Trouble meditating? Can’t turn off your brain? Let's train your mind.

Honestly, this isn't about "turning off" your brain. Thoughts will naturally rise and fall in those first few minutes as you begin to settle, especially if you're new to meditation or carry what's often called a "busy brain."

You may be advised to observe each thought and release it as quickly as it arrives, rather than reasoning with it, questioning it, or letting it marinate — but this is a tall order when you're not used to doing it.

Good news: did you know your mind can be trained out of overthinking? It's a muscle, after all — and like any muscle, it grows and changes shape through practice and repetition.

An Imagination Game to Retrain Your Mind

After setting your intention for meditation and engaging the body with a few deep breaths, get comfortable and settle in — however long that takes you. As thoughts roll in, let's play an imagination game: each thought that surfaces gets placed into a bottle. Picture it clearly — placing the thought inside, corking the bottle, and releasing it into a river. Watch it drift with the current and disappear around the bend.

It may take some discipline to visualize this at first, but I invite you to lean into it. What does the river look like? Is it a gentle trickle or a wide rushing force? Is the water clear or is there sunlight reflecting off the surface? Is there sun? Is this a place you have been before? Are you surrounded by trees, and if so what kind of trees? Is there grass or sand underfoot, or are you sitting on a rock? What shape is the bottle? What colour is it?

The more detail you bring, the more it sharpens your visualization skills — skills that serve you deeply in a BQH PLR session, and in seeing through your mind's eye, your Third Eye. It gets easier with practice, and you'll find the process itself keeps your mind occupied, naturally limiting the thoughts trying to crowd in.

Know that nothing is lost. You can always return to collect these thoughts later, should you wish. Remind yourself: you are only setting them down for this moment — because this moment belongs to you, not to your thoughts.

Meditation Offers More Than Stillness

Part of your intention in meditation is learning to quiet the mind and honoring yourself with these moments of stillness.

Beyond this, meditation offers something deeper still: as you build this practice of boundaries and mindfulness, a new relationship to self forms. Your perspective naturally shifts and expands. You'll find yourself dealing with stresses far more clearly and grounded than before. Your reactions become deliberate and thoughtful. You may even be surprised to find yourself looking forward to a daily 5-10 minute meditation practice.

Other Ways to Train the Mind

There are many paths to the same destination — training the muscle we call the mind to slow down and simply be present:

• Star watching and cloud gazing

• Sitting or walking in nature

• Observing water

• Binaural beats and guided meditations

• Creating art, music, and dancing

• Moving practices like tai chi, qigong, and weight training

Each of these, in its own way, invites presence.

As your focus sharpens and your mind comes more fully under your own command, you'll find yourself naturally ready to explore deeper and longer states of meditation.

~ Christina Lee

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