Brain and Mind

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”You can chain me, you can torture me, you can even destroy this body, but you will never imprison my mind.”

~ Mahatma Ghandi

 

The brain and the mind have an intimate relationship, but the mind is different. It is a collection of thoughts, patterns, beliefs, memories and attitudes. Our brains are physical organs that serve as the center of our nervous systems, and serve as the “control tower” for coordinating our movements, thoughts and feelings. The brain is a physical entity.  Our minds, however, comprise the aspect of us that is our “Self.” It is our thinking, awareness, perception and judgement.

Your mind uses your brain, but is more than your brain.

Each one of us has a unique mind. We have unique thoughts, feelings, perceptions, memories and beliefs, and these are built over our lives from our experiences and interactions in the physical world. We each also have a unique pattern of thought and processing of information that shapes the flow of energy and information inside us, and how we share this with others. Some say that we are born with this unique pattern and that it is honed or solidified through our everyday thought processes as we live our lives and as we use our minds to think, feel and respond.

Every moment our brains are engaged—capturing and storing information, enabling us to move and physically navigate the world. In short, our brains receive input from our senses and other parts of our nervous systems. It processes these inputs and acts in response.  Our minds equally are engaged in every moment—for some more consciously or with intent and for others maybe more so on auto-pilot.

Much has been written, even researched, on the brain and mind relationship. My intent in this post is not to have a scientific or medical discussion, but to explore the brain and mind in how we use them in our daily lives and to raise awareness of their respective (and inter-related) purpose so that we do not think of them as the same, and know when to let them rest. sunrise 2

The brain is a complex organ. The mind is equally complex and amazing, maybe more so, as it is connected to or is the gateway to our consciousness and sense of Self.  The mind transcends the brain and puts us on our journey to consciousness and self awareness, and some might say to enlightenment.

That is why it is so important to be mindful—to be in the state of active, open attention in the present. When we are mindful, we observe our thoughts and feelings from a distance, without judging them good or bad. We live or are in the moment and awakening to experience.

As we are being mindful it is important to know that it is okay to suspend the thinking pattern or thought process, to have no judgement, expectation or comparison, and to let yourself have an experience void of your past or your future state. In short, to be.  It is also a time to put your brain in low gear. It is a time to be still, calm and quiet, and to take in what your senses are giving you and simply let the information in without trying to categorize it, organize it or influence it. It is fine to put the brain and mind “on the shelf” and also to know when to take them off the shelf and put them into action.

We often overthink things, have visceral or gut reactions, see the world and our various interactions through a lens of our past experiences and influenced by expectation. There are many that automatically jump to conclusions, make inferences, judge, compare, etc.  These are times to put the brain and mind “on the shelf” for a bit and to rest and be. Once rested and with a sense of clarity and fresh perspective to then re-engage the brain and more so the mind. Here lies a path to being more in-tune with your instincts and your Self, and to enlightenment and peace of mind.