Meditation + Mindfulness Tools

Do you find it hard to meditate and turn off your monkey mind?

You're not alone, happens to the best of us, helps to know that there truly is no such thing as the cessation of thoughts, only moving away from them. Instead of focusing on one particular thought, we can instead focus on a predominant feeling or sensation within the body and take the attention to that. However then then you find the mind may re-appear and start with a narrative of why that certain body part actually feels that way today, so you end up chasing again..

The mind is like an undisciplined child, it wanders off so you bring it back, wanders off again then you bring it back, eventually with practice and in time, it wanders off less frequently and there is some discipline and calm.

A more intelligent way to meditate is with the help of some tools, either a Mantra, which is a word you keep repeating to yourself to essentially keep your focus and turn inward. Or a Mandala, which has the same effect of turning attention inward, though with the help of a symbolic image with a Drishti (central focal point) to anchor the eyes to.

According to Jung; “A Mandala is a graphical representation of the centre (the Self). It can appear in dreams and visions or it can be spontaneously created as a work of art. It is present in the cultural and religious representations. In the yoga practices, mandala can be a support for meditation or an image that must be internalized through mental absorption. This image organizes the inner energies and forces of the practitioner and puts them in relationship with his ego-consciousness.”

I personally love using Sri Yantra Mandala (pictured above) the ancient Hindus used this incredible symbol not just to meditate but also as a powerful manifestation tool. Have been practicing meditating with the symbol and I must admit it does work, the manifestation aspect also. As long as heart and head are aligned ; ie the feeling and thoughts are the same, it's all just flow.

Try a mandala out yourself and let me know how you go!