“There is a hell lot of a difference between a quiet mind and an empty mind.”
I have a somewhat quiet mind right now.
It’s Sunday, as I type. November 3rd.
The football game is on mute because our guys aren’t having a good start and I’m trying a little professional sports voodoo.
I’ll let you know in a minute if it worked.
Having a quiet mind is not easy to do. The thoughts. And the more thoughts. They keep coming and rolling and messing with sleep and concentration. Trying to quiet the mind, to let the network of brain waves be at peace, requires some work.
When I began a yoga practice 15+ years ago, laying in shavasana (corpse pose) was the weirdest and hardest thing to do. The babbling in my head would not shut up and all I could think of was, “How long am I going to lay here? I have things to do!” Corpse pose comes at the end of practice, when one is supposed to be present on the yoga mat and give rest to the mind and body. I had to practice this a lot to get to a point where I could let go, be still, be quiet, and not keep thinking about what I was going to eat for supper.
Update on the game…
I don’t know who this team is on the field, but it’s not the Packers. I had to turn the game off for a while because my mind was being all kinds of bitchy. Far from quiet or empty.
Speaking of empty…
Writing.
It feels empty-minded sometimes. Like a coffee cup that has no joe and sits there, cold. No thoughts, no inspiration…nothing. And, for me, it’s brought on by the too-many-other-things in life and lack of time. It’s time, mostly. Sucks the words right out of me.
Almost didn’t write this post because of it.
I’ve been trying to crank something out in between watching a football game, turning off a football game, catching up with NCIS, turning the game back on, turning it off, on…
Last update: The Packers lost the game. Ugly. Very badly ugly.
I need different sports voodoo, but hopefully the team will quiet their minds from this loss and play better on Sunday.
And I’ll write from a functional mind.
With a full cup.
This post has been brought to you by coffee and shavasana and Linda Hill’s One-Liner Wednesday. If you are wondering what One-Liner Wednesday is all about, CLICK HERE.
Linda G. Hill is the Queen of One-Liners and rules over her kingdom of followers. Check out today’s post and commit yourself to join the Queen’s one-liner army because there’s no fighting or blood, only comradery and fun with words.
Mary J Melange 
“Monkey brain” seems to be going around right now. I too have a bad case of it and it paralyzes the creative part of the brain. The photos keep piling up and the ideas for art projects keeps piling up, but nothing gets done.
Maybe I need more time in shavasana.
I haven’t been in shavasana in several days and I think that’s contributing to the empty writing brain, along with the monkey brain. Too many things happening this week and into December, but it’s all good. We’ll both get around to our artsy fartsy creative side when the time is right.
I agree – there simply are too many things going on right now, but I’m not complaining … although sometimes I do think I tend to bite off more than I can chew.
We didn’t get my game in our area, so I watched yours. I was afraid to tweet 😦 That did not look like the Packers. Sorry. I have been hoping for my mind to empty itself of all the work thoughts, but it feels like the drain is clogged – emptying, but very slowly. I can’t imagine getting the thoughts to be quiet.
I hope you have a great rest of the week, and I hope your Packers come back on Sunday.
Well, YAY for the Steelers. At least they won! On any given day, things can go bad on the football field, but thank goodness there’s always “next time.” I’m hoping that the ugly loss will encourage those guys to have a pretty win on Sunday.
It’s going to take a while for work to totally leave your thoughts. You can’t turn it off with a switch, so just let it dribble out while you’re having a beer or a nap when you otherwise would have been working. The mind will clear of work soon enough.
Thanks. I am rooting for Green Bay whenever I can – that’s 30 out of 31 opponents and extra hard for Dallas and NE.
It worked for Dallas! The only way the Packers will play NE this year is if both teams end up in the Super Bowl and I really don’t want NE in the big game again. How boring.
I agree with that. I though you guys did play them this year.
I so get this
I think most of us do, Beth.
My joe is full but the mind is not cooperating. Feelin’ it, Mary.
Need a bigger cup, Lois! Or maybe a nap later…
I think the times when we are lost in concentration are the times we can most readily achieve an empty mind. We are totally in the moment. And for me, savasana was always th best part of yoga! 🙂
Laurie, I always look forward to corpse pose now because it’s a few minutes to be lost in emptiness before th mind and life fills up again.
Mary J, I understand that feeling all too well. My ideas often come when I’m doing some “mindless” chore that requires my hands to move without my head thinking too much — like scooping the litter box. (I remember some famous writer saying she got her ideas while doing the dishes — not so glamorus to get them from the litter box, but whatever…)
Since I’m terribly agoraphobic (more an anxiety disorder than a phobia), I often have a big dose of Monkey Mind too.
Chin rubs to the kitties. Hugs on the wing!
Teagan, have you ever read my post “Cat Poop & Jesus?” https://maryjmelange.wordpress.com/2017/03/01/cat-poop-jesus/
It’s whatever works – scooping, dishes, shopping for groceries – that fuels our creative minds.
Sorry about the agoraphobia, but I can see that it doesn’t affect how wonderfully well you write. Hugs back!
As one of my favorite yoga teachers used to say about everything: Isn’t that interesting? I’ve been in the most mellow mood lately, but I take your point. May you soon feel the restful quiet mind that you desire.
Thanks Ally. I will find quiet here and there, but the next month is an “interesting” one, both at work and at play. Looking forward to Christmas vacation as an opportunity to be still.
I think there are plenty of us who struggle with days when blankouts pop into our brains. Mine are rather inconvenient. Here’s hoping yours gets on its way soon.
I actually had a thought today about the focus of my next post, so now it’s simply a matter of finding time to write.
A quiet mind sounds peaceful. Maybe I should take up yoga. Sleeping through the night again without the aid of some sort of “trick” would be nice.
The nights I go to yoga, I do sleep better…more soundly…until the cat alarm goes off 😉
I understand this very well. Most days, I can zone out and zen in, and it’s good. But sometimes, I can’t seem to quiet it, so I chant. (Sometimes silently, cause people, but you know.) Chanting is helpful for mindfulness but it doesn’t do a damn thing for writing.
I hope you get some peace soon. Sounds like you need a bit of restoration. ❤
I’ll find peace here and there into the new year, but right now I need a little extra sleep and to stop putting things on my calendar. I do it to myself, the busyness.
I used to go to a yoga studio where we would do loud, vibrating OHMs at the end. I loved it, felt like a warm fuzzy. I think about doing that at work, by myself, but you know…people. My boss would probably think I finally went off the deep end.
Valid. Individually, most people respond to a quirk like ‘you do you; — but without an announcement, the people collectively seem to be more like, ‘so may’s in there moaning to herself again’ and then inevitably, you’re the crazy ohm lady who needs to retire 😉
Lol, after a not so great Friday at work, I feel like the crazy non ohm lady who needs to retire! 😁
Haha!
Blame it on the Packers! All of it! 😉 PS – I think your post turned out great – sometimes just meandering through a post helps us feel better. It doesn’t take away the cold or the snow, but it warms the souls of us who read your words of wisdom, thank you for sharing!
You’re welcome, Shelley, and thanks for your positive comment. I’m going to call Matt LaFleur and yell at him…he was supposed to bring back warmer weather from California, not leave it there!
You’re welcome. YES – and if you’ve got that kind of pull remind him that they should win the next game too!