OBSERVATION TO ORCHESTRATION
Last week I wrote to you about meditation as simply the focused, compassionate observation of your own mind and the thoughts you are thinking. No need for monkish style robes or sitting cross legged here to achieve that result ;) A cozy chair or yoga mat, some silence from distractions and even 5 minutes to observe your thoughts will do the trick!
Since our thoughts determine our actions, results and therefore our future, it is essential we observe them regularly and ensure they are serving the highest version of ourselves.
This week I want to invite you to consider that once observation has become comfortable to you, the next step is conscious orchestration. That is to say, once you are in the habit of observing your thoughts, you can start to sort them and determine which serve the pursuit of your best self and which are a result of the memorized emotions and programmed responses, which may or may not be serving you.
Once you've observed a thought, the simplest way to determine if it empowers or disempowers you is to ask yourself:
"Is this thought loving to me?
Does this thought produce a positive emotion in my body?"
If the answer is no, it is disempowering you. To empower yourself, take some time within your meditation to rework that thought until it produces a positive emotion in your body. Daily focus on this very act can radically transform your life. See a detailed example of how to do this in the mindfulness toolkit below.
EXAMPLE
Here is an example of how meditation can go from observation to orchestration, with the intent to produce a different line of thinking in the future. This happened to me this week:
Thought while meditating: 'I can't believe I left my bag up there this morning. I should have known it was going to fall and break my laptop. Ugh! How foolish of me!"
Observation: 'I just thought a thought that chastised me for an honest mistake and also insinuated that I am foolish'.
Question: 'Is this thought loving to me?
Answer: 'No'
Orchestration (Rework the thought, about the same circumstance, to produce a more loving and productive way of thinking in the future): "The laptop fell and broke. That is a fact. I was balancing a lot this morning. Ideally, I endeavour to take good care of my things, but in this instance, I'm more grateful that I gathered my thoughts and released resistance to the event in the moment. Instead of freaking out, I was able to model poise and self love toward myself and in front of my children. So, overall, I made the best of an unfortunate situation and I'm proud of myself for that. Next time, I'll leave the laptop bag on the ground ;)'
5 MINUTE MEDITATION
Find 5 minutes of silence each day this week to compassionately observe your mind. Close your eyes and get still. As your mind starts to run with thoughts, just watch them go by.
When a thought arises that is not loving to yourself, take the time to orchestrate a different thought.
Commit to memorizing and thinking this alternate thought when similar situations provoke it.
Doing this daily can radically transform
your life.
Wishing you a wonderful week ♥︎