Voices
the activity at the cost of the state.
My favorite illustration of this
distinction came from a friend who
was speaking at a major corporation
about research that showed most
people experienced their greatest
moments of quiet insight in the
shower. After the talk, which was
extremely well-received, one of the
heads of the company came up to
them and asked: “How long should I
get my people to shower each day?”
Chances are that some of the
most profound experiences of stillness, inner quiet, and peace of mind
you have experienced in your life
occurred far away from the meditation pillow. Walking in nature, sipping a cappuccino, looking out over
the ocean, and communing with a
cat have all been known to induce
a quiet mind, yet the simple secret
behind all these activities is this:
The nature of your mind is quiet;
the nature of your being is well.
So the fastest way to a quiet
mind is not a particular practice,
whether spiritual or secular; it
is simply to realize the nature of
mind itself.
Of course, if your mind is spinning away at a million miles an hour
right now, trying to sort out the
world, your life, and everyone in it,
that’s probably not so much a com-
MICHAEL
NEILL
forting insight as an annoying one.
“Oh, I see, all I have to do is realize the nature of mind? Why didn’t
anyone just say so? I could’ve saved
myself years of practice, not to
mention thousands of dollars on
books, medication, and courses...”
But stick with me a few moments longer. If the nature of your
mind is quiet, then there’s nothing
you need to do in order to “quiet”
it. Just let it be, and it will return
to quiet all by itself.
That’s different from trying to
“stop thinking” or even “watching
your thoughts.” It’s simply allowing enough space in your life (and in
your head) for the “thought dust” to
settle, and then resting in the peace
that naturally arises into that space.
Can meditation, exercise, walks
in nature, long showers, and communing with cats help? Sometimes.
But if you notice that you’re spending more time trying to do self-care
than time feeling cared for in yourself, why not just take a few moments out right now to enjoy the
experience of being alive?
Worst case, you’ll feel a little bit
better and enjoy yourself a little bit
more; best case, you’ll drop straight
into the natural quiet of your mind
and drink deeply from
the well of your being.
HUFFINGTON
03.10.13