Even if there are many things to correct in your life, a few simple, well-directed changes can trigger your healing and awakening processes. Most of the time, we are overwhelmed with options that eventually lead to confusion. So every monthly challenge is a guide for you to discover new simple habits and life-hacks to incorporate into your routine. They are simple, yes, but effective!
Most of us are taught that the mind is mostly rational and logical. Some of us may also have learned by now that in our mind’s functioning deep emotional elements are involved, and that body and mind are intrinsically connected. Yet, all of this still misunderstood or underestimates the true power and essence of the mind.
The mind is a tool given to the soul to find solutions to problems. Its power is meant to let us adapt and manifest ourselves in the happiest and most assertive way. And as a gift from God, it holds the spiritual power of intuition.
All of this complexity makes the mind a very powerful resource. So powerful that it requires a lot of work and commitment to train it and put it in your favor.
This challenge is meant to give you the basic steps or habits to develop a meditative mind. That is, a mind capable of staying as silent and clear as possible, so you can use all its intelligences (rational, emotional, and intuitive) to stay happy.
No matter if you already practice meditation or yoga or have zero experience with it. This Monthly Wellness Challenge will lead you into the most basic habits to harvest that clarity and peace of mind.
Each monthly challenge is composed of 4 simple activities for you to focus on one per week, and most of them will take less than 10 minutes a day! There are weekly trackers that help you see how far you’ve come and keep you going.
It’s fine if you want to do several or all the activities at the same time, or keep doing the first week’s activities while progressively adding the next ones, or even continue them after the month is over! But it is better to follow one habit at a time and do it well, than to try to do several without completing any of them.
- Explanation of each week’s challenge and its importance.
- Basic instructions for each challenge that you can follow along.
- Weekly trackers that you can print out and track your progress.
- Prompts and quotes to inspire you daily.
- Tips to get the most out of the challenge.
- Lists of ideal foods and other complementary hacks.
The activities are designed to be as simple as possible, and adaptable to the needs or conditions of everyone. Please read the instructions and suggestions for each activity carefully. If you still have doubts or find it difficult, we include four activities per month, so you can focus on the ones that are easiest for you.
It may happen that the challenge or some activity connects with your soul or current needs in such a way that you want to focus on that aspect of your life. That’s why after every activity we suggest specialists and activities at Keyani to guide you in that process. Or you can contact us and we will guide you to the therapist or activity that best fits your needs.
Keep reading if you want to know more about the topic of the month: Mindful Eating, what it’s all about, and what challenges and blessings it brings to your life.
Table of Contents
There is so much noise in the world defying our balance and peace of mind, from outwards and also from inwards, that is from the mind and emotions itself. And yes, such kind of stress has always existed. Yet, the current times we’re living in generate much more mental stress than ever before. Thus, it has become more necessary than ever to find resources to not just relax and release stress, but to know the mind and how to keep it balanced.
This also happens because there are so many paradigms fading away, that our mind needs to reconnect with our soul’s voice and unleash its full potential to deal effectively with the process. You can get this by developing a meditative mind.
What does it mean to develop a meditative mind?
Maybe by reading the term “meditative mind” you’re thinking of sitting down and meditating during the whole day, moving to a Buddhist monastery in the Himalayas, or living in some kind of trance or altered state of consciousness.
Well, obviously, that’s not our point. In short words, by developing a meditative mind we refer to awakening intuition and the power to manage your thoughts and feelings from your essence. It is transcending reactivity and understanding that as a human, you have the god given right of being truly sovereign and happy. You have the power to govern from the will of the spirit and use the law of attraction in your favor, so emotions and materialism rule your world no more.
In order to achieve this, there are a few principles to follow no matter what you do or the meditative practice you follow:
- Be honest with yourself: If you want a clear mind, you need to be honest to yourself. This means observe and accept your emotions, reactions, and the true intention of the things you do.
- Be humble and use every experience to learn: Life is full of opportunities and lessons, if you’re open to learn from them. Most people and situations, especially those that provoke intense reactions or disturbance in us, are meant to be our best teachers. It may take a long time and even pain, but it will worth it.
- Build up a habit, and then the habit will sustain you: a healthy and balanced mind requires mindful habits and mental care to stay clear just as your body needs taking showers regularly and other hygienic habits to stay clean and healthy.
- Know thyself, including your mind: As everything is a learning process, let such experiences guide you to know yourself. That includes your true personality (the one beyond masks and reactivity that starts to fade away once you begin your spiritual awakening), your preferences, and your purpose. Learning about the basics of the mind will also help you a lot to understand yourself a lot and be more compassionate.
The ‘Anatomy of the Mind’: Negative, Positive, and Neutral
The Negative Mind: protection and conservatism
The first mind on the list is the one that is deeply linked to the instinctive self. The need for protection and to cover the most basic aspects of life is attended by the Negative Mind. The term ‘negative’ doesn’t mean it’s bad, but just the energetic polarity it represents.
When balanced, you can set priorities and attend properly to the pillars of what for you is living happy and safe. The unbalance of this mind is expressed by excessive fear and greed. The fear that doesn’t let people move forward to be happy and just stay in their comfort zone instead.
