How to change the worldview. Change of eras - change of outlook

Everything we perceive, we perceive in relation to ourselves. We are the reference point for ourselves, the zero of our "coordinate system". In order to adequately, without distortion, understand and be aware of the environment, one should become an “absolute” zero, and not conditional, that is, get rid of the “displacements” already existing in us.

Notice you always have some kind of mood. It can be good, bad or something else. But it is always there. And you can no longer be the origin, because you are in a "shifted" position along the "axis of emotions." Also, you always have a set of judgments and personal opinions that move you away from zero on the "belief" axis. Purpose of the exercise "Reset" enter a state of "absolute zero", remove your own emotions and beliefs.

Start monitoring your emotions. Notice when they arise, how you know about it, what changes. Create for yourself such a thing as an emotional background and watch for changes in it. The emotional background is best represented as a kind of shell that describes your entire body.

Over time, you will learn to notice that certain emotions appear in certain areas of this shell. You will notice how and where the emerging emotions shift, what they displace and where they “settle”. You will begin to feel all your emotions literally physically.

After that, learn to mentally “grab” the emotions you don’t need and throw them out of your emotional background. Try to catch the emotion as early as possible, at the stage of its penetration into your emotional background.

You can “play” by shifting the emotion to another place, where it is unusual for her. You will notice that in doing so, it acquires new qualities and may even change completely. Fear can become anger, joy can become apathy, and so on.

Also, you need to learn how to "transform" emotions - having noticed and localized an emotion, you will give it the necessary properties with your will. So you can make a positive emotion out of a negative one and vice versa.

Learn to catch, shift, transform and throw out any emotions, both positive and negative. Later, if you want, you can choose which ones to leave, but you need to be able to completely get rid of emotions, even pleasant ones. Accustom yourself constantly in any situation to automatically feel and adjust your emotional background. By doing this exercise, you will understand how our emotions are unstable and controllable. (Including outside.)

To reset beliefs, do similar manipulations, but in the sphere of beliefs. Notice when your beliefs start to come out and try to influence your decisions. Do not let them do this, you need to be able to assess the situation with an open mind.

Let me remind you once again that the three exercises above are auxiliary for practicing the exercise. "Base" specifically for practicing awareness. Although you can use them autonomously, outside of this complex, if you see fit.

Fulfilling "Base", you will get a sea of new interesting sensations. In order to control the execution of the "Base", start a clock with a timer-pickalka so that they peek every half hour or every 10 minutes. And at each timer signal, check yourself if you are doing the “Basic” at the moment. Over time, you will learn to do such checks without a timer, more and more often, until one day you find that you are doing the "Basic" always! And here you will discover amazing things! Believe...

With a serious approach, the results appear after a week of classes, significant changes can be expected no earlier than a month later.

Internal Dialogue

I will not talk here about consciousness, subconsciousness, attachments, fixing the assemblage point and everything else. In the preface, I made the reservation that I would leave the theory for other books.

Now I will only say that, roughly speaking, in our head there are constantly a lot of our own and other people's thoughts, fragments of songs, someone's phrases, commercials and all sorts of other nonsense. All this is pretty mixed and fragmentary. In addition, we are accustomed to talking to ourselves in our minds when we think, read, write... and in general, at any opportunity. It's amazing that we can still think at all.

At this stage, you must definitely learn to stop the internal dialogue in your head. You should be able to enter and stay in a state of “inner silence” for as long as possible (preferably permanently). Only from this state should all exercises be performed, especially more or less complex ones. And this is half the success in mastering many techniques.

When you read the description of some technique before, you might think “This is nonsense, this will not work!”. And they would be right, because your experience told you that by following the steps recommended in the technique, you will not get the expected result. But you didn't realize your limitations before, you just tried the described exercises and didn't get any effect. And they expanded the circle of their stereotypes, adding one more fact to their experience: “It doesn’t work!”. On that they calmed down. Since then, when you encountered such “magical” techniques, you immediately evoked the desired stereotype, backed up by experience, and made a diagnosis in advance: “This will not work either!”.

Your mistake was that you didn't realize you were trying to do the impossible. All magical techniques imply that the person who performs them is in a certain state of consciousness. You did not know this and did not even guess that there are some “other” states of consciousness. That's why you didn't get anything.

So, a stopped VD is one of the most important conditions for the success of any technique. The inability to stop the VD entails frequent failures and the inability to apply any technique. Until you learn how to stop your VD, all magic will be just a fairy tale for you.

