was really quiet just now!”), you will find that you can maintain the emptiness of your mind for longer and longer periods of time.

3. Turn up the volume

Has your mind ever insisted on a particular stream of thought on and on, keeping you from sleep? I personally often find myself blogging in my head right as I’m going to bed. Often, we push unwanted thoughts into the back of our minds. We try to think about something else. We distract ourselves by watching television or reading a book, but the thoughts are still there and are often creating tremendous amounts of stress.

If unwanted thoughts keep turning up in your mind, take a different approach! Your mind obviously needs to express itself. So go ahead – give it permission. Take two or three minutes and focus completely on whatever thoughts are on your mind. Imagine turning up the volume on those thoughts. Give them your full attention.

Focus your mind on any one thing, and it swiftly gets bored and moves on. By focusing your mind on a particular stream of thought for a brief time, you will find that it moves on rather quickly. This technique is far more effective than trying to distract ourselves or our minds from bothersome thoughts!

Give these techniques a try, and let me know what you think in the comments section!

Blessings,
Andrea

Comments

13 Responses to “Three Techniques for Quieting Your Mind”

Evelyn Lim on July 2nd, 2008 7:58 pm

Oh yes…it is very possible to experience gaps, the space between thoughts. I’ve published an article, describing my own personal experience with it. You may want to read it here

http://www.attractionmindmap.com/experiencing-the-gap/

I like the tip on #2 very much and may just use it when I next counter difficulty in quietening my mind.

Thanks!
Evelyn
Andrea Hess on July 2nd, 2008 9:03 pm

Thanks for the link, Evelyn! I had definitely experienced the “gap” between thoughts many times … I just never had the experience of actually staying there for minutes at a time. I’ve had some pretty amazing experiences in meditation this week … trying to stay detached, though! Isn’t it funny how once we have had a fantastic little “breakthough” we try to replicate it, thus often actually moving it further out of reach? Ah, ego! It always seems to jump in the mix!

Blessings,
Andrea
Evelyn Lim on July 3rd, 2008 1:35 am

LOL…you are quite right! I’ve experienced it myself.

The state of bliss from being in the meditative gap is beyond words. But once I start to crave to experience the same state in subsequent sittings, it becomes elusive. In Buddhism, it is taught that craving leads to suffering. And this is the key lesson here for me. Much joy is derived Being in total silence; but never crave (because I begin to introduce a thought of anxiety) - Just Be in the Now!

All the best in your meditation!
Evelyn
Tom Volkar / Deightful Work on July 3rd, 2008 4:29 am

After reading Evelyn’s post a few weeks ago I have been more conscious of the gap between thoughts. I have found a wonderful place where I can stay within the gap longer. Deep underwater in the pool at my health club I’m able to float and just be. It’s there that I can stay with the emptiness longer. I’ll add visualizing letting go of my thoughts for greater emptiness.
David on July 3rd, 2008 1:21 pm

It was the inane, constant chatter that almost sent me sceaming from the Dhamma hall during my 10 day Vipashanna meditation retreat. I still practice vipashanna meditation and the chatter is slowly lessening. I have not managed yet to keep my mind still for the whole hour. Eckhart Tolle’s Power Of Now has been helpful in teaching me to be the equanimous observer of the chatter when it comes; being the space for the chatter to exist in. It teaches detachment and the noise soon quiets.
However the ego, that clever creature, has learned a new trick. Videos. As the thinking has quieted pictures and movies have emerged and sometimes they have musical soundtracks. I can do nothing but smile at the clever strategy.
I can’t wait to try these techniques on the videos and remaining thoughts.
Adrianne on July 3rd, 2008 2:37 pm

Recently, also since reading the Power of Now I have been trying something similar to technique #2 above, not while meditating but when I think of it during my daily life. I have been focusing on the empty space between objects in the environment. I think this is especially helpful to me because it reminds me of the state I can get into when doing art, especially when making an accurate drawing of something in the physical world. An equal amount of focus on the “negative space” around an object one is drawing as on the object being depicted is crucial to making a realistic drawing. Since the mind is completely object oriented and cannot put a label or really “understand” the empty space or negative space around objects, focusing on it automatically puts me into a “no mind” kind of state.
Shilpan | successsoul.com on July 4th, 2008 9:33 pm

Andrea ~

Don’t forget your biggest foe — the one that follows you everywhere yet remains invisible. It’s worst than your shadow — It’s your mind chatter. Often, mind chatter is more negative than positive. That’s why it’s dangerous.

