The mind has a natural downward and outward pull.

The untrained mind will pull you DOWN into spinning thoughts saturated in emotion an our personal narrative. The untrained mind constantly pulls itself OUT of present moment, to an imagined state somewhere in the mixture of the future or the past. Our minds will often completely fabricates stories in front of our own face while we do something that has no relationship to what we are thinking!

You know what I am talking about. You are driving to work, thinking about something you dread about the upcoming day/week or thinking about something you regret about your weekend. We often “space out” into an experience that is not present reality. To transcend the mind one must learn about its conditioned tendencies and capabilities.

There are two “states” of minds or more like two lenses available to see each experience through.

The majority of humanity is always in their “ego” state of mind. This is the reactionary mind that is that “voice in your head”. This is you as a personality, as a surface level experience. This is the mind that judges and compartmentalizes. The mind that sits in emotions and old stories. Obviously, this lens bring disconnect, unnecessary suffering, and loneliness or a longing for something more/ else.

This is the mind that sits in feelings of not-enoughness, shame, or anger. This is the mind heard through your inner voice that is righteous and loves to ague. (It even argues itself sometimes just to get attention!)

The ego mind is about survival and creates separateness from other individuals and the need to dominate or retreat in all experiences for SURVIVAL. This is the mind that would think one human is better or worse than another human.

The ego mind is loud and mean, lonely and bullied. We tend to let it rule our understanding of ourselves and existence but it does not have the truest answers. This ego mind confuses you as the conditioned belief that you are what you look like and what you do, instead of the spirit having a human experience.

Alternatively, you also have a “pure consciousness” lens, known in yoga as buddhi mind. This takes a bit of remembering and definitely some practice …

Your higher mind has an elevated perspective, I think of it like an aerial view. With this lens you are able to see the reactions of the ego mind show up in the field of consciousness but you do not take them personal or need to react!

Buddhi mind is often called intelligence as it stems from the root word- bodhe which translates as “to know”. It is a lens that sees everyone as a spirit in a body working through their own individual karmas. It is loving and accepting and understands that an experience we have in life cannot change out brilliant shining light of a soul!

To have the wits to choose your pure conscious mind over your ego mind will bring you loads of long term peace. To start seeing the distinction between the observer and the small self practice guided meditation.

Eventually you can bring mindful awareness into every experience that comes your way.

I started bringing mindfulness off my mat and cushion and into my car. The car was where I noticed I was always rushing ahead to an imagined future experience or stuck in a past conversation. The car is where I saw myself get upset and frustrated by other drivers. I was always leaning forward (out of alignment!) and my energy was sharp and tight. Slowly, I have made it a habit to be checked in while driving instead of checked out!

I make it a practice to have the music off and bring intentionality and presence into my drives. It is my practice to notice the ego pattern of spacing out and talking in circles in my own head. I drive watching the thoughts that show up about my experience and re-pattern my mind, through mantra, when I encounter untruthful or un-serving thought patterns.

I also intentionally do this while standing in the bank (pre- COVID) and post office lines.