The ability to control and stop the VD is not the only condition for success in magic, but one of the most important, so let's move on to the exercises ...

Exercise "Knockout"

This type of exercise is based on the fact that you quickly switch from one thought to another, as if knocking out of your head the thoughts that have settled there by others. And since you change thoughts quickly, your consciousness weans from the fact that they settle, and becomes more flexible and mobile.

For example, you start singing a song. You immediately cut it off and sing another one. Cut it off again and sing the next one. Then you can change the song for poetry, for some thoughts, for pronouncing your current actions to yourself. The point is to gradually accelerate the change of the "current" thought. And now you change your thoughts faster and faster...

And then bam! Everything flies out of your head, and you find yourself in absolute silence. Your consciousness could not cope with the set speed and turned off. You should remember the desired state and try to return it by willpower, without the help of exercises, because this is the main task.

Most likely, for the first time, your consciousness will quickly recover from this and thoughts will fill the "ether" again. But you will already know that this is all rubbish ... You have already felt the silence and now you only need time to learn how to return it for a long time!

Exercise "Fade"

The essence of this class of exercises is to follow your thoughts. So you thought about something, notice it and follow how the thought develops, what it passes into ... And now you see how it leaves attention and fades.

To increase efficiency, you can resort to "substitution". Specially enter into the field of attention any simple thought. For example, many recommend using a mantra or a simple image for this. Strengthen this thought as much as possible, get it to capture all your attention. Keep it on for a few minutes.

Then begin to weaken it, but leaving it in the field of attention. Gradually, this thought will also die out enough so as not to disturb you, and if it has well occupied your attention, then the rest of the thoughts will not return for some time. And you'll get a little WP stop.

This, of course, is a certain compromise and over time you should learn to do without it.

For a more concrete example, imagine a pendulum. Follow him, let him swing in the rhythm of your thoughts. And then start slowing down the movement of the pendulum until you stop it completely.

You can also follow your breath or “tick” in the style of “Tick, tick, tick, … tick … tick …….. tick ……….. tick ………………… ti …………………. .ti ……………. t……..… …". I hope I explained clearly.

Exercise "Barrier"

This class of exercises is based on a system of filters and is somewhat similar to the Zeroing exercise.

You begin to think and at the same time try not to pronounce thoughts “to yourself”. Feel where a thought is born in your head and when it begins to want to turn into a word spoken in your head. As soon as she was born and wanted to become a word, you realize her and let go. It has already been taken into account by you and can leave.

In my opinion, this is the most effective of the exercises-gimmicks to stop the AP. Gradually, while doing it, you will begin to notice that it has become easy and pleasant to think, your consciousness is very mobile, and you have become, as it were, “smarter”. You will begin not so much to "think" as to see your thoughts in images. You are just about to think about something, as you already see the answer in the form of an image. This kind of thinking happens instantly.

Having achieved this result, you can move on. Take care that your thoughts stop forming for a while. In fact, you have already removed the VD, but have not yet reached the “inner silence”. You just have to stop forming thoughts altogether. To do this, you can take all thoughts out of the conditional circle and leave them there to wait until you need them again. Feel how all the images gathered around the head and went beyond the area conventionally designated by you. Look at them a little because of the conditional partition and return to your head - now it is empty there.

The ramp gives this modification of this exercise:

Imagine that you are sitting in a completely dark room on the top floor of a skyscraper; in front of you is a large window, covered with a black curtain, without any drawings, nothing that could distract. Concentrate on this curtain. First of all, make sure that there are no thoughts in your mind (mind is a black curtain) and if thoughts try to get in, push them over the edge of the curtain. You will succeed, it is a matter of practice. The very moment a thought flashes on the edge of the curtain, throw it back, make it go away, then concentrate on the curtain again, force yourself to lift it up and see what is behind it.

Once again, as you look at the black curtain, you will find that all kinds of thoughts are trying to penetrate it, they are trying to make their way into the focus of your attention. Push them back, push them back with a conscious effort, deny them permission to enter.

This is the most primitive class of exercises, based on the fact that the mind cannot keep too many objects in its field of attention at the same time and on the fact that when we are very busy or performing a complex action, we do not have time to think.

The main types of exercises in this class are as follows:

Attention overload - try, for example, to listen to everything around you, fix all the slightest sounds. Now start noticing everything you see, capture all the objects you see. In the meantime, don't stop listening. Now add to this fixation of all sensations in the body. Well, how? I can tell you with certainty that if you still keep the ability to think to yourself, then you just did the exercise carelessly.