Shilpan
Andrea Hess on July 5th, 2008 8:52 am

Tom - Underwater meditation - I love it! I would imagine the stillness of the body and the floating would contribute to a sense of emptiness.

David - The mind is inventive in its efforts to constantly entertain itself, isn’t it? Mine doesn’t really do video, thank goodness! You must have a very visual imagination, that your mind can play movies for you. Let us know how it goes with these techniques.

Adrianne - What a wonderful technique, to focus on the space between things. I’m going to have to try that out, to witness the emptiness that surrounds us vs. the “stuff” around us. It’s a lovely mindfulness to practice during ordinary life.

Shilpan - Yes, that incessant narrative! Although with these techniques and regular meditation practice, we can actually move beyond that chatter. At least, it worked for me - finally. I’m not sure we can regard any aspect of mind as a “foe,” though. If we start doing battle with our minds, we begin fighting ourselves, which tends to strengthen the egoic mind. All that chatter is, after all, just us. What do you think?

Blessings,
Andrea
ReddyK - The Atma Jyoti Blog on July 5th, 2008 3:50 pm

Andrea,

I want to thank you for a useful tip on meditation which I had not considered of importance before: observing the space between breaths. Observing the breath in general is a technique which is common to many spiritual traditions – Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Taoism, and others.

But through your suggestion, and with a bit of observation and experimentation, I have found that the juncture between incoming and outgoing, and outgoing and incoming breaths, is a point where distraction has a prime opportunity of sticking in its ugly head. By paying special attention to these points, whether the spiritual technique is repeating a mantra, or simple observation of the breath, the meditator can ward off the tendency of the mind to wander at these sensitive junctures, and thus succeed in keeping the mind focused for more prolonged periods. Again, attentiveness is required as always in meditation, and applied at these points, it can be especially helpful.

Thanks for this tip, and for your helpful articles in general.
Pat R on July 6th, 2008 9:07 pm

I have experienced during meditation what you’re saying in that I’ve had times, although brief, when the thoughts have stopped and along with it the incessant stream of chatter.

I have used the breath like you describe in #1 and can sometimes relate it to ocean waves flowing in and out on shore. Focusing on the breath helps bring me in the present moment.

I like your suggestions on #2 and #3 with letting go by putting your thoughts in baloons and imagining letting them go and turning your focus to your empty hand and in #3 turning up the volume on the thoughts that are demanding our attention. I’ll have to try these out.

Thanks for your words of wisdom.

Blessings,
Bev on August 13th, 2008 4:07 pm

After reading and studying many spiritual awarness books I am reading as of lately old information introduced to us in new complexed material. The book Ramatha (published over 10 yrs ago) tells of the gaps between breaths. Ramatha also explains knowing instead of beliefs, truth, living in the now, the altered ego etc with extreme simplicity unlike Eckart and other authors who try to portray spiritual awarness and divine truth in challenging dialogue. I find old teachings and simple answers constantly being re-introduced in written dialogue as new insights with the reader struggling to understand (as I have heard people expound upon). Whether it’s channeled information or a PHD……..let’s keep it real! I do understand this has been going on since the beginning of time but sometimes we need to share the simplicity of it all. Andrea, No disrepect to you on the idea. I have just been hearing this a lot lately from different teachings and I read it over 10 years ago. Anyone interested in how easy it is to stay focused and know, please read Ramatha, it will change your life! Bev
David on August 13th, 2008 5:02 pm

Bev,

I think different people respond to different authors in different ways. For example where you say you find Eckhart Tolle’s writting style “challenging”, I find it straight forward and easy to understand. Eckhart Tolle’s “The Power Of Now” and “A New Earth” have totally changed my life. Also, I have had many “Aha!” moments reading Andreas’ and other’s blogs. The lessons were probably things I’ve read or heard before but this time I got it.
I, for one, am grateful that Andrea and various other teachers are re-teaching the lessons of the enlightened masters of the past for those of us who need to hear it taught a different way. If the re-telling reaches just one soul who would not have otherwise heard the message, it is worth it.
Bev on August 16th, 2008 9:06 pm

Hi David,

Good Point. I absolutely agree with your assessment of my comment written in haste after a day of frustrating research. Thanks for the self-check. I love Andrea and all she has to say and offer.