The mind is everything. What you think you become. – Buddha
Often times, when I talk with people about meditation practice, they indicate their minds are too busy and erroneously believe this disqualifies them as a potential practitioner.
It is a common misconception to believe that the goal of meditation is to silence the mind; to stop it from thinking. But, in fact, wandering of the mind is a completely natural phenomenon. It is what the mind does when not actively engaged in something.
Mindfulness-based meditation can be seen as a training ground of sorts; a space of non-doing, in which we might build focus and learn to be less reactive to the formations of the mind. As such, we are not inclined to stop the mind from wandering during meditation, but rather, use our mental wandering to train ourselves to come back to the present moment. So, in fact, our mental busyness can be used to our benefit during meditation practice.
Mental noting is a useful tool to bring into the mix when the mind is particularly active during meditation. Mental noting helps a practitioner to name their present moment experience without becoming further distracted, or pulled away, by it.
To engage in mental noting during meditation, when awareness of thinking arises, the practitioner simply identifies one word that describes their sensory, emotional, or mental experience and says this word silently to themselves, returning awareness to the unfolding of the moment-by-moment experience.
- Sensory notes may include words like: ‘hearing,’ ‘seeing,’ ‘tasting,’ ‘touching,’ ‘feeling’ or might include more descriptive words like: ‘coldness,’ ‘numbness,’ ‘throbbing,’ ‘tingling,’ ‘ringing,’ etc.
- Emotional noting may include words like: ‘fear,’ ‘happiness,’ ‘excitement,’ ‘anger,’ ‘guilt,’ ‘sadness.’
- Mental noting may include words such as: ‘resisting,’ ‘desiring,’ ‘planning.’
Typically, the quality of our inner voice during noting is calm. If we find this is not the case, this is something to observe. Usually, noting is continued until the thought dissipates from the mind or the noting is no longer helpful in keeping us attuned to our present moment experience.
Mental noting can be a useful addition to meditation practice, providing a variety of benefits:
- It brings us back to present moment awareness, instead of being pulled away by thinking. This can be especially helpful when we experience a lot of mental chatter during meditation.
- It allows us to catch a glimpse of what is on our mind in the present moment. Over time, this can become helpful as we may begin to recognize mental patterns.
- It helps to amplify the separation of awareness from thought. Noting allows us to see that, in fact, we are not our thinking. The physical, emotional, and mental constructs that arise in the mindscape come and go, and yet an abiding awareness remains present through it all.
When we meditate, we are embarking upon an unending journey of self-discovery. Mental noting can be a useful tool to help us stay grounded during our practice, build a deeper understanding of ourselves, and most importantly, remind us that we are so much more than what we think!
The Power of a Loving Presence