Another option. Look at the grains of sugar scattered on the table. Try to fix each grain. You can also fix any objects, of which there are a lot.

In the later stages, it is quite enough to concentrate well on the sensation of the body and the immediate surroundings.

Change of modality - all people can be conditionally divided into groups according to how they perceive the world. Someone perceives everything mainly through sight, someone through hearing, someone through sensations, someone through reason. Determine what type you are and try to "live in a different perception."

Unusual action - Try simultaneously slapping your head with your right hand and stroking your belly with circular movements of your left hand. If this seems insufficient, start tapping your right foot in a certain rhythm, and make rotational movements with your left (in this case, of course, you need to sit on a chair).

Comment

These, in my opinion, are the main types of exercises to stop the VD. However, I note that there is another option - just stop the VD without resorting to any tricks. Simply by an effort of will to create inner silence. This is the simplest and most effective way, but, unfortunately, it suits few people :-) To be convincing that this is possible, I will note that this is exactly what I did.

Concentration

Once you've learned to relax and stop the VDs, it's time for your concentration to show itself. Concentration implies an arbitrarily long concentration on an object of your choice. Concentration must be complete and absolute. You must fully perceive the object and perceive absolutely nothing that you do not need at the moment.

The necessary conditions for concentration are physical, moral and mental relaxation, stopping the VD, and then moving to the “zero state” (see the “Zeroing” exercise). After that, you can start doing concentration exercises.

But you can learn to develop concentration at the same time as relaxing and stopping the AP, although it will not be as effective during this period. Therefore, I present concentration exercises within the framework of this article.

When you master the relaxation and stopping of the AP, you will notice a significant qualitative improvement in your concentration. Until then, you will probably be distracted by your body, your thoughts and emotions. You won't be able to concentrate properly until you learn to manage your body. In order to help you somehow cope with this, I will give a series of exercises for the development of "perseverance".

Here I will immediately notice that, unlike the work with IC and relaxation, concentration exercises are best done while sitting. In this case, the lotus position or any similar position in which you manage to sit is considered optimal. Lower your hands freely, put them with your palms on top of each other so that your palms look up (like a bucket). Your hands, therefore, should rest with your palms on the soles of your feet in the center of the vertical axis of your body. Imagine the head as if suspended on a string so that the neck and back do not strain. If it is uncomfortable to sit like this, you can lean your back against the wall or the edge of the bed.

The position is really very comfortable, especially when you get used to it. But do not forget to get out of it slowly and stretch your stiff legs. And yet do not sit on a cold floor, in a draft, and do not sit with your back against a cold wall. When you relax, the effect of drafts and other things on your body is several times stronger. Checked.

Try several times to sit quite still for five or ten minutes without propping up your back with your eyes closed, without feeling restless or sleepy. For concentration, try to choose a position of the body that would be free from disturbing impressions. You will probably find that your body is not as obedient as you would like it to be. It is often restless and impatient and capable of becoming anxious due to insignificant sensations, and this even when you have eliminated all causes for anxiety. Don't let this happen! You should be comfortable and quite comfortable in any position.

Exercise "Statue"

Do one of the variations of this exercise in one session. Every day, do one or two times something of your choice from the list:

1. Stand calmly, without tension, evenly, arms freely lowered along the body, legs slightly apart, eyes closed. Stand like this for at least 5 minutes, making sure that during this time there is no nervousness, impatience or anxiety. The body should remain perfectly still the whole time, and you should be quite comfortable.

2. Sit in a lotus (or equivalent) and sit quietly for 5-10 minutes.

3. Stand up as in step 1, but raise your hands straight in front of you or spread apart to the sides, or simply lift them up. Stay calm for 5-10 minutes.

Do some exercise in the morning. Be sure to include stretching exercises for muscles and ligaments. Repeat some of the exercises from the charge during the day and after the “Statue” exercise. Work on proper breathing. (Exercises will be given at the end of the article).

Now directly exercises on concentration. I have tried to list them in order of increasing difficulty. Accordingly, it is better to first master the initial exercises, and then take on more complex ones.

When exercising, check your body from time to time. It shouldn't be tight. It is important! Likewise, the mind must be absolutely calm and relaxed, but collected!

Preparation for concentration

Before starting each concentration exercise, take the sitting posture described above and do the “Enter”. Close your eyes and wait until the background in front of your eyes becomes solid. It is better if it is black or dark gray, but the main thing is the uniformity and lack of flicker. Upon completion, "Exit" and stretch your legs and whole body.

