Scientists have estimated that you receive 2 million bits of information through your sensory channels each second.
Every single second. They suggest that approximately 134 bits of this information is actually processed on the conscious level. The remaining information gets stored at the subconscious level. Beneath the tip of the iceberg.
All of this data is ignored as it doesn’t match the “programming” of your brain’s search engine.
This “Google” function of your brain is mostly unconscious and works in coordination with the search engine “rules” which were learned (conditioned) as you grew. These rules guide your focus and influence perception and response to your reality. Becoming aware of your unconscious programming – those rules that guide your search engine and allow the 134 bits of information into your awareness – will help you tweak the rules that govern your living.
Brain Stilling also shifts stress chemicals to feel good chemicals that increase comfort, peace, and enjoyment.
Meditators know this experience. When you quiet the outer noise, those unconscious “rules” bubble up to the surface for your review. Once seen, you have the possibility for transformation. The benefit of stilling the mind and nervous system is enhanced when this practice is integrated in your waking moments.
Choosing a minute of stillness multiple times throughout the day has great benefit.
It just feels good to sit still. To stop moving, put down the phone, and step away from the tasks of living. Choosing a beautiful, natural environment encourages this practice. It doesn’t have to be complicated. I often stand in my driveway before leaving for work. Brainstilling: One Minute at a Time.Or sit on my deck and watch the trees dance. I sit in the dark at the end of the day or spend a minute in a parking lot before entering a store.
These minutes of stilling add up to a quieter mind and a calmer nervous system.
Brain stilling and becoming quiet is a dedicated practice. It is so simple that it requires reminders for most people, including me. While there is a benefit of a once a day stilling practice, you’ll get a more sustained effect when you build in minutes (or more) of stillness throughout your day.
It goes without saying that stilling involves silence.
The mind doesn’t quiet, nor does the body, when you’re yapping away. Create some mini space where you won’t be disturbed. Keep your eyes open. Just notice how your body is breathing you. And where your eyes wander. Thoughts will come and go. No need to manage them or prod them with your tiny spear.
Stilling is simple: Breathe in life. Sit still and be quiet. Enjoy the peace.
A silent, stilling practice will enhance your mental awareness and support health within your body, mind, and emotions. It opens a way into exploration of your inner nature and the spiritual path that beckons. In this complex, contentious society, simplicity is useful. Allowing your discovery of what’s below the billion bits of data flowing through the mind.
Discovering that stillness is your essential nature.
