Stuck in the entertainment loop? How can we start to change the quality of our thoughts?
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Stuck in the entertainment loop? How can we start to change the quality of our thoughts?
Whole-body-mindedness and the outcomes of what we choose.
Films, televisions, music and screens are something which have undoubtedly become embedded into our lives, so much so that most of us wouldn’t know what to do without them.
Everywhere we go we are being entertained, be it via flashing pictures on a screen, songs being sung on the radio, images on advertising billboards or in magazines, each telling us a story either directly or indirectly.
As a humanity we are so used to being entertained that in many ways we have now not only developed lifestyles which centre around entertainment, but also bodies that can’t seem to do without it; so much so, that even when we’re not in front of a screen we have entire narratives streaming into our heads, pictures being shown and conversations being had. Often we sift through the same plot over and over, not too unlike late night TV re-runs. It doesn’t matter what the tone, up/down, good/bad, sad/mad, as long as we’re engaged, as long as we’re entertained, all parties are happy, at least on one level.
On the morning of writing this article I went for a walk as I wanted to see if I could ‘switch off the TV’ in my head, so to say, and stay present with my body whilst I walked.
The brief was clear – feel all that was going on in my body and have that be the focus of my thoughts. A simple task, or at least it should have been, for in any given moment there is more than enough stimulation going on in our bodies for us to marvel at and be engaged in. Blood is being pumped through our veins, light is being received by the eyes, our ears are picking up the vibrations around us, there’s the pace, posture and movement of the body, not to mention all the things happening around us that are there for us to see. There is more than enough for our minds to be engaged with – but do you think I could do it?
For very short spurts, sure, but they were very short and it wasn’t long before the ‘television’ switched on again, so to say, and a picture or story would pop into my head, a thought would be streamed in, much like an enticing movie trailer, drawing me in and saying ‘hey, come and watch me, indulge me with your thoughts’. If I didn’t go there however, and I brought myself back to my body, the train of thought would stop, but not too long after, faster than the speed of light, another would creep in and another and another. If I said no to all that was presented and stuck to my guns, the ‘internal radio’ would switch on and a song would start playing, which was even harder to get rid of as this then provided a soundtrack in the background for an array of other thoughts that would then come in. It was interesting to observe.
I learnt though, that if I didn’t fight this, just observed and kept choosing to come back to my body, bringing attention to the different points of the body and choosing the quality in which I moved, the thoughts would soon settle.
It’s not that they went away, but the quality of them changed. The empty and annoying re-runs went away and I was soon engaged in all that was happening around me, with beautiful insights and observations being made, understandings of myself and the world that surrounds me. My thoughts were now expanding and changing and were no longer limited to the same old narrative playing over and over. I was present again and the quality of my thoughts, the ‘station’ which I had now subscribed to, was mine.
What I realised is that hidden inside our tendency to turn to screens or listen to the radio for entertainment is an unspoken agreement or outcome of training our bodies, and as such our minds, to be open to being bombarded by external thoughts and pictures, much like a television, constantly being streamed in with whatever the ‘network’ decides to show. It’s like we subscribe to this source called ‘entertainment’ that keeps pouring into us with whatever it likes or thinks will keep us distracted from everything that there is to see, feel and be. One moment it could be an exciting comedy, then a riveting thriller, a boring melodrama or horror movie – but the thoughts, pictures and songs are never our own, and often, leave us at their mercy.
Now, our brain is designed to be receiving something, so this article is not about suggesting that we move towards a society where our mind is emptied or not alive – quite the opposite – but what I have come to realise, thanks to the teachings of Serge Benhayon, is that we can choose the quality of the ‘channel’ which is streaming in.
In other words, we can choose which network we subscribe to: one that produces material that is supportive, loving, expansive and helping us to see the beauty that is in and around us, or one that keeps us small, tied up in drama and negativity, never allowing us to be all that we are.
So what network have you subscribed to? And do you stick to the one station or switch back and forth? If you’re not quite sure, go for a walk and see. Are your thoughts loving and supportive of you or do they keep you going around and around in circles, repeating the same things, never leaving you alone, limiting your awareness and always leading to the same outcome?
So, next time you’re watching TV, You Tube or any other form of entertainment ask yourself, what exactly am I training my body to do? What quality am I subscribing to? Am I training my body to be hooked up to what’s deep inside of me, allowing me to marvel at the beauty that I am and that surrounds me? Or am I training myself to be at the mercy of whatever is being presented to me?
The content of our lives is dictated by the quality of the channel we subscribe to, so what have you been channeling? Which network have you subscribed to?
Further reading:
http://sergebenhayon.tv/episodes/whole-body-intelligence/
Filed under
Body awareness, Conscious presence, Mindfulness, Lifestyle