ZERO STATE (Н С) is a demagnetized state of a magnetic material created by the action of an alternating magnetic field with decreasing amplitude from the magnetic saturation field to zero in the absence of an external constant magnetic field.

. D.M. Pechersky.

See what "ZERO STATE" is in other dictionaries:

zero state- state O - [L.G. Sumenko. English Russian Dictionary of Information Technologies. M .: GP TsNIIS, 2003.] Topics information technology in general Synonyms state About EN zero condition ...

zero state

zero state- nulinė būsena statusas T sritis fizika atitikmenys: angl. zero state vok. Nullzustand, m rus. zero state, n pranc. état nul, m; etat zero, m … Fizikos terminų žodynas

- - demagnetized state of a magnetic substance, obtained by cooling from its Curie point to a certain temperature (most often to room temperature) in the absence of an external constant magnetic field ... Paleomagnetology, petromagnetology and geology. Dictionary reference.

state zero- nulinė būsena statusas T sritis automatika atitikmenys: angl. nought state; zero condition; zero state vok. Nullzustand, m rus. zero state, n; state zero, n pranc. condition du zero, f; position du zero, f … Automatikos terminų žodynas

zero initial state- - [L.G. Sumenko. English Russian Dictionary of Information Technologies. M .: GP TsNIIS, 2003.] Topics information technology in general EN zero initial condition ... Technical Translator's Handbook

ZERO GRAVITY- ZERO GRAVITY, a state of apparent absence of gravity. It can be briefly tested by a pilot in a falling plane or by an astronaut in a spacecraft if the engines are turned off and the ship is in a state of "free fall" ... Scientific and technical encyclopedic dictionary

zero padding- rehearsal filling Condition in which the auditorium is filled only with performers Source: GOST 24146 89: Auditoriums. Reverberation time measurement method original document... Dictionary-reference book of terms of normative and technical documentation

return state- The return state is the state of the Markov chain visited by it an infinite number of times. Contents 1 Definition 2 Return criterion 3 ... Wikipedia

Essential state- An essential state is a state of the Markov chain, leaving which, it can always return to it. Definition Let a homogeneous Markov chain with discrete time and discrete state space be given. Then the state ... ... Wikipedia

Books

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Whether you're using the tools to change your mental state, whether it's to find meaning in life, achieve important victories, change deep-seated unwanted patterns of behavior or attitudes, or simply relax and enjoy, you'll get the most out of using technologies to influence the brain, if you learn how to quickly achieve a state of deep relaxation with their help.

But wait, you say, isn't this a direct function of mind machines? After all, most of these devices are marketed specifically as “relaxation devices,” and many, such as the Light and Sound Stimulation (LS) device, offer a wide variety of “relaxation” sessions according to the instructions.

That's right, numerous scientific studies have indeed shown that mind machines produce a state of deep relaxation in untrained people; and in some cases it has been apparent that mind machines often produce a state of relaxation in untrained individuals even deeper than those who have been trained for long periods of time in relaxation techniques such as the Progressive Relaxation technique.

Generally speaking, turn on your brain-influencing tool (such as a binaural beat tape or a light-and-sound stimulation (LS) device set to slow alpha beats) and after 10-15 minutes you will feel much more relaxed.

The problem is the "greater" skill level. Many of us begin sessions with such high levels of stress, muscle tension and/or nervous excitement that, even in a state of relative relaxation, we do not achieve deep relaxation in the absolute sense of the word.

True relaxation is an extremely beneficial hypometabolic state in which the muscular tension of the entire body is greatly reduced (users describe this state as "the whole body goes to sleep", "melts" or they simply lose body sensation) and in which the beta activity inherent in an active state of consciousness, decreases, while alpha and theta activity increases and becomes dominant.

An interesting fact that recent research has found is that most people don't actually know when they are entering a state of deep and complete relaxation.

For example, in one experiment, subjects listened to "relaxation" music or were instructed to relax while in a dark, quiet room. At this time, the instrument monitor reflected their brain wave activity, muscle tension, galvanic skin response, fingertip temperature, and other parameters.

At the end of the session, subjects were asked to describe their state during the session and even "measure" how deep their relaxation was. Interestingly, often the subjects rate their state as a state of deep relaxation, but their body tells a different story: during the session, the level of muscle tension did not decrease at all, and in many cases even increased!

