Can't stop thinking... think again!
So you have tried meditation, you have tried to still your mind and yet those thoughts just keep on coming.....
So many people try to meditate and then give up when they struggle with their busy minds. Your mind has spent years just doing what it wants, thinking, problem solving, worrying, calculating and just doing whatever it pleases.
You really can take control back of your mind. The mind is an amazing tool, but thats it.. a tool and like all tools it needs to be put back in its box once in while.
To silence the mind is not as difficult as it may first seem.
Most people I meet have tried meditation and think they cannot do it because they cannot stop thinking. Well guess what..it's ok to think, yes really, it is ok to think when meditating. When a thought comes into your mind, observe it and then let it drift past like a cloud and return to your breathing. Try not to get wrapped up in the thought, just let it go. Keep doing this again and again and I promise you eventually you will get it!
Also, there really is no need to sit cross legged in silence with your hands on your knees chanting Om (although this is what you will probably be doing in 3 months!). Remember your mind needs to re-train itself, it is not used to all this not thinking stuff. It wants to think, it is used to thinking, so you must re-train your brain.
Silence is not necessary and can make it daunting for meditation newbies. Gentle background music is a great way to start meditating (I will put a link at the bottom of this post to my YouTube music list).
Also be comfortable and go with the flow.. if you feel like moving, it's ok, if you have an urge to make a sound, that's ok too. Really to start with it is about you getting used to just sitting and doing nothing and observing your thoughts and feelings. Try to observe, not participate.
Another thing that helps with meditation is a ritual. It can be something simple like lighting a candle or placing a cushion on the floor, but make sure you do the same things every time. This helps the mind to start to learn that it is quiet time and eventually just the lighting of the candle or whatever your ritual happens to be will be enough to start your mind to be quiet.
Most of all be patient, do not give up. I promise you we all started at the beginning and I remember the moment I felt my mind go quiet and since that day I have meditated and enjoyed it. You will enjoy meditation. Like anything, it takes practice. I have a few more tips on my Meditation Tips page. http://blisski.blogspot.co.uk/p/meditation-tips.html
So next time you think you can't stop thinking... think again and go meditate :)
https://www.youtube.com/user/KiBliss
