Awareness Of Thoughts

Practicing meditation can hep us to be aware of thoughts that are swimming around us, rather than to stop us from thinking. It is a cultivation of inner wisdom, self awareness and insight that requires participation in the form of staying aware.

When you become aware of the thoughts that are emerging within you, it becomes apparent that you are not choosing your thoughts. Do you have an experience of choosing your thoughts or are just aware of thoughts being there and perhaps choosing in some way the ones you attach too?

It seems that these days many are struggling with stress, anxiety, and depression, however these states of mind are not a choice. People are struggling to cope with the thoughts that are present and loudest within themselves that can mostly create the experience of being stressed, depressed and overwhelmed.

How many times have you sat in room at home and not really done much but feel stressed and exhausted because of the thoughts you’ve entertained all day?

With meditation and mindfulness practices we can change this. The brain has been shown to be pliable, and a person can completely change themselves by changing the way they think. By being aware of your thoughts you learn to dismiss the fear thoughts and not take them seriously because after all they are just thoughts that we are believing in and have potentially made up and given power too.

When we learn to detach and observe our thoughts we can be more objective rather than reactive. This allows us to be more aware of the nature of our thoughts and how we allow them to control our emotions and behaviours.

Thoughts are always available, and in the open spacious awareness that meditation brings we can choose which thoughts to align with. We are all subject to an endless stream of positive and negative thoughts bombarding us continually.

During meditation I am continually surprised by thoughts that I notice, and sometimes they can take me aback. They were not ‘my’ thoughts, I was just aware of them but not attached to them, so I am able to remain unaffected by them.

Meditation has made me acutely aware of the stark difference between insights that emerge from within as inspirations and Knowings, and the endless stream of random cumulative thoughts.

Noticing thoughts in this way brings up questions in me such as; Is it possible to have original thought? Especially when thoughts are not chosen but just heard; or rather, experienced. This insight has also helped to lessen the power that thoughts have over me.