The negative mind can be mastered by understanding that true security and tranquility can be found when you’re yourself and are at peace with who you are. Most of your fears and illusions and projections, and God is the true healer and sustainer. Thus, there is no need to be afraid of either the external ‘menaces’ or the inner shadows.
The Positive Mind: Projection and Confidence
This part evaluates the potential benefits and connects with your desires and belongings. Just as the Negative Mind connects with the lower instincts and the past, the Positive Mind projects you into the future and invites you to take risks and give yourself a try.
When balanced, you dare to move forward and take risks. You have a vision of what you want in your life, and you are rational enough to give logical steps that will surely guide you to success, or at least give the best of you (which is a victory by itself).
When unbalanced, the positive mind leads to disorder and continuous failure due to excessive optimism without measuring the risks and consequences of actions. It may even lead to some kind of ‘bipolarity’, that is living periods of excessive joy and optimism followed by depressive episodes.
The mastery of the Positive Mind comes when you just act and project guided by your purpose. And you know you’re connected to your purpose because, even though you truly intend to succeed or get that dream done, you are in peace and are not waiting to get anything to feel that peace. A mastered Positive Mind is also aware of the power of attraction and deep focus to ease the achievement of such goals.
The Neutral Mind: Intuition and Judging from your Soul
“You have three minds: negative, positive and neutral. A person who does not deal with the neutral mind, even with all the wealth, shall not prosper and can’t be happy because negative and positive cancel each other. It is the neutral mind which becomes the intuitive force in you.” – Yogi Bhajan, Master of Kundalini Yoga
All people continuously connect with the two aspects of the mind mentioned above: Positive and Negative. Yet, not everybody is aware or makes use of the power of the Neutral Mind, let alone on a regular basis.
The Neutral Mind is a tool of the soul that must be awakened and constantly refined or trained. It goes far beyond that just a balance point between the Positive and Negative Mind, as it lets you judge and decide considering also your identity, your purpose, and your intuition. Awakening the Neutral Mind allows you to not let the emotions (negative Mind) and thoughts (Positive Mind) cloud your discernment.
Neutral, but not balanced
Yet, despite sounding like a perfect aspect of the Mind, the Neutral Mind can also get unbalanced or out of control. This happens when people feel disregard for everything, or the emotional world gets too cooled down, thus meaning that such excessive neutrality is a facade covering up some deep trauma of repressed feelings.
Therefore, it’s the awakening and mastery of the Neutral Mind that opens up the way for a meditative mind. You live and decide from your soul, while keeping alive the fire of your purpose, own criteria, and joy.
Developing a meditative mind doesn’t mean that all your decisions will be right, or that you won’t ever face pain and harsh lessons in life. You’re still a human! It means that an unbeatable spark of hope and divine guidance will stay alive within you guiding your way on
And what about the ‘Law of Attraction’?
The path of spiritual awakening makes you perceive better over time how everything is connected. The spiritual, mental, and physical dimensions of the Universe are all one. Thus, you can influence each one of them in many different ways.
By developing a meditative mind, you start using this power of attraction consciously. It’s always been there, but the loss of control of your thoughts and emotions didn’t let you perceive that it was working (and most of the time, against you).
Remember, everything that happens in your life has a reason and a message. That means you somehow attract all situations in your life. However, you have the power to change first your reactions and opinions about what happens, and henceforth change your context.
The Cycle of Intellect
This is another great tool from the Yogic philosophy that may help you understand the role of your mind and what means to awaken true free will. The cycle of Intellect graphs the flow of energy (emotions and thoughts) through the mind and when the meditative mind can act in order to overcome reactivity and choose from the true voice of the soul. From the vedic perspective, it is getting out of the wheel of karma to start living from the Dharma.
Basic Habits for a Meditative Mind
The following habits are among the fundamental resources to harvest mindful eating in your routine.
Practice gratitude
One way to awaken that humbleness of the spirit is to appreciate everything that happens. Even the bad situations or outcomes are teachings for your soul. If you thank EVERYTHING, your intuitive receptivity, which is a pillar of a meditative mind, will increase and get refined.
Physical activity and get close to nature
We’re living in a world with so much mental activity and stress, that some physical activity and exposure to natural places can help more than you imagine to recover balance. Nature is our true home, and physiological stress levels are reduced significantly every time you stay for at least 30 minutes in natural places.
Practice breathwork and yoga
Breathing is the remote control of the mind. Discovering and using the power of Pranayamas (controlled breathing patterns) or just breathing slowly and deeply for a few minutes can help you find mental balance and awaken your intuition. It works much better if combined with yoga or other related practices.
Screen Breaks
One of the new and more underestimated sources of stress is information overload. Give you some breaks during the day and especially at night.
Listen to your heart
Literally, listening to your physical heart is a easy way to get back to your center and find peace. This is done by palpating your pulse, preferably on your wrist or at least in your neck. This is an innate reflex, since we were listening our mother’s heart when inside the womb. Also, from a spiritual perspective, listening to the voice of your soul is crucial for a balanced and peaceful mind. The better you tune to your soul’s purpose, the happier your life will become.