Those. many people tell themselves that they are relaxed, when in fact they are in a state of excitement and tension.

Also, many of us have a negative experience of such an excited state, when you know about it, and you understand that you need to relax, and you have a mind machine that can help with this, you just have to turn it on; but you are already so firmly drawn into this state that, even if you turn on the device, you cannot relax and let go of the situation enough to enter a real state of relaxation.

In fact, one of the main problems with relaxation and stress reduction techniques of all kinds - including biofeedback, "relaxation" meditation techniques, systematic relaxation procedures - is what scientists call "the lack of the ability to move to another state."

Such techniques can be very effective in training, during quiet evenings at the hearth, in the therapist's office. But they are extremely difficult to use effectively when under the pressure of the stress and rush of the daily race.

And finally, although brain tools have a quick effect on many of us, sometimes it takes 15-20 minutes to get rid of muscle tension, internal thoughts and achieve a real state of relaxation. If we have already spent 20 minutes of our session just achieving relaxation, then we have very little or no time left to apply active strategies to influence the brain before we return to our usual active waking state.

Without further ado, it is clear that the ability to control the relaxation technique so effectively that you reach this state in just a few moments brings invaluable benefits.

Deep relaxation is the key to success and the key to effectively applying many of the applied strategies and techniques you will learn in this book, from accelerated learning to visualization, problem solving, self-healing, and hypersuggestibility. If we wish to fill our vessel with fresh juice, we must first pour out the old juice.

Returning to the metaphor of a change of state as changing channels on the TV of our consciousness, we can say this: a new image on the screen will not appear until the old image disappears.

Seen in this light, deep relaxation is one way to "erase" the old image of our current state - thoughts, worries, stress, tension - before a new one emerges.

When these images, statics and interferences are eliminated, we have a blank screen, what I call the zero state, onto which we can project our new state.

Fortunately, since brain tools themselves produce a state of deep relaxation, they also help you learn how to quickly enter this state: what could take weeks and months to achieve can be achieved with the help of mind machines in a few sessions.

In fact, research shows that all methods of relaxation or any kind of mental or physical self-regulation work more powerfully and effectively when using mind machines than in any other medium.

Entering the zero state

No matter what mind machines we use and no matter what our level of stress, tension, arousal, we all benefit greatly from the use of mind machines, applied in parallel with the practice of deep relaxation techniques.

I suggest that you start every session with the mind machine with the application of relaxation techniques. Learn to quickly enter a state of relaxation. Soon it will come to automaticity with you, and the relaxation process will accelerate. The technique you use, which at the beginning of your practice allowed you to enter a state of relaxation in 10 minutes, now takes only a few seconds. Soon, your relaxation technique will be so tied to your mind machine that you only have to turn on your machine, and you will immediately automatically plunge into a state of deep relaxation.

He found that all of these meditation disciplines worked with certain specific techniques or combinations of their elements. He identified the key elements as follows:

mental method
There must be some kind of constant stimulus, such as a word or phrase being repeated to oneself or aloud, or focusing on an object or process. Focusing on this process shifts you away from logical, outward-oriented thinking.

Passive attitude
Let the process go by itself, don't try to force or control it. If distracting thoughts come up, just notice them, let them go, and get back to the process.

Decreased muscle tone
Take a comfortable body position so that your muscles are minimally stressed.

Calm environment
Try to use your mind machines in a place where you won't be interrupted or distracted by any outside stimuli.

In many cases, your mind machine provides you with the first element, an external stimulus that comes in the form of rhythmic sounds or flashes of light, repeated phrases, or audio tape sounds.

However, you can enhance the relaxation effect by adding your own mental method, such as repeating the appropriate word to yourself, such as "Relax", "Calm down", "Zero", or focusing on your breath.

By using these elements in combination with the action of the mind machine, you can enter the zero state very quickly. What follows is a description of some of the relaxation techniques that can enhance your brain session.

Breath control

abdominal breathing
Relax your abdominal muscles so that when you inhale, your belly expands, and when you exhale, it contracts. When you inhale, let your diaphragm drop so that your lungs fill with air from the bottom up.

Shallow breathing (when breathing expands and contracts the chest and ribs) is physiologically associated with the reaction of rejection and fear. Thus, thoracic breathing forces the anatomical nervous system to remain in an agitated state and prevents relaxation. In all the breathing and relaxation practices described below, the breathing is from the abdomen.

