Way back before I discovered the nervous system approach to unleashing the beast, I did what everyone else does:
I did everything I could to control my computer (aka. my mind).
I remember meditating beside the lake at Chiang Mai University in Thailand.
I’d close my eyes and do my best to focus on my breath for 20 minutes.
And guess what?
It actually worked!
My mind would settle down and I’d experience silence inside my head.
Problem was…
Once I opened my eyes and got on with my day, the mind returned – often with a vengeance.
In that sense, meditation absolutely did NOT work.
I also journaled, made endless lists of what I was grateful for, hired coaches and therapists where I talked about what was on my mind, tried breath work, yoga and of course, inflatable butt plugs 😈
But while all of it helped momentarily, it didn’t shift the really-deep-rooted thought patterns and beliefs.
Then one day, a very wise woman told me that I had it all backwards.
Instead of controlling my mind, she said I needed to control my flesh sack (aka. my body).
Control the flesh sack to control the computer.
So I tried it.
I stopped focusing on my mind with its endless amount of thoughts…
…and started focusing on my body.
Specifically –
I started “orienting” with the head, neck and eyes.
See, the head, neck and eyes are closely tied in with our threat detection / fight-or-flight system.
That means…
If I look around my environment as if I’m anxious, with my eyes darting around rapidly and my neck lurching all over the place, I’ll activate my body’s fight-or-flight response.
Problem is…
Fight-or-flight feels a lot like anxiety with all its frustrating symptoms (including a racing mind and lots of thoughts).
The solution?
Let the muscles around your eyes relax and soften your gaze while looking around the room slowly… LAZILY… as if you have all the time in the world.
This sends a message to your nervous system that you are SAFE… because hey, if you weren’t safe, like if there was a tiger (or screaming parent) nearby, would you be looking around the room slowly and lazily?
Of course not.
You’d be tense and looking around rapidly, desperately trying to stay focused on the threat in order to avoid it.
So if you ARE looking around slowly, your nervous system goes…
“Oh, I guess I must be safe, so I’m going to relax out of fight-or-flight…”
As you come out of high-activation fight-or-flight, your whole nervous system relaxes. This includes your mind and that means your mind quietens down.
Not because you meditated or did any of the usual “mind management” strategies.
Because you used your body to send a message to your mind.
I teach this technique in Rage 19 inside Rageheart. It’s just ONE of a whole laundry list of techniques in the program – all designed to help you regulate your nervous system and control your mind by controlling your body.
If you want more techniques like this, sign up for a FREE trial of Rageheart today while it’s open.
Here’s the link to join:
https://www.rageheart.co/app/
If you’re already a member and feeling the impulse (Rage 9), hit the “Sign In” link on that page and do another rage. WHAT A RHYME!
Cheers,
John Wood