Get Your Mind Right
Years ago, as I was in the midst of preparing for a technical mountain climb, I underwent some pretty rigorous physical training which I took up under the guidance of a phenomenal personal trainer named Marcus. I told Marcus his job was to keep me safe and honest: in my posture, my effort, and my form. He agreed, and over the course of many months, I was able to take away some very important wisdom from some very solid direction he shared with me. Whenever he could tell there was a drill or an exercise with which I was struggling, or on the verge of giving up, he would say, “Get your mind right!” with all the firmness and kindness he possessed.
In those moments, Marcus offered me a pause that allowed me to check in: with my story, the thoughts, and the emotions that might have been coming up in the moment. This allowed me to come back to my physical body to check-in and from there, regroup, mind and body united, on what was possible. “Get your mind right” became my mantra in times of confusion, sadness, overwhelm, and anger since then.
To me, it meant getting out of the often false thoughts and stories of self, ability, and intention that I might be getting caught up in when I moved into challenging areas of training. Anyone who has worked with the body knows that the mind is part of the package. Our ability to connect mind and body is crucial to awareness, growth, and healing. So whenever Marcus would say this to me, it became more and more ingrained, especially as I applied this wisdom and learned, yes, I could become centered, focused, and bring all my effort and concentration to just that one thing.
I am also thinking of the other thing that Marcus would say (which from time to time I had doubts about, though it always helped me to sustain an effort a little longer at least): “You can do anything for 30 seconds.” Usually this referred to completing some core exercise toward the end of a hard workout. Today, it’s also another bit of guidance that can be applied to beginning meditation practice, whether we are new beginners or have been practicing for lifetimes. To just take up the practice for 30 seconds can often be enough to move us toward more practice. In fact, all of our practice in meditation is the linkage of many seconds coupled with our intention to just be, just sit, and just collect ourselves, and come back.
As I continue to digest the news of the day I notice all the normal hindrances that come up in our practice, such as aversion, confusion, and clinging, also come up for society, governments, and leaders. I think of how important it is to get my mind right as I face these difficulties in the midst of a COVID-19 induced infodemic. Of how I know I will encounter people, who just like me, are challenged by the day’s events or news, and may also be struggling with the rest of the challenges of life, which don’t stop just because another crisis has arrived on the scene. I am reminded of how important it is to be able to pay attention on purpose, non-judgmentally, which is just what the practices of mindfulness and mindfulness meditation are designed to strengthen.
“Get your mind right” came up for me again this morning. As I woke up, I noticed a sense of dread and a mind inclining toward depression over “staying at home” another day. I got really curious, asking myself “just what is this about?” which offered me a chance to listen to what was here in my heart - mind. So with this moment of awareness of my mood, I looked around my apartment, turned my attention to my wonderful cattle - dog, PJ, took stock of what was actually here, considered how much of my life was asking me to show up for it today, and took a few deep breaths. I collected all the unproven and uncertain stories in my mind and pressed reset, to come back to the present moment where I had more choice and access to internal resources. I took myself straight to the meditation cushion and let all the not-so-helpful thoughts rattle around in my mind until I dissolved them and let them drain right through the cushion, so that I could go about my day ahead as effectively as possible, knowing that any moment, if a low mood should arrive, I could notice it and even welcome it, and from there attend to what would “get my mind right.”
So this is another important point to share about mindfulness practice: it is not about making us better people, or getting rid of anything. At its core it’s about turning toward the unwanted — the difficult — and seeing how our mind states affect our bodies and perceptions. In shifting toward awareness, we are often able to start to recognize when the auto - pilot has taken over, and where we might start to have some choice around our habitual reactions. Often we come to take up the practice in a moment of crisis, yet even in the midst of great stress, there is profound knowledge that is always present within us…if we can attune and listen. We know instinctively that there is some other way to help ourselves, through existential crises even, and that now is the time to find out. I came to a Mindfulness - Based Stress Reduction course in just that type of moment, when I was diagnosed with cancer.
And here we are, collectively facing a virus that has threatened our health, our families, our livelihoods, our healthcare system, and economy, even in the midst of challenges and adversities that we as individuals and communities were already facing. So I am not surprised that more and more people are participating in mindfulness practice because of COVID - 19. We can transform a terrible experience into something more. Never has the need for us to “get our minds right'' been more apparent. If we desire cooler, calmer, more rational leadership, now is the time to check ourselves.
Long before I met Marcus, and even before I began studying mindfulness meditation, I was confronted with an opportunity for introspection and an inner desire to shift away from negativity and habits of mind that supported that negativity. Before the times of the meme and never - ending scroll, I encountered a quote from a book about Mahatma Gandhi. He said, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” I gravitated toward this inspiration as an idealist, an empath, and someone who cares deeply for the well - being of others. I knew that until I could get my mind and attitude “right”, I could not expect anyone around me to do the same.
I had come to understand no matter how much I wished or wanted circumstances outside myself to be different (more rational, more peaceful, more just) that I would need to take some accountability for examining my own contributions, positive or negative, to those ideals and begin to work with providing myself a more steady base and footing from which to grow. I would need to let go of a lot of my pre - conceptions, and start to become more familiar with the territory of the present moment, in order to avoid falling into the same pitfalls which contributed to my negativity, anxiety, and depression. It was clear that this could not be accomplished just by hoping or praying, or wanting it to be so. As I struggled to find a way, I also found more resources among the works of sages, doctors, teachers, and psychologists. Since then, mindfulness has been a practice and a tool that in all moments, and especially in the moments of daily living, has offered me a window into my perceptions and a glimpse of how those affect me and therefore those around me.
Our actions make a difference. Our mindfulness practice makes a difference. We know that even a little practice is better than no practice, so starting where you are and coming back, even for 30 seconds, can be incredibly grounding and may lead to further supportive choices. Mindfulness is a process of the interactions among attitude, attention, and intention. My intention today is to pay attention to the information that will help keep me healthy, and only that information. I do not need to follow every news conference or article about the pandemic. As I notice the lack of traffic outside my window because most of us are also staying at home, I can know I am not alone in this, nor am I alone in my feelings about the situation. I am able to adopt an attitude of gentler resolve to focus on the actions I can take today to keep me from falling into the sinkhole of depression, and bring me closer to serving others using the abilities and resources I have to share.
In this way, I become the change I wish to see in the world, starting with me and extending my own presence and collected-ness to my family and friends, the Upstream community, my neighbors, and so on. There is no doubt there has been a profound shift in our daily lives because of the pandemic. If it can also bring about a profound shift in our inner world, I believe we can shift our actions as a society toward new understanding and awareness.
May it be so.
If you plan to join us for a chance to ground down and get your bearings through shared practice and experience, please remember to register to access our online community practice gatherings. There is something to be said for practicing with others, and we look forward to practicing with you wherever you find yourself at this moment.