Don't force yourself to breathe; let it just happen on its own. As you relax more and more, you will notice that your breathing slows down: one of the important physiological effects of the relaxation response is a decrease in oxygen consumption by the body, associated with a slowdown in metabolism.

Your body goes into a more efficient oxygen consumption mode. Because you require less oxygen, your breathing slows down, and can slow down to the point where it becomes almost unnoticeable. This effect gives a delightful feeling of lightness, which many describe as a feeling of flight, as if the body "breathes on its own".

nasal breathing
One effective breathing technique is to simply focus on how you breathe in and out through your nose. Continue abdominal breathing. As you inhale, feel the air move in through your nose, cooling the tip of your nose. As you exhale, feel the air flow out through your nose, on the contrary, warming the tip of your nose. If you want, you can count your breaths, count from 1 to 10; when you get to 10, start over. If thoughts come to your mind, don't resist them, let them pass and bring your attention back to the breathing process.

Movement along the body
With each breath, focus on a specific point on your body. Move systematically throughout the body. (You can start at the top of your head and work your way from breath to breath down your body through your head, neck, chest, right arm and fingers, left arm and fingers, torso, right leg and foot, left leg and foot, and back the same way. to the top of the head.

The shift of attention from one point to another is accompanied by powerful physical sensations - melting, warmth, brightness, softness. By the time you make a full circle, you should, in theory, be completely relaxed.

Visualization of light
The nasal breathing practice described earlier can be combined with visualization: imagine the air entering the nostrils as a stream of pure white light. As you inhale, follow the flow of light through the nasal passage to the peritoneum; visualize it penetrating every part of your body.

Then, when you exhale, imagine that this current is leaving your body - now as a dark, dirty stream, carrying all the fatigue and toxins out of the body with it.

There are many variations of this method, for example, combine the visualization of light with the method of movement along the body, using counting, imagining how the light moves to each part of the body, shimmering gently. Move the light along your body.

White cloud
This technique is borrowed from the ancient Chinese practice of Qigong. (Qi or chi (pronounced "qi") in Chinese means breath or air, and can be interpreted as "vital energy" or "living breath").

Visualize the air entering your nostrils as a cloud of intense and pure white light. This is qi or "living breath", the energy of life. As you inhale, follow the cloud of light through the nasal passage down to the peritoneum; and further to the base of the spine. There, a cloud of light will enter the spine like a tube and move upward.

Feel and visualize a white cloud floating up the spine, over the shoulder girdle, through the neck, until it pours out of the uppermost part of the spine like dense white smoke from a chimney. A shimmering white cloud pours into your head and fills your skull. When you exhale through your nose, this cloud leaves your body - now it is dark, dirty, taking with it all the fatigue and toxins from your body system. Repeat this several times. Focus entirely on your breath.

mindfulness

Breath control is one element of the practice known as mindfulness, which not only can be an effective relaxation technique for you, but if practiced regularly, can lead to profound transformations in your life.

In its most basic sense, mindfulness simply means being aware, being a witness, patiently, detachedly and uncritically observing one's own actions. You kind of become a spectator of your own stream of consciousness. Ideally, with practice, mindfulness leads to an "awakening" from a normal state of consciousness to a state in which every moment is a peak experience, and in which you have direct, immediate and full access to all your possibilities.

The first step to mindfulness is breath control. When you practice nasal breathing, simply concentrate on the breathing process itself and try to maintain that concentration. Analyze your sensations when you inhale and exhale, and the stream of air passes through your nostrils, lungs, and peritoneum.

Any thoughts or sensations that are not involved in the breathing process are distracting. If your mind starts to wander, just bring it back to the breathing process. Don't try to do anything; do not try to control your breathing; don't try to think about your breath. Just feel it and maintain that feeling with full inhales and exhales.

People who are accustomed to an active life often report that the flow of inner thoughts, daily worries, unfinished business tend to distract them from the process of feeling breath. Their first impulse is often to suppress these thoughts.

But the suppression of thoughts is also a kind of mental activity. Instead, you should simply observe what is happening in your soul as an outside observer: you are only a witness, an observer, but not an actor. Allow thoughts to flow through your mind without focusing on them, just as you watch a train rumble past, ignoring the individual cars. And come back to the process of breathing again.

When any thoughts come to you, don't try to fight them, don't evaluate them, just acknowledge their existence, let them go and bring your attention back to the breathing process. As you watch your inhalations and exhalations, you will notice slight changes in your awareness of the breathing process over time.

