Practising vigilance of thoughts every moment…

Over the past weeks, I have been watching my thoughts and thinking process very closely – keeping the awareness as best I could. Each time a negative ego thought surfaced I “watched” it and how it sometimes very quickly worked to create negative emotions and feelings. I learned that it is necessary to immediately catch it and “confront” the negative ego, challenging it with Christed thoughts -in all firmness. Every time I did this, I was reminded of how Master Jesus challenged the negative ego during his 40 days of fasting in the desert – he certainly did it with great firmness and personal power!

It is interesting to note that the moment I chose to “drop” the negative thought, and think no more of it, the moment I refused to further feed it energetically with my mind, it disappeared very quickly and I felt “light” and free in mind. Everything within and around me was at peace!

There were also moments when my awareness of negative emotions actually alerted and signalled to me that my thoughts in mind were out of “track” so to speak. This experience and self-observation reminded me how subtly and quickly the negative ego works – it sneaks in trying to avoid being caught during moments when I was not paying close attention to it. More often than not, the negative thoughts are from the negative programmings stored in the subconscious mind.

So, I have learned that in additon to understanding and knowing how the subconscious mind functions, one needs to take stock of all the negativities stored in there. This way, one can work towards releasing and clearing each negative thought programming, re-program and replace it with a positive Christed thought. Constantly and continuously doing this will eventually create and program one’s mind with beautiful Christed thoughts and habitual Christed thinking – this is keeping one’s mind in the Light!

“By choosing your thoughts, and by selecting which emotional currents you will release and which you will enforce, you determine the quality of your Light.” 

- Gary Zukav -

Watch and listen to this story….

Jill Bolte Taylor: My stroke of insight 

“Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor had an opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: One morning, she realized she was having a massive stroke. As it happened — as she felt her brain functions slip away one by one, speech, movement, understanding — she studied and remembered every moment.. This is a powerful story of recovery and awareness — of how our brains define us and connect us to the world and to one another.”  

(Recorded February 2008 in Monterey, California. Duration: 18:44.)

Enjoy!

Your mind as a garden…

 

“Always think of your mind as a garden, and keep it beautiful and fragrant with Divine thoughts;

let it not become a mud pond, rank with malodorous hateful moods.

If you cultivate the heavenly scented blooms of peace and love,  

the bee of Christ Consciousness will steal into your garden.

As the bee seeks out only those flowers that are sweet with honey,

so God comes only when your life is sweet with honeyed thoughts.” 

— Paramahansa Yogananda –

Service and being on Fire for God!

“Don’t go to work. Go to service.” Dr Joshua David Stone 

The time came around again to listen to this annual customer satisfaction survey results findings presentation – and I found myself preparing for this at work for the organization. This was about 2 weeks back when as usual I sat and listened to the presentation. 

The one thing that impressed me about the speaker was that he appeared as enthusiastic as ever each year he presented. I observed the drive and motivation that showed in the way he presented. Each year, towards the end of the presentation, he would provide words of encouragement. This time he said that it is always possible to find some way to change the perception of customers for the better by going the extra mile and doing simple little things. It goes a long way…and he emphasized that one can succeed in making a difference if one does it with true sincerity, from the heart. He highlighted that one needs to have the passion to serve and serve with a genuine smile from the heart! 

Those were the words that caught my attention and immediately I reflected back on self. The thought on serving from the heart and with passion reminded me of being on fire for God! If that fire has died, I think one can set it aflame again by changing one’s thinking and attitude. It is a matter of correcting one’s thinking and setting it right again and reclaiming one’s personal power.It is necessary to rekindle the fire of desire to serve to one’s best ability in the way one is called to serve. It is not about doing great and important deeds but simple little things that is done with true sincerity because one will find true pleasure – “true pleasure is serving God” and being on fire for God! 

“Work of any kind, if done in the right spirit, give you victory over yourself…The attitude with which you work is what counts. Inwardly, I am all the time with God.” – Paramhansa Yogananda

Healthy mind..healthy body…

A month ago, I attended a half-day mind/body meditation workshop which was meant to teach people how to relieve stress and achieve a state of calm and relaxation both mentally and physically. It was facilitated by a psychologist /psychotherapist and counsellor who practices mind-body medicine. I was curious to find out what this mind/body medicine method of stress reduction or management approach was about and how it could help achieve its purpose.

Prior to attending the workshop, I found some bit of information on this – it was an approach to healing that uses the power of thoughts and emotions to positively influence physical health. Part of the process involves relaxation techniques such as Autogenic training (which uses visual imagery and body awareness to move into a deep state of relaxation), Progressive muscle relaxation and Meditation (the popular forms used are mindfulness meditation and transcendental meditation). Other mind/body medicine techniques include biofeedback, hypnosis, cognitive behavioural therapy and spirituality. There is also mention that numerous clinics and hospitals in the U. S. have integrated relaxation techniques into their healthcare programs. 

During the workshop, the main topic of focus was on breathing, how to breathe properly to help one relax physically as well as mentally – the introduction of the practice of mindfulness meditation. We were taught and guided on the practice of several breathing techniques that culminated in the final technique of raising one’s energy level. All through the process I was aware that my degree of concentration, focus and attention on the practice exercise was increasing and when it came to the final stage, it was a really wonderful experience – mind clarity, and a sense of lightness and calm. Breathing came to a still and the “inner smile” radiates from within. There was no way during those moments that I could feel stressed, tensed or depressed because the mind was in a state of calm and stillness – fear-based and negative ego thoughts were pushed out and kept away.

Reflecting on the experience, the reminder for me is that one can train self through daily practice of keeping one’s mind free from negative and fear-based thinking even if it means for just some moments. Over time, regardless of how long it may take, with determination, perseverance and patience, one will gradually be able to master one’s thoughts by consciously choosing to think positively and keeping one’s mind in the light – one way to help self master one’s thoughts and mind properly and what’s more, it helps reduce stress, tension and anxiety and will have positive effects on one’s physical body as well. 

“The negative ego in your own subconscious mind is like a thoughtform virus or thoughtform bacteria. If you let the negative thoughtforms into your mind you will be mentally and emotionally sick and hence have a weakened psychological immune system. If this continues to happen over time, this is the initial cause for actual physical viruses and bacteria to form as well.” – Dr Joshua David Stone.