My new years resolution for 2018 was to meditate every single day of the year. And today marks 50 days of successful meditation in a row. So on this note, I’d like to talk briefly about one of my favourite meditative techniques: noting.

Noting is a tool that is used in meditation for recognising when your mind has strayed. The idea is to recognise the thought or feeling that has distracted you and to simply “note” it. Once you’ve noted it, it’s easier to let the thought/feeling go and get back to your meditation.

Andy Puddicombe, the founder of Headspace, describes it best in this video. He uses the analogy that noting is like lightly touching a feather to a crystal glass. It’s a gentle recognition of the thought or feeling, which then helps us get a sense of space from it.

Noting to manage anxiety

This afternoon I was preparing content for the Strategic Thinking course and was struck by a bought of anxiety. I was overwhelmed by the magnitude of the teaching that lay ahead.

At this point, I took a moment to note the feeling. In doing so, I got a bit of space from it. And from there, I was able to gently process what I was experiencing. A few minutes later I had overcome the anxiety and was back into my work.

And I think this has been the best part of meditating every day. I’m (slowly) learning how to be aware of the thoughts and feelings that arise in my mind. And then, depending on what they are, applying the right tools to examine and manage them.

I’ve got much more to learn, and it’s going to be a continuous process. But noting, along with other meditative techniques, have already helped me substantially. And I know they will continue to do so into the future.

Image was taken last year while I was driving. The rainbow sat almost perfectly between my apartment and UCT. What’s also interesting is that the rain cloud was exclusively over Rondebosch, with the sky behind me and towards the harbour (on the right) being almost completely clear 🙂

Side note: I realised that I’ve been blogging for 100 days and meditating for 50 days. It’s time to start a new habit. I’ll think about it and write a post on it tomorrow

Song of the day:  But a dream - G-Eazy

Blog 102/365. Read more about my #365of25 journey here