Taming the Negative Mind

How are those New Year’s Resolutions feeling? Right about now tends to be the time when you might find yousrelf slipping into a bit of a shame spiral. I truly hope that’s not the case because while goals are wonderful and important, they’re never a reason to beat yourself up, or allow yourself to get stuck.

There’s a ton of research that shows that self criticism takes a very real toll on our health. When we get caught up in self blame, worry and guilt we stimulate inflammatory mechanisms in our bodies that set the stage for chronic illness and accelerate aging,

In yogic terms, we refer to one aspect of our psyche as the Negative Mind. When the Negative Mind is in balance it gives helpful signals to protect and guide us. But unchecked, the Negative Mind leads to cycles of counterproductive rumination which increases our risk for symptoms of depression, anxiety, as welll addictive behaviors and a negative sense of self.

One of my favorite evidence based meditations to balance the Negative Mind is a Kundalini Breathing Practice designed specifically to clear the subconscious of unwanted negative thoughts.

The practice involves anchoring your attention on your breath as a tool to stay present without getting lost in destructive judgments, stories and assumptions.

Click on the link here for instructions: Meditation For the Negative Mind.

My wish for you is that you take the time to train yourself to celebrate the wins, learn from the ups and downs and come from kindness every moment you can.