The Daily Mind

Daily Steps To Mindful Living

Mental Health

Does Mindfulness Mean Controlling Your Thoughts?

Mindfulness meditation can seem intimidating and inaccessible. Sitting down for several minutes at a time can seem unappealing to most people, especially since it entails confronting your thoughts. But does mindfulness mean controlling your thoughts?

Contrary to popular belief, mindfulness means letting go of your thoughts and allowing your mind to simply run free. When we realize that it is the ego that traps us and that our true identity is our pure consciousness, we release ourselves from our fears, traumas, and negative thought patterns.

Here’s a little breakdown, for you to understand it better.

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Monday Meditation: A Meditation Script for Letting Go of the Past

Now that 2020 is over, it’s time to let go of emotions, attitudes, and thoughts that no longer serve you. Meditation can help you feel centered, grounded, and ready for the year ahead. Here’s a meditation script for letting go of the past.

A Meditation Script for Letting Go of the Past

Sit upright on your mat or your chair. If you’re feeling particularly anxious, feel free to simply lie down on your bed and supported with a pillow or yoga bolster. Scan the body from the top of your forehead to the tips of your toes, then become aware of the weight of your body against the chair, mat, or bed.

Notice the rhythm of your breath. Observe whether your natural breath feels shallow or deep, at ease or heavy. No need to change the breath or force it into a pattern that feels uncomfortable—simply watch the current pace of your inhalations and exhalations.

Set your intention for your meditation practice today. Since this meditation is a meditation script for letting go of the past, consider aligning your personal intention with that overall theme. What have you been holding onto? And what would you like to leave behind?

Observe the thoughts that enter the mind. And instead of holding on to them, simply watch them as you would watch vehicles moving across the street, or foam in a roll of waves. Notice how one thought floats off, and another one appears.

Recognize that thoughts, memories, and emotions about the past are fleeting. How does your body hold onto the past? Notice any tightness in the neck or in the chest, or maybe in the hips. Mindfully soften and relax any tense areas that are calling out to you.

Then, begin to repeat the following affirmations to yourself: The past has no power over me. Fear no longer holds me down. I am ready to move forward. I embrace gratitude. Repeat those statements to yourself about three to five times.

Notice how the body and breath respond to these affirmations. Do you feel lighter? Perhaps you feel more at ease. See if you can now deepen the breath. In fact, you may also practice your lion’s breath, which entails inhaling through the nose and exhaling completely through the mouth.

When you are ready to end your meditation, scan your body again. Then, open your eyes.