LifeForce

Take up the challenge to stop scrolling through things on your smartphone for a minute after reading this. With the ever increasing use of modern technology, it is becoming increasingly common to find people of all ages continually being on their smartphones, immersed in VR or playing games.

So, take the one minute stop scrolling challenge now.

Turn down the volume of your smartphone, turn off the screen and put it away.

Use the time to focus your mind on the growing silence which fills the growing void or the seeming gap in time which has opened up.

As you breathe, allow the increasing sense of quietness to pervade every corner of your mind. If other thoughts start to encroach on the quietness, strive to push them aside, giving your mind one true minute of focus and calmness.

Do not be afraid of the quietness or silence, notifications, DMs and other interruptions can wait. Your ability to maintain the focus of your mind is a sign of your inner strength.

Build upon this challenge and do it at least once per day, you will be surprised how much of a difference this simple stop scrolling challenge can make you feel. If you have succeeded in the one minute challenge, try pushing yourself for a greater experience by reaching for a quiet time of 5 or more minutes.

The use of mantras has been a part of many spiritual traditions for thousands of years. Mantras are sounds, words or phrases that are repeated over and over again during meditation or other spiritual practices.

The use of mantras can calm the mind primarily by focusing your thoughts. It is this ability to focus your thoughts which is the real power of Mantras, as it allows you to overcome some of the distractions which your mind generates. The sound vibrations of the mantras can resonate with different energies within the human energy mechanism, to promote a greater sense of balance and harmony, and promote a sense of peace and inner tranquillity.

Different mantras are associated with different benefits or intentions and are often chosen based on the individual’s spiritual beliefs and goals. For example, the mantra “Om” is often used to promote a sense of unity and connection with the universe and is commonly used in many different spiritual practices.

The use of mantras can be a powerful tool for spiritual growth and self-discovery. They can help you to deepen your connection to your inner self and the universe.

If your efforts to alter a challenging circumstance have proven futile despite numerous attempts, perhaps it’s opportune to reconsider your perspective on the situation.

Embracing a new outlook might unveil alternative approaches, or reveal aspects that were previously overlooked, paving the way for a more effective and transformative response to the challenges at hand.

Life is predominantly composed of ordinary moments, far outnumbering the extraordinary ones. Whether you are patiently queuing at the supermarket, enduring the daily commute to work, or tending to routine tasks such as feeding pets or doing the washing, the ordinary hours make up the fabric of your existence.

The essence of true happiness lies in the ability to discover moments of joy and fulfilment within the seemingly mundane routines of daily life. Real happiness is about finding beauty in the simplicity of everyday life, appreciating the small pleasures that weave through the tapestry of ordinary hours.

It can be as simple as witnessing the magic of how sunlight bounces off the corner of a sugar crystal left on the side of your coffee cup in the morning. Then through being open to the experience you have noticed how the sunlight reflected through that sugar crystal is scattered in a rainbow of colours onto an otherwise plain wall. Then recognise that happiness, joy, wonder or contentment can flourish in the most unassuming moments.

Mindfulness is a helpful practice that can contribute to overall happiness, but it may not always be the answer you need or are looking for. Mindfulness, the hugely popular zeitgeist theory seems to have morphed into the concept that to be happy we must live fully in the present moment. Taken to the extreme this can lead to total focus on whatever you are doing or experiencing “Right This Second”. Some see Mindfulness as a revolution. It is sweeping through many aspects of people’s lives, from mindful parenting, mindful business dealings, mindful eating, and even mindful chores to mindful walking, promising all types of revolutionary changes in people’s lives.

Happiness is a complex and multifaceted concept that is influenced by many factors. While mindfulness can be a helpful tool for cultivating happiness, it is not a standalone solution to all of life’s challenges and is actually beneficial for many other reasons. Other factors in life should be an important source of joy and happiness. So, while mindfulness can be a useful practice for cultivating happiness, it is not a panacea or a one-size-fits-all solution for everyone.

Mindfulness simply involves focusing your attention on your thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations as they arise in the present moment. Mindfulness does not magically create happiness or a better life, it is just a tool which can be used for intentionally paying attention to the present moment and not just with focus, but also with curiosity, openness, and non-judgment. It is often the later aspects which are overlooked in the rush to embrace mindfulness, or follow the latest mindfulness guru or influencer. Mindfulness should be taken as one aspect of many meditative practices which can be used for focus and the reality is that some people do really have problems with the proverbial “Raisin of Mindfulness”. It is important to explore a range of different practices and techniques to find one that works for you to cultivate lasting happiness and improve your mental well-being.

