I want to suggest that it's possible to use technology to free your mind.
The device that you're listening to this on right now is,
For all extents and purposes,
A double-edged sword.
You can choose to listen to talks,
Seminars,
Meditations,
Courses by a variety of experts in the field.
You can use it to learn,
You can use it to grow,
You can use it to enhance your mind,
You can use it to find peace.
But at the click of a button,
You can also use it to fall into a web of distracted rumination,
Of addiction,
Of duress.
What I wanted to do with this short talk is give you some tools and tricks and ideas that you can do with your phone or even with a watch right now to be able to help you find peace in this moment and ongoing.
The first is to realize that the device is a double-edged sword.
It's neither inherently good nor evil.
The choices you make with the device will dictate its impact upon your life.
So right now you're making a great choice by listening to talks and guided meditations and other things that will hopefully help you to calm,
Find inner peace and find information that will help enlighten you.
Just take a breath and recognize that you are the one in control.
You get to choose how you use the device.
Now,
If you struggle to make good choices,
Knowing that you're struggling is the first step.
There are apps and ways to track your usage.
Are you using the device in the best way possible?
Is it a tool that you're able to apply its usages or are you becoming a slave to impulse and it is in fact using you?
If you know,
Then you can choose.
The second step is to look at some basic functionality.
On my wrist right now,
But on the device you're listening to and most every device,
You'll be able to do this functionality.
But on my wrist right now is a basic digital watch and it has three functions that I use to find peace throughout the day.
The first one is a basic alarm.
It beeps like this every hour,
Just that,
Just simple.
And what I do every time I hear that beep is take one calm,
Mindful breath.
Now that calm,
Mindful breath reminds me to check back into the present moment and it reduces my resting anxiety throughout the day.
It's a daily reminder.
I hear it every hour on the hour.
So throughout the day,
That's a bunch of reminders to well,
Calm.
Now,
The second thing that my watch does is it has a countdown timer.
I set that timer for five minutes every morning.
And in that five minutes,
I just practice mindfulness,
Drawing my attention to what I can hear,
Shut my eyes down and just listen without judgment,
Without filter.
If my mind wanders,
I gently bring it back.
And when that timer goes off,
Well,
I hop off the mat and I start my day.
A daily practice is vital for ongoing clarity and mental health.
The final function that my watch does is a stopwatch.
I can time myself and I use this for two purposes.
After that five minutes,
I will test myself.
I will see how long can I stay mindful for?
How long can I meditate without losing my focus?
This is a little bit of a game I play with myself.
Typically I last about one to two minutes.
Now,
Traditional mindfulness doesn't last that long.
It doesn't like the idea of competition,
Doesn't like the idea of tracking.
It just is what it is.
But I like to twist it.
I like to just see where I'm at.
It's a little bit of bio feedback.
It's like,
Okay,
Today,
For whatever reason,
I lasted 45 seconds.
The day before that was three minutes.
The day before that was 20 seconds.
It tells me a little bit about my mental state.
Plus it's a little bit of a game to see how I'm doing.
And similarly,
I use that stopwatch feature to time myself performing the eight form Tai Chi.
Basically a sequence of moves to be done as slowly as possibly.
Once again,
If I go too fast,
I go,
Huh,
I guess I'm in a certain mood.
If I go too slowly,
I go,
Hmm,
Okay,
That's where I'm at.
Now you could use this to time yourself mindfully meditating or to do a slow mindful walk up your driveway or in your room.
But these features are available on most every device.
What I hope to give you with this talk is firstly,
An awareness that devices are double-edged swords.
They can provide calm,
Enlightening,
Educationing,
Beauty,
Or they can be a distraction.
And plus they have tools that you can use to remind yourself of the practice and to aid in your practice.
For example,
This app,
But also countdown timers,
Stopwatches,
And hourly alarms.
Give it a try.
And in the review section,
Let me know how you go for great day.
