We Are Storytellers

A guided practice in thought awareness, embracing thoughts and stories. Embracing our nature as storytellers to help accept talks as they are, while also getting distance from them, stepping out of the river, getting curious about the river.

Taught live with the Healthy Minds Program.

Transcript

Today we're going to do a 15-minute practice, Which is going to be a little bit longer than I usually lead, Because we're going to be working with thoughts, Which can be sort of like the boss battle when it comes to some of these practices, Because if you're anything like me, Then working with your thoughts is like wrestling a bear. So it can help to take a little bit more time. If the world is shaking your snow globe, It takes a little bit more time for those little particles to sort of settle at the bottom, And you get a little bit of clarity. And it can be helpful to think about your thoughts as stories. So something about the human condition, Something about who we are, Is defined by our imagination and the stories we tell. I think Albert Einstein, Unless this is a fake quote, Because those happen on the internet, Speaking of stories, I think Albert Einstein said that imagination kind of defines intelligence more than knowledge does. And I think that's very true. Ultimately, If you look at all of the things we spend our time doing and that we have done over history, Stories have played a central role in what it means to be human for eons. We watch movies and TV shows and read books and stories like that. We tell stories to each other in casual conversation about what happened this morning or what happened last week or where our family came from or whatever it might be. Stories define our philosophy. They define the way we think about the world. Stories define the news, Which we spend a lot of time, Maybe too much time paying attention to. So I'd encourage you right now, Before we get started, To share in the chat a little bit about kind of the stories that define who you are. So I know it's a big ask, But I think it would be really curious to get a sense of like maybe just a few words or a short phrase about whatever comes to mind when you pay attention to thinking about what are the stories you often tell about yourself, About who you are. So let's imagine, If it helps, Imagine you're meeting someone new and you're like, Hi, My name's Jay. What's your name? And then you say something about yourself. You tell something about who you are. So what is it that defines you? Who are you really? What's the story you typically tell? You don't have to be too specific if you just want to say I talk about my job or I talk about my family. But go ahead and share in the chat. For me, I definitely have a whole modicum of stories that I tell. I can talk about my work. I can talk about my role as a meditation teacher, As a technologist. I can talk about my ancestry, About my family who immigrated from India to Canada. I can talk about my upbringing and the story of my education. There's so many stories that somehow define who we are. And one of the things that we realize as we start to do this practice is we realize that even in the moment, The little thoughts that pop in our head, The little ideas that cycle through our mind as we go through our daily life, They're all stories too. And stories don't always capture the whole reality. Our mind works really hard at trying to create a cohesive narrative of disparate information, Which is how we understand the world. So hi, David. Hi, Maria. Hi, Jose. Jose, 400 glows of French film, Japanese shonen animes. Yeah, I'm a huge fan of anime. I can talk for hours about those stories, Right, About those characters. Christine, I talk about having raised two awesome kids on my own and finally finding love at age 54. It's a beautiful story, Inspiring. And it's just incredible how much stories define every aspect of our lives. And what we're going to do, The reason I'm talking about stories, What we're going to do for the next 15 minutes is we are going to explore stories at their source point, At their origin point, The thoughts that roll through our minds that try to make a cohesive narrative. So let's dive in. We're going to do a 15-minute practice, So we're going to end at 20 past the hour. Let's start with a comfortable position, Whatever position feels natural to you, Yet also if possible, If it feels safe and physically possible to do so, Seeing if you can bring a certain upright alertness to that posture, Because often the mind seeps into the body. So by holding yourself in a relaxed yet upright way, You give your mind a chance to be relaxed and upright, Which is the state of mind that we're trying to cultivate here. If you prefer to keep your eyes open, You're more than welcome to do that. But I might encourage you to close your eyes for this practice, Because we are going to be turning inward, And that might be really, Really helpful. I'm going to do so as well, But I'll be opening my eyes once in a while to check on you, Make sure everything's working with the technology here. So get comfortable. And before we get started, Let's just take a moment to fully be here, To be present, And to not bring too much effort in right away. So let ourselves have that break as we prepare to wrestle the bear, As I put it. So as you prepare, If a deep breath is useful for you, Please go ahead. If there are other practices that feel natural to help you get tuned and calibrated and ready, Feel free. Otherwise, Just let go and relax, And we'll get started in a few moments. Just staying with this for a little