Monday, November 29, 2010

Empty Your Mind

Life is often demanding and the brain quickly fills with cluttered thoughts and stressful reasoning. Emptying the mind of unwanted thoughts and taking the time to relax is important for general health. A few minutes a day to empty the mind can make all the difference in productivity levels. Focusing on a single object or thought can make all other thoughts disappear. Below are a few tips on empty your mind.


Instructions


1. Find a quiet place to sit or stand. It is easier to clear the mind in an uncluttered quiet or almost silent environment. Sitting is best although standing is not out of the question.








2. Get as comfortable as you can by removing your shoes or overcoat and closing your eyes. If you are at home, it is a good idea to change into loose comfortable clothing.


3. Think of a single image or thought that you find soothing. It could be as simple as a tree, a flower, the sun or a word like "peace," "calm" or "still." Images work better for some people, words for others, so expect a certain amount of experimentation.


4. Concentrate on the image or thought as you slow the breathing down and relax the body, especially the neck and shoulders. Trying to count inhalations and exhalations can become distracting so find a natural breathing rhythm that works for you.


5. Prevent any other thought or image from entering the mind. Whether you need to visualize blowing other thoughts to the side or simply focus on the original image to the exclusion of all others is again, a matter of personal preference.








6. Continue to focus for at least eight minutes. Refreshing the mind takes different people different amounts of time. 20 minutes seems to be ideal for this exercise.


7. Open your eyes, take a deep breath, let it all out and continue with your day.

Tags: image thought, other thoughts, your eyes