Quiet the Mind: Discovering my Daily Routine
I used to be an over thinker. I would hear voices all the time in my head. It was fascinating how my mind could produce a voice with so much energy, constantly bombarding me with questions like "what if I do this?", "what would happen if I did that?", and "what if this or that?" The problem was that it was taking all my energy out, and preventing me from moving forward. I was trapped in a spinning top that never stops.
The first time I realized I needed to quiet my mind was in 2011. The previous year had generated a lot of anxiety, which I tried to ignore until my body started showing symptoms - weird sensation of spinning, dizziness, and tension in my head, as if something might fall on me at any moment. The first person I turned to was Google. As expected, the worst possible scenarios came up. It ended up having to undergo a brain MRI, which thankfully came back normal.
However, the dizzy sensations persisted, and I knew I had to explore other options to manage my anxiety. My mind was controlling me. It was the pilot of my life, not me. So, I had to figure out how to regain control of myself.
Exploration 1: therapy. Big failure. I quit at the second session.
Exploration 2: meditation. Back then, meditation apps weren't as common as they are now. I tried sitting down, closing my eyes, and focusing on nothing. But my mind was like a runaway race car going at the speed of light, and trying to make it stop was like trying to slam on the brakes in one go. Conclusion, it didn't work out. I tried three times, and gave up.
Exploration 3: Vinyasa yoga. I and stretchy yoga postures were never really the best of friends. When asked to touch my feet while standing, my hands could only reach the higher levels of my knees. Hence, holding the postures made every cell in my body cry out, while the voice in my head came back louder, 'Why are you doing this? I already feel bad enough.' So again, not for me.
Still, something inside me urged me to keep exploring.
Exploration 4: Kundalini yoga. I'll never forget my first classes. When I walked out, I felt completely spaced out, and on the way back home, I couldn't help but laugh at how weird it all seemed. The class combined yoga kriyas with a specific breath I hadn't encountered before, as well as music. We would end with a chanted meditation.
It wasn’t until I had to synchronize my body, my breath, my voice, my ears to unusual movements, to unfamiliar rhythms, to ancient words, that I finally found a way to calm my mind…
I practiced Kundalini Yoga inconsistently for 10 years, only once or twice a month. However, the stress of the Covid-19 pandemic pushed me to take action before falling into 2011 old patterns. By the end of 2021, I committed to practicing Kundalini Yoga every day through a structured teacher training program.
After three or four months of daily practice, I began to feel more in control of my thoughts. The spinning top that had kept me stuck began to slow and point in a direction. My mind opened and I could finally start to grow.
What about you? What is your daily routine to quiet the mind?
There are countless options, such as dancing to playing music or chess, writing poetry, singing, chanting mantras, meditation, breathwork, or even swimming in very cold water. Start with just one minute each day, and gradually increase to three or five minutes. Try practicing at different times of day to see what works best for you.
Feeling you do not have time? Then just notice the chatting in your head, and look up or look at the sky.
If you want to change your life, start with the mind.
