Reflection

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Finding calm amongst the noise.

Ramana Maharashi said: “Your own self-realisation is the greatest service you can render the world.”

I have spent the last four weeks immersed in a journey of seeking out mindfulness – addressing my relentless internal dialogue that while energetic, never sleeps. Jon Kabat-Zinn conveys the idea beautifully in this video.
 

This push to calm my mind presents a minor complication: I have always considered my analytic nature to be my greatest strength. It has enabled me to view things from a different perspective because I am constantly surveying my surroundings in an almost compulsive manner. 

At university I would not simply read the assigned text, I would read thirteen other further readings and arrive at a preliminary conclusion. I would then return to that preliminary conclusion two days later with a slightly more unconventional perspective. In the academic world this nature of thinking is a strength when preparing a strategic argument. Outside that bubble it can be a catalyst for an anxious mind.

With that in mind, the question that I asked myself was: What kind of peace am I seeking?

After some deep reflection including a number of long walks along St Kilda Beach and hours of meditation (which is still a challenge), something quite simple registered: I would like to have a thought, capture it and let it go.

The incredible machine that is the human mind is ensuring that this shift in my mindset will not be a simple task. But with the intention of changing my way of thinking for the better, I have embarked on an excursion that has led to changes in both my mind and body. I am now:

  • Meditating in both the morning and evening
  • Exercising daily to relieve tension and enhance my physical and emotional energy
  • Writing without expectations
  • Embracing Airplane mode on my iPhone

Life is wonderful and I cannot wait until I can learn to block out the excess noise and embrace the quiet.