The mind is what connects our soul to the body during a lifetime. Together with the body (the vehicle that takes us through life), the mind is a powerful instrument that helps us navigate this universe. It stores and processes memories of every day that we live. The mind is directly connected to our ancestors’ experiences through memories encrypted in our DNA. The better we know our roots, the more we can understand where we stand today.
What we think becomes who we are. This can be a beneficial thing if we have control of our mind, but also detrimental if we are being controlled by negative thoughts and emotions.
A Pure Mind
Working with children for many years gave me the extraordinary opportunity to better understand different types of personalities. It is what some would call ‘old soul’ or ‘young unexperienced soul’ concepts, which shows a big contrast between different children’s personalities before they start to shape themselves according to their environment (family, school and friends).
To understand better the mind of a child, one may compare it to a new computer which has just been installed with a new operating system. There is no other software installed and rebooting the computer takes very little time because there are no programs running in the background.
As we advance in age, we go through more and more daily experiences. Every experience creates a small addition to the main software, updating it day by day. When we start a new day, we want to avoid reliving past experiences, as memories that are emotionally charged could be overwhelming. The best solution for this is to practice detachment.
When we’re children, we are, by default, research engineers. We want to taste, touch and feel everything in order to learn more. We dream up and imagine things boundlessly until a grown up tells us what is allowed and what is forbidden. In other words, we learn boundaries, some of which are necessary but many can infringe upon and limit our natural creativity and genius. We get told what is deemed possible or not from a young age. Imagine what we could dream up and create as adults if we didn’t have the inhibitions set in place while we were children. There would truly be no limits!
Waking up in the morning with stress, anxiety and overthinking bothersome matters make one just like a computer that runs multiple programs in the background. In other words, it won’t allow us to function properly with the programs we intend to run.
Keeping the Mind ‘Clean’
Practicing detachment is equivalent to reformatting the mind, reverting it back to a child’s state of mind. It is an unfortunate misconception to think that the mind may only be mastered through the mind itself. Ki Train Method practitioners know otherwise:
- Balanced Nutrition
Balancing our organs lets us create the premise for a balanced physical body. This translates into a more powerful body that will be capable of handling better the circumstances of life. If our liver is in perfect condition, it will handle any case of anger or frustration better. When the kidneys are functioning at their best, stress and anxiety will be dealt with better.
Taking care of the body through balanced nutrition and regular detoxification will ultimately support the overall health of the mind.
2. Open your Meridians with Qi Gong
Qi Gong is a magical art. The result of regular practice is opening up the meridians and increasing overall energy flow in the body. The habit of focusing on the three Dantian centers (low – the digestive system, center – the respiratory system and heart, high – the management office, the brain) will increase our capability of looking at life from an observer point of view, which enables us to become wiser all together.
3. Relax with Tai Chi
A relaxed body translates into a relaxed mind. Every thought has a reflection in the physical body. More negative thoughts will impact the body by blocking the flow of energy, resulting in stiffness and, if not released in appropriate time, even pain.
Tai Chi helps us to relax the body. Another benefit of Tai Chi is aligning the logical side of the brain with the emotional one, fulfilling the old saying: think with your heart.
4. Increase Sensorial Abilities
Simple exercises of increasing self-awareness are accessible to anyone interested in expanding their mind. Doing certain activities blindfolded may bring about a new universe to those who want to try it. The more powerful and developed our regular senses are, the more we can work on our sixth sense and intuition.
5. Excellent Sleep Quality
Sleep is the time during which the mind updates itself. For those who want to conquer their mind, it is impossible to do so if they are sleep deprived or waking up tired. Eliminate all obstacles preventing you from getting perfect sleep, until you are satisfied with the results. The goal is to wake up fully rested. If you do not, it is impossible to work on your mind.
6. Harmony in the Environment
From electromagnetic influences (invisible enemies) to disturbing sounds, from the colors of your clothes to the colors of your home and office walls, everything in our environment affects us in one way or another. Some elements may be within our power to change and some are not. More or less, we are in control of our environment, so bringing harmony into it will bring harmony to our mind.
7. Definite Purpose. Knowing where to Focus
Last but not least, our focus should always be on our desired direction in life, chosen exclusively by us and not by other people. Social convenience might adjust our behavior and words, but nobody should tell you how to think, nor should you allow anyone to. What you think is your choice.
Words of Advice from a 250-year-old Man
I’m quoting below a passage from the book “The Immortal” – True accounts of the 250-Year-Old Man, Li Qinqyun – translated by Stuart Alve Olson. If you are interested in longevity, order the book here, for 39 USD.
At the age of 40, Li Qingyun understood that his mind had to be calm and free of stress for optimal health. He lived the rest of his life by this rule.
Li Qingyun was able to live as long as 250 years because of the following reasons:
- He started traveling in the mountains at a young age with three accomplished herb gatherers who knew how to live in harmony with nature, which is where he acquired the foundation of longevity.
- During his life, he never ingested manufactured pharmaceuticals, ar ate processed foods with preservatives.
- He lived a life free of stress, maintaining a calm and easygoing state of mind.
- He practiced exercises, internal and external, to keep his body healthy and his min sound. (he walked 50 km every day)
- He lived in nature almost his entire life, drinking fresh water from streams, walking everywhere, and eating the freshest of herbs and plants.
- He practiced meditation and internal alchemy Daoist techniques.