There is a Zen story about a man on a horse.
The horse is racing down the road,
And the rider is clutching on.
A traveler on the road shouts out as they pass by,
Where are you going?
Ask the horse,
The rider shouts back.
Our thoughts can be like that horse,
Galloping very fast,
While we're barely able to hold on.
My thoughts have certainly felt like that at times.
Sometimes we notice that we've been riding on them without even noticing.
Sometimes for a very long time.
Minutes,
Hours,
Days,
Or longer.
What do you do once you notice?
When you notice that you're carried away by a galloping mind story,
Try this.
Imagine yourself standing on the ground and watching the horse gallop off into the distance.
Once it's a speck on the horizon,
Bring your awareness to your body.
You might notice a different sensation in your head,
Now that you're off of the thought horse.
Maybe there's more lightness in space.
Maybe some tension is gone.
Maybe you can feel your body calming down a bit.
And maybe you don't feel a difference.
That's fine too.
It's great to just be off that horse.
When you imagine yourself doing this as best you can,
You're reinforcing that you have a choice when it comes to thoughts.
You can be carried away by them again and again.
Or you can gently disengage instead.
You always have a choice to stop riding a thought horse,
Even when it feels like you don't.
Sometimes it takes a while to undo mental habits,
And that's normal.
Like anything,
This takes practice.
Just do your best to get off the horse.
Some days will be easier than others.
What matters is practicing choosing a different response.
Let's practice dismounting from thought horses today.
You and me together.
I'll be right here doing it too.
Every time you find yourself on a galloping thought,
Imagine yourself standing on the ground watching it gallop away.