And we can enjoy our breath and our very existence.”
You will find that this practice calms your mind and body. Very soon you will learn to recognize your thoughts and feelings; by observing them and then returning your attention to the process of breathing, you will learn that "you" are not your thoughts and feelings, learn to separate yourself from them, to observe them from the outside.

Over time, this practice will lead to a feeling of inner calm, clarity, and centeredness.

body scan
As your mindfulness practice progresses, you will learn how to set the length of time you want to spend contemplating your own breathing, and you may want to practice other mindfulness breathing techniques.

One such technique is body scanning. When you are completely relaxed, shift your attention from the breath to the body, move along it step by step, concentrating attention on each part of the body, being aware of all thoughts, feelings, sensations, whatever come into your consciousness, and then return to this body parts.

Fully feel each part of the body, breathe into this part of the body, be in this part of the body, then let go, feel how all tension and fatigue disappear from this part and move your attention to another part.

The mindfulness process can be controlled to music: use a musical recording with your mind machine and when you enter a state of relaxation, switch your attention from the breathing process to the music, without thinking about it, perceiving the music uncritically, but simply being aware of the music moment by moment, as clear sound, hear every tone.

If thoughts begin to come to you, and consciousness weakens, simply return your attention back to the music.

As your practice progresses, you can try to focus on the thoughts that come to you in the process. Be aware of their content and the emotional charge they carry; don't try to evaluate them, just observe them from a distance, then let go. Notice what thoughts are repeated, what feelings and moods they carry; don't get caught up in thinking about your thoughts, just watch them and let go.

Mindful breathing exercise
The following exercise, developed by Thik Nhat Khan, demonstrates how mindfulness can lead to a state of deep peace and insight. I have found that the exercise works great when combined with a mind machine to quickly release tension, stress, fear and achieve a state of deep calm and relaxation.

When I breathe in, I know that I am breathing in.
Breathing out, I know that I am breathing out
I inhale/exhale..

Breathing in, I feel like a flower.
Breathing out, I feel fresh.
Flower/Fresh.

Breathing in, I feel like a mountain.
Breathing out, I feel solid.
Mount/Rugged.

Breathing in, I feel like calm water.
Breathing out, I reflect everything as it is.
Water/Reflection.

Breathing in, I feel like space.
Breathing out, I feel free.
Space/Freedom.

To do this exercise, say the words of the first verse to yourself. Repeat it 5-10 times, until, according to Khan, there is "stop, calm and return to your real home, in the present moment."

Then move on to the next verse and repeat until you feel ready to move on to the next. In the words of Khan: “Conscious breathing in and out helps you become better than ever in life: calm, confident, fresh, clear, free, able to enjoy the present moment as the best moment of your life.”

Awareness and enhanced perception

Mindfulness is a practice that can be extended beyond a mind machine session into everyday life. This practice of being fully aware of every moment of life can have profound effects, from strengthening the immune system, enhancing mental function, to increasing awareness, enjoyment and enjoyment of life, and enhancing the quality of life itself.

A series of studies at Harvard Medical School tested a group of mindfulness practitioners and a control group of non-meditators. We compared the ability of the subjects of both groups to perceive millisecond flashes of light supplied by a device called a tachistoscope.

The mindfulness group of subjects showed extraordinary perceptual acuity: while subjects in the control group were barely able to see these flashes or distinguish one flash from another, subjects in the mindfulness group perceived the flashes so clearly that they could observe the beginning of the flash and the moment, when it reached its peak, it began to fade, completely disappeared, etc. during the entire cycle of appearance and termination of the outbreak.

Such research clearly demonstrates that the practice of mindfulness can have significant effects on the functioning of the brain and consciousness.

Fortunately, reports from many users confirm that brain technology can be an invaluable aid to mindfulness practice, not only helping you learn mindfulness techniques, but actually increasing mindfulness and attention.

A number of relaxation techniques are included in my Book of Floating (New York: Morrow/Quill. 1984). See also two books by Herbert Benson, M.D.: The Relaxation Response (New York: Morrow, 1975) and The Mind/Body Effect (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1979).

See also The Relaxed Body by Daniel Goleman, et al (New York: Doubleday, 1986), Open Focus Handbook by Lester Fehmi and George Fritz (Princeton: Biofeedback Computers, 1982), and Quality of Mind: Tools for Self Mastery and Enhanced Performance by Joel and Michelle Levey (Boston: Wisdom, 1991).

