Memory And Thought

Let's take a close look at the workings of the mind. Normally, our attention or focus if you like is not one with the present moment. So, what does that mean? Imagine that you're having breakfast in front of your computer. At the same time as you're reading the news on the screen you're having your orange juice and eating away - your attention is split. Part of you read the news and react to it, either you like what you read or you disagree with it. Another part of you is involved with eating and either you like what you're eating or you don't. This is a very simple analysis of what's going on while you're doing two things at the same time.

Attention and Mindfulness

Our attention or focus is continuously split between various activities. Think about it, when you're not paying much attention to what something tastes like, because your mind is more interested in reading breaking news, you won't be that aware of the taste of the food. On the contrary, if you do nothing else but eat and pay close attention to every bite you take and every taste that arises in your mind, then you're said to be mindful or one with the present moment. With mindfulness we can be well aware of the taste of the food.

Most of the time we're absent minded though. For example, how mindful are you while washing your hair? The mind is a wanderer. It delights in processing thoughts and goes from one thought to the next and so on. While washing the hair, the mind is entangled in all kinds of thoughts and only occasionally will it give its attention to the washing - only to wander off again after a short while...

Memory And Remembering

Let me point out how memory is involved in two forms of mind activities. But first, what is memory anyway? The mind has the ability to store information for later use , we call it retentive memory. So, if someone is said to have a good memory that refers to their exceptional ability to collect stored information. This is what we normally associate memory with - trying to remember things that we have read, done, said or heard of in the past. And either we percieve our memory as being good or bad.

Subconscious Memory Activity

So, let's take a look at another form of memory activity that take place in the mind. Now, we're moving in the direction of somewhat more abstract observations as we're touching upon subtler mind states with which we're far less familiar. Meditation, mindfulness and awareness of the present moment - just to mention a few tools - make it possible to extend our awareness and clearly observe these subtle mind processes.

Here is a simple example. It's summer and you're sitting in the garden surrounded by blooming flowers and lush greenery. You're alone and not doing anything special other than enjoying the closeness of nature. And out of the blue, you start thinking about something that happened to you 10-years ago. Your thinking changed all of a sudden, but what triggered the change of thoughts?

The mind is very fast and by not paying close attention to what it's up to, moment by moment, makes us absent minded immediately. So, back to the garden. The scent of the flowers entered your nostrils and your mind enjoyed the pleasant sense impression.

A split second later, the mind matched the scent of the fragrant flowers with a stored memory. A memory of a similar scent and with a story attached to it. A story involving people and an endless number of circumstances taking place at a particular phase of your life. The mind loves processing these kind of stories as much as it enjoys the taste of delicious food. The mind is sticky which makes it really hard to stop thinking - so we get caught up daydreaming.

Mind And Memory

There you were musing, enjoying yourself in the garden. When all of a sudden, without you being aware of the process, the mind picked up a memory of a similar scent. And as a result, you're mind stopped thinking about the garden and started to process old memories which in turn would trigger emotions and it goes on and on. I would like to highlight the obvious fact that these mind processes are involuntary, take place at jet speed and often without our knowing.

Therefore, it can be claimed that I'm not the master of my mind. Of course, we don't like to think of it in that way because humanity has invented and created so much throughout history - we've achieved so much. But the truth of the matter is that most of the time we're caught up daydreaming.

If I were to claim to be the master of my mind, first I would have to be fully aware of the workings of the mind and I would also have to be in control of the mind processes themselves. Now, that's obviously not the case. So, is that good or bad? Neither! It's simply the way it is, let's accept our inherent nature. Flowing with life makes us feel at ease, by resisting, we create our own unhappiness.

The Present Moment

There is a way out of this ongoing state of daydreaming through meditation. It's about gentle awareness of the present moment, anchoring your attention in the here and now, aligning the mind with the activities you're involved in and being aware of sense impressions and thoughts as they arise.

The fruits of this practice include happiness and wellbeing. Take your first step along this path by downloading Learning To Relax. In this meditation I guide you to a state of deep relaxation which effectively dissolves physical and mental tension. Touch upon the present moment and see what this 8-minute mp3 file can do for you. No previous experience needed. Practice makes perfect...

Best of luck!