Let’s start by breaking down what the mind is in the first place. When we think of the mind, we usually associate it with chatter, lots of “rooftop” chatter. We also believe that it is the mind/and or the brain that is our tool to learn, understand and process information.
Although this seems very true, understanding what the mind is, as well as the brain is truly a mystery. Throughout the day, we have thoughts running through are heads and we have no idea how they are generated. Some thoughts can be really random and either negative or positive. In some cases, our thoughts can be very disturbing and sometimes very weird. Am I alone in noticing this phenomenon?
When we speak about mindfulness, we assume that we have good thoughts and are “thoughtful” people. This usually means we think of others or we think of greater things than ourselves. But does this truly come from the mind and even though we are thinking of others, that can also be rather negative or positive. Mindfulness usually is associated with something positive, thank goodness.
What I have come to realize is that we have two minds that reside in our body. Mindfulness and mindful living seems to come from the heart rather than the brain. When one is led by the heart, one can only think or feel something positive and greater. The regular mind that we think is responsible for all that head chatter likes to break things down rather than allow things to expand.
Mindful living is about expanding one’s perspective and consciousness in this world. Being mindful means that you care, not only about yourself, but about everything other than you. In a way, I would prefer to call it, “heartful living.”
When we think from our heart, a whole different world is created and experience. When we think from our minds, we all can agree that it can get really confusing sometimes. The heart is never confused. The heart always knows what’s best for you and the world. So from now on, I will refer to mindful living as a healthy way to navigate this lifetime. However, I will believe that heartful living is the only way to navigate period.