Perhaps the best introduction to mindfulness meditation is Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D. (New York: Delacorte, 1990). I highly recommend any of the books of Thich Khat Hanh including The Miracle of Mindfulness: A Manual on Meditation (Boston: Beacon, 198U), and Touching Peace: Practicing the Art of Mindful Living (New York: Parallax, 1992). Other excellent works are Seeking the Heart of Wisdom: The Path of Insight Meditation by Joseph Goldstein and Jack Kornfeld (Berkeley, CA: Shambala, 1987), Stephen Levine's A Gradual Awakening (New York Anchor/Doubleday, 1979), and Shunryu Suzuki's Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind (New York Wea-therhill, 1986).

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Dr. Herbert Benson of Harvard Medical School has studied the beneficial effects of putting our body/mind into the zero state - what he called the "relaxation response" - as well as many techniques from the ancient meditation disciplines and ending with modern techniques, usually assuming this state or causing the mentioned zero state.

Herbert Benson

He found that all of these meditation disciplines worked with certain specific techniques or combinations of their elements. He identified the key elements as follows:

Passive attitude
Let the process go by itself, don't try to force or control it. If distracting thoughts come up, just notice them, let them go, and get back to the process.

Decreased muscle tone
Take a comfortable body position so that your muscles are minimally stressed.

Calm environment
Try to use your mind machines in a place where you won't be interrupted or distracted by any outside stimuli.

In many cases, your mind machine provides you with the first element, an external stimulus that comes in the form of rhythmic sounds or flashes of light, repeated phrases, or audio tape sounds.

However, you can enhance the relaxation effect by adding your own mental method, such as repeating the appropriate word to yourself, such as "Relax", "Calm down", "Zero", or focusing on your breath.

Breath control

Don't force yourself to breathe; let it be simple happens on its own. As you relax more and more, you will notice that your breathing slows down: one of the important physiological effects of the relaxation response is a decrease in oxygen consumption by the body, associated with a slowdown in metabolism.

Then, as you exhale, imagine that this current is leaving your body - now as a dark, dirty stream, carrying all the fatigue and toxins out of the body with it.

White cloud
This technique is borrowed from the ancient Chinese practice of Qigong. (Qigong).(qi or chi(pronounced "qi") in Chinese means breath or air, and can be interpreted as "vital energy" or "living breath").

Visualize the air entering your nostrils as a cloud of intense and pure white light. That's what it is qi or "living breath", the energy of life. As you inhale, follow the cloud of light through the nasal passage down to the peritoneum; and further to the base of the spine. There, a cloud of light will enter the spine like a tube and move upward.

mindfulness

Breath control is one element of the practice known as mindfulness, which not only can be an effective relaxation technique for you, but, if practiced regularly, can lead to profound transformations in your life.

In its most basic sense, awareness simply means be aware of, to be a witness, patiently, detachedly and uncritically observing their own actions. You kind of become a spectator of your own stream of consciousness. Ideally, with practice, mindfulness leads to an "awakening" from a normal state of consciousness to a state in which every moment is a peak experience and in which you have direct, immediate and full access to all your possibilities.

Any thoughts or sensations that are not involved in the breathing process are distracting. If your mind starts to wander, just bring it back to the breathing process. Don't try to do anything; do not try to control your breathing; do not try think about your breath. Just feel it and maintain that feeling with full inhales and exhales.

This is how Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh describes the process: “When we inhale, we know that we are inhaling. When we exhale, we know that we are exhaling. When we do this, we observe many elements of happiness within and around us.

Thik Nath Khan

Over time, this practice will lead to a feeling of inner calm, clarity, and centeredness.

Feel each part of the body fully, breathe into this part of the body, be in that area, then let go, feel all the tension and fatigue disappear from that area and move your attention to another area.

If thoughts begin to come to you, and consciousness weakens, simply return your attention back to the music.

When I breathe in, I know that I am breathing in.
Breathing out, I know that I am breathing out
I inhale/exhale..

Breathing in, I feel like a flower.
Breathing out, I feel fresh.
Flower/Fresh.

Breathing in, I feel like a mountain.
Breathing out, I feel solid.
Mount/Rugged.

Breathing in, I feel like calm water.
Breathing out, I reflect everything as it is.
Water/Reflection.

Breathing in, I feel like space.
Breathing out, I feel free.
Space/Freedom.

To do this exercise, say the words of the first verse to yourself. Repeat it 5-10 times, until, according to Khan, there is "stop, calm and return to your real home, in the present moment."

See what "ZERO STATE" is in other dictionaries:

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