bit longer, Letting the particles of snow in your snow globe settle, Letting the waters of your crashing river calm, Letting the clouds pass by in the sky of your mind. Okay, And just as we're about to start the practice, Let's just take a moment to refresh our motivation. So I'm going to ask a question, And just notice what words or thoughts pop in your mind. The question is, Why might it be useful to become aware of your own stories? And notice your answer to that question, And let that be your motivation. Maybe repeat that answer in your mind, And let that inspire you forward. And now, When you're ready, See if you can assume a stance of readiness, Where you are waiting for the next thought to arise. Almost like you're playing catch, And your mind has the ball, And you've got your glove open, And you're waiting for that ball to be thrown. So just listening and observing your mind, And maybe you even have a physical space, You can spatially find the mind somewhere in your head, Or where your ears are, Anything like that, If that's helpful. And notice, What is the next thought that comes up? Just wait for it, See if you can catch it. And continue like this, Keeping your awareness on thought space, Where you might hear the voice inside your mind, Or even see mental images in your imagination. See if you can simply monitor this area of your experience, Letting everything else come and go, While you stay aware and focus on thoughts. Noticing the silence when they're not there, Noticing when they arise, Noticing how they progress, And noticing when they vanish. Maintaining that thread of awareness as much as you possibly can, Through the thoughts as they come and go. Thoughts can be quite sticky, And they can be quite nebulous, Kind of like you're trying to put cotton candy in your mouth, And it's just all sticking together. That's perfectly normal. It's perfectly part of the process. Just do whatever you can to try to maintain as much awareness as possible, As these thoughts arrive and stick together and coalesce and take you away. And see if you can stay aware and monitor thought space, Noticing that inner voice, Noticing the imagination, The mental screen, The images that arise. Just seeing if you can let it all come and go without getting too involved. There's a metaphor we often use for thinking, Which is this idea of a train of thought, And it actually works quite well here. So the idea is you want to stay in the station and watch all the trains come and go, But inevitably you find yourself boarding some of those trains and riding them, And that's okay. You just want to get off the train as soon as possible, And again, Stay in the station and watch as the trains come and go. They'll keep coming. We are storytellers. That's who we are. Just like the cow moos and the chicken clucks and the pig oinks, Human mind tells stories. So the idea here is not to stop telling stories, To just watch the trains come and go. Sit on the bench, Let them come, Let them go. No need to resist. No need to self-criticize or judge. Just notice this as if it's a part of because it is. If this feels really challenging, That's perfectly okay. Just try to stay aware of the thoughts that arise whenever you happen to notice them. So even if it's a little late, That's okay. Sometimes a thought will take me away for a minute or even two, But when I do finally notice the thought, That's really the moment to remember to say, Okay, What does this thought sound like? And bring my awareness back to the practice. If you are able to find some sort of clarity with your thinking here, I'd encourage you to really notice the quality of those thoughts. What is the tone of that inner voice? What are the shapes and colors of those mental images in your imagination? See if you can really discern and untangle the quality, The subjective experience of thinking in this moment. Almost like you've stepped out of the river, You're watching the river flow by. You're really curious about that river. Oh, Here's a stream of thinking. What is it like to be a thinking human being in this moment? Curiosity can really help a lot. You might notice periods of time where there are no thoughts, In which case just notice that mental peace. Notice that quiet and keep that sense of readiness for whatever thought might come up next. There's just a minute or two left here, So if you're sort of losing track, Let's take this moment to start again, Maybe even refresh your posture. And again, Assume that stance of readiness. What is the next thought that arises? Wait for it, Notice it arise, Notice it flow, And notice it vanish. Sometimes you can maintain awareness of a thought as it winds its way through your mind. Sometimes the moment you notice it, It just vanishes. That's okay too, Just notice the peace and quiet that follows and notice that pattern. Okay, Great work for these last 30 seconds. Just take a moment to reflect back on the last 10, 15 minutes. What were you thinking about? Were there any themes in terms of the subject matter of those thoughts? Were there any themes in terms of the tone of those thoughts? Were they fast? Were they slow? Were they aggressive? Were they gentle? Were they harsh? Were they balanced? And also maybe you might notice some themes in the thoughts that tend to be sticky and take you away versus the thoughts that felt more neutral. So just take 30 seconds to reflect. What were the thoughts like? What came up for you in the past 10, 15 minutes? Okay, When you're ready, You can come out of the practice, Give your body whatever it needs, Maybe a stretch, Maybe a sip of water.