Remember that while Mindfulness is a great tool, it is like a hammer, you cannot do every job with a hammer, and sometimes you need to use a different tool.

Witnessing your thoughts can be advantageous in numerous ways. To start with, it can assist you to understand your own thinking patterns, propensities and even your reactions. Likewise, it aids you to become more self-aware, to enhance your emotional intelligence and ability to relate to others. Furthermore, by listening within to your thoughts, you can come to be more mindful of your internal dialogue and how it might be affecting your behaviours, mood, and emotions. If that were not sufficient, then listening to your thoughts can be an effective tool for self-reflection and acquiring insight into your own values, beliefs, and motivations.

One of the most effective methods to listen to your thoughts is as if you were observing them as an onlooker. Acting as that onlooker to your thoughts, you can more effectively be witness to your thoughts as they surface within your mind, aiding you to establish improved self-awareness and control over your thinking patterns. When you observe your thoughts in this way, you have the opportunity to notice patterns of negative or unhelpful thinking, such as worry, concern, overthinking or even self-criticism. By becoming aware of these patterns of thinking, you can start to challenge them when they appear, as opposed to reacting at a later stage to the fully developed thought-form.

Witnessing your thoughts as an onlooker has tremendous potential, because you can develop a sense of detachment from them. You can progressively learn to recognise that you can more easily change your thoughts when you are an observer of your mind. This can help you to let go of unhelpful thoughts and emotions, and cultivate a sense of clarity and inner tranquillity. Ultimately listening to your thoughts in this way can help you to live a more mindfully and purposefully existence, and to develop a more positive and fulfilling life for yourself.

An important aspect of some meditative practices relates to achieving a nothingness or emptiness within. Vacuus and Suyna are terms with their roots in Buddhist and Taoist philosophy referring to a state of emptiness or nothingness, but with slightly different nuances. While these aspects can be described and used separately, both practices relate to achieving a nothingness or emptiness within. Vacuus and Suyna can be used together for greater effectiveness, allowing a more transformational state of being.

In Latin the term Vacuus rather simply means empty, emptiness or void, that being the lack of substance. In Buddhist philosophy, Vacuus refers to the emptiness or lack of existence of all phenomena. This emptiness or lack of substances, sometimes referred to as the void is seen as the ultimate nature of reality. Some people may spend a significant amount of time meditating just on this one aspect of creation, becoming Vacuus.

Sunya on the other hand is a Sanskrit term that means emptiness but with a slightly different context where zero (or nothingness) is the source of everything. In Taoist philosophy, Sunya refers to the emptiness of the universe, which is seen as the source of all creation. This emptiness is importantly not empty as one may think, but rather the potentiality which exists within the void and the potential which lies within all of us.

When both Vacuus and Sunya are used in concert, they both harmonise to focus your meditation on the importance of cultivating a sense of openness and a true emptiness with the mind. There is much which can be learnt through the simple practice of bringing the ultimate emptiness within your mind and your entire being during any meditation or mindfulness practices. In the activity KIA0006 Vacuus And Sunya you then realise why directives and these aspects are important steps on the pathway to Cognition.

Life can often teach us all valuable lessons through our experiences, and often more significantly through what we would term mistakes. When you make mistakes, it is imperative not to berate yourself. Instead look at this as an opportunity to reflect on what proverbially went wrong, then learn from your experiences. Even better yet, apply this learning to make changes to your thinking, behaviour or decisions going forward.

Making mistakes or odd slip-ups is a natural part of the learning process and can help us to develop resilience, perseverance, and a greater sense of self-awareness. When you have made a mistake, you should take the opportunity to honestly look at what happened, rather than trying to blame someone else or the situation. In doing so, you force yourself to examine your weaknesses and limitations which leads to the problem. That is the source of learning which can then be applied forward in your life.

It’s important to bear in mind that learning from your mistakes, blunders, missteps or even faux pas calls for readiness, to be honest with yourselves, take responsibility for your actions, and make a real effort to learn from your experiences. It is additionally important to exercise self-compassion and forgiveness. You do not want to proverbially beat yourself up about a past blunder or error which after all is now in the past and cannot be changed. Try to limit the time you spend examining the past, because if you dwell too long on these past incidents you may find yourself being dragged back down to the level of the problem and situation, which could be damaging to your overall mental well-being.

Take the opportunity to examine and learn from your mistakes. You do not need to live them over and over again in your mind. Then accept and embrace the learnings which have been gained from the past, to provide an effective means to grow and develop as an individual.