Find Your Oasis of Calm…

In a busy life, it can be very challenging to find the space to relax and unwind. Most of us aren’t even aware of the need to turn down the stress. We’re so accustomed to being mentally active that we forget that our minds need a break in the same way that our bodies need to rest, sleep and recover. If we’re not engaged with work, we pour our attention into social media or watch a movie. Anything to keep ourselves distracted from the emptiness of a quiet mind. This is not the healthiest way to live nor to make the best use of our mental faculties.

In many ancient traditions, before the modern concept of the ego was developed, the mind was understood as an extension of the personality. Today, with the convenience of a label that refers to our sense of personal identity as the ego, we can say that our minds are a product of our self-image. It might seem strange that something as familiar and apparently useful as our minds could be attributed to our egos. It isn’t a comfortable assertion because we place so much importance on our mental faculties whilst harbouring less positive associations with the ego. But, if the ego is the primal source of our mental activity, it’s no surprise that it expends so much energy maintaining the dominance of our thoughts and feelings. When the mind becomes still, the ego dissolves. This might be extremely beneficial for our personal development, for our understanding and fulfilment but it must be deeply disturbing for the ego, whose fragile existence is so easily questioned by the simple expedient of calming our mental activity.

The ego exists as a persistent yet wholly insubstantial illusion. When the mind becomes quiet, the ego is denied the raw fuel that sustains its existence. Without the interpretative lens of the ego, our perception shifts profoundly and our connection to the world changes. Our stress and anxiety melt away. We discover a world of profound peace and clarity where our thoughts no longer disturb our tranquility. Breathing more deeply, relaxing all the physical tension in our bodies, learning to notice the stream of consciousness as an objective observer who no longer reacts to the chaotic flow of thoughts and feelings. In this natural frame of existence, we lose the superficial sense of self that worries and frets over every aspect of our lives. We discover that we are far more than the fragile layers of personality that obscure our true nature. Learning to relax, to pay less attention to the constant stream of thoughts and feelings, to breathe more deeply and calmly, to allow the layers of distraction to subside, to float in a realm of deeply-healing peacefulness. This is where you will discover levels of wellbeing and happiness that the ego has hidden from you for most of your life.

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