Derail your train of thought with yoga

Have you ever wondered about how much information you actually take in during a given day, and what happens to it?  I’m not talking just about the computer content you consume at work, but everything.   As you read this, you’re not just absorbing the words on the screen, but your brain is registering the computer, the water bottle next to your keyboard, the wall behind your desk, the lights, the subtle noises in the background, and so on.  And, yet, your mind doesn’t attach to these things.    What if you could allow the same passive acceptance of background stimulus as with the thoughts that bombard you?  You can.

Think about your ride into work today.  Do you know the number of trees, cars, people, or street signs that you drove passed?  Probably not, and yet you probably know every detail of the argument you had with your spouse, roommate, coworker [insert drama here.]  Somewhere in your past, you learned to let go of some pieces of information and cling to others.  And, if you somehow consciously learned to attach to thoughts, you can use your consciousness to release the grasp.
From a neuroscience perspective, we know that visually, we learn spatially.   That is, you can take in virtually an infinite amount of information at one time.  We have the ability to let the information pass through, or we can hone in one thing.  For example, you may have been blissfully singing along to a song in your car, not really noticing that you’re gliding through green lights because you consumed the information, accepted it and kept moving.   Then, you come to a red light.  Your brain focuses a bit more intently, but again, you accept it act accordingly and move on.

The same can be done with the thoughts that disrupt your happiness; disrupt your flow of energy.   Thoughts of all kinds can be disruptive, not just the overtly toxic ones.  Thinking about tasks that need to be done,  how you look, what people think, pending appointment, etc.  are all disruptive drains on your energetic battery.  See if you can notice these thought when they’re happening; these mental red lights.  Pause long enough to dedicate your attention to what action, if any, needs to take place, then accept it and step on the gas.  Move forward without taking the red light with you.

Another way to release your grasp of thought is through yoga and meditation.   Bringing your focus to a physical practice takes you out of your head if even for a moment.  Meditation allows those stifled, imprisoned thoughts to be released and dissolve.  However you decide to step off of your train of thought, it’s never too soon to let go.  Start now.

Next stop – peace.

Namaste.

– Your Charmed Yogi

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