10 tools and practices for a healthy mind
A healthy mind is one that has clarity, or a clear perception of reality. A healthy mind is unoccupied by chatter. Unconscious mental chatter consumes precious life energy. A healthy mind is not scared to be empty, spacious, and void of identity. When we want to cook a meal, we prefer a kitchen sink that is empty, clean, and ready to use. Imagine washing the same dirty dishes over and over again every time you walk into the kitchen. We cultivate negative emotions of fear, worry, anxiety, guilt and blame with our cyclical compulsive thoughts. Are we aware of what we are thinking, moment to moment, or are we washing the same dirty dishes over and over again?
How do we empty out our mind and keep it clean from pervasive karmic memory so that we can prosper in our authentic dharma? Its so simple, really! We 'brainwash' our mind with our breath. Yes, the air we breathe cleanses our mind of unconscious chatter, egoic stories and compulsive thought. That’s right. We all have the power right now to take full responsibility for our mental health in every breath and every moment. We scrub the mind with oxygen with every nourishing inhale, and empty it out of carbon dioxide with every deepening exhale. As we make the conscious breathwork practice a priority, we eventually observe our monkey mind’s debilitating thought forms that cultivate feelings of distrust, anger, frustration, doubt, blame, and worry.
As our breath deepens through practice, the conscious space towards the back of our head begins to play witness to the unconscious chatter in the frontal lobe. It then becomes a matter of desire. Do we want to have self-mastery over our mind? How would such mastery of our mind serve us anyway? Would it make us more attentive? More pleasant to be around? More successful? More joyful? Could we really have spent 15 years of our life training our minds to understand math, yet never ever training our minds to understand the mind itself? Self-mastery of our mind allows us to intentionally guide our life experience. In other words, regardless of the situation, environment, or circumstances, we have the unique ability to manifest our destiny, and along our journey cultivate joy, happiness, and pleasantness within through conscious thought. Let's do this!
1. Be humble in our thoughts and open to the vastness of the universe. Repeat after me, “I don’t know.”
2. Breathe or inhale calmly through our nose to wash our brains (i.e. brainwash) and exhale deeply through our nose to empty out or dissolve all that is not us.
3. 'Accept' what is in our perception of reality. 'Allow' the unfolding of the phenomenon of being alive. 'Surrender' the mind and call in the infinite possibilities.
4. Realize that judgements and opinions such as likes and dislikes can create separation within and all around us. Unity is where the synchronicities are experienced.
5. Take 100% responsibility for our mental health by cultivating appreciation, gratitude, and joy in our life experience.
6. Empty our minds to let go of identification and attachment to anyone or anything. Appreciate that we are not our bodies or our minds.
7. Recognize the mortality of being human and live each moment as if it is our last.
8. Practice yoga, union, and connection. Increase our flexibility, lower our resistance, and align our posture.
9. Sit still with strong spine, be quiet, and meditate. Consciously close our eyes while awake to observe the movement of our thoughts without judgement.
10. Eat watery, simple and whole foods from the ground that nourish the mind. Avoid complex recipes, acidic, and processed foods that cultivate compulsive thoughts.
It is believed that the monks that live upwards of 200 years graze on wild Brahmi (Gotu Kola and Bacopa) to promote longevity. Brahmi is known to quell the chatter, clear the mind, and calm the system. It is profound in its ability to lower mental consumption of precious life energy in the system. Today we share a trio of Kauai Farmacy products crafted with Brahmi in them with the intention to support mental well-being. They include our most popular Gotu Kola tincture. Gotu Kola is synonymous with brain health in Ayurvedic medicine. This fragile and precious plant pops up only as a volunteer in the gardens. Its sister herb, Bacopa, is crafted in our Brahmi Tincture, which is also intended to support mental clarity and a calm nervous system. Lastly, is our newest Tea blend we call Claritea. This Tea blend has been exquisitely and mindfully crafted to relax the mind, clear our thoughts, and support mental clarity. It is within our power to be fully responsible for our mental health with every breath. These plants are here to teach our precious, little, and powerful mind how to be.
