“Your Daily Dose” is a quick two minute read packed with bite-sized wisdom from all the great teachers. But you could also choose to turn it into something more… a powerful daily practice for personal growth. Give it a try!
A message from today’s meditation:
Deep within us lies a wisdom, a soul that inherently knows how to restore balance and wholeness. Yet, despite this inner knowing, we often find ourselves stuck, unable to access this healing power. Why? Because our minds, endlessly busy and preoccupied, act as the gatekeeper. The real challenge isn’t discovering how to heal but learning how to quiet the mind enough to let the healing happen naturally.
“Healing may not be so much about getting better, as about letting go of everything that isn’t you – all of the expectations, all of the beliefs – and becoming who you are.” – Rachel Naomi Remen
The concept of trying to silence the mind can be misleading though, as it implies a forced quieting of our thoughts and emotions.
“The soul always knows what to do to heal itself. The challenge is to silence the mind.” – Caroline Myss
I have learned to trust that our souls know exactly how to heal us once we get the mind out of the way. But as much as “silencing the mind” is the perfect description, silencing the mind as a goal or as a practice seems to not be very useful.
We are given a busy subconscious mind as a tool for survival, and it’s a very successful tool at that. And so trying to will or force a mind to be quiet, is literally a threat to its survival and will be resisted by trying to fight the source of this threat which is you…
“Silencing the mind” is rather a side-effect of forming a new relationship with your mind, with your thoughts. This new relationship with your “self” is one of being the observer, being able to witness those thoughts that are so worried about all the expectations and who you “should” be – while being able to just hold them without judgement or criticism.
When you don’t react and just watch, something remarkable happens. Your thoughts begin to realize there’s no threat here. You’re not fighting them, dismissing them, or trying to make them go away. You are simply being present with them. And in that space of non-reactive awareness, the mind naturally begins to settle on its own. Without constant attention and judgment, thoughts lose their power and intensity.
This shift from participant to witness is transformative. It creates the internal spaciousness necessary for your soul’s wisdom to emerge. In that stillness, healing doesn’t need to be orchestrated or controlled – it simply unfolds.The practice is deceptively simple: witness what your body and mind are experiencing without trying to change it. Notice the sensations, observe the thoughts, acknowledge the emotions – all without labeling them as good or bad, right or wrong. This gentle awareness creates the conditions for natural healing to occur.
Join us for today’s meditation which is a very simple exercise of exactly this – being the witness to what your body is experiencing.
As you move forward in your personal development journey, consider these guiding mantras for self-reflection:
- “I am not my thoughts; I am the observer of my thoughts.”
- “Healing begins when I let go of who I think I should be.”
- “In stillness, I find the wisdom of my soul.”
When we stop reacting to our thoughts and simply observe them, something remarkable happens. The mind starts to settle on its own. Without the constant attention and judgment, the thoughts begin to lose their power.
Have a beautiful Saturday.
– pierre –
Today’s LIVE meditation is: Come to your senses.
Today’s LIVE meditation
https://youtu.be/48UdG8x_ovI 2021
Practice the “Daily Dose”
Let’s put it into practice! Choose what works for you – daily, once a week or whenever inspiration strikes. Putting pen to paper wires the neural pathways that will create your new habits.
1 – Affirmation
Write down your favourite affirmation on a sticky note and place it somewhere that you’ll be able to see it the whole day.
- “I am not my thoughts; I am the observer of my thoughts.”
- “Healing begins when I let go of who I think I should be.”
- “In stillness, I find the wisdom of my soul.”
2 – A moment of reflection
Use today’s question as a journal prompt. If you don’t have the time to sit down and write, just take a moment to reflect on your response.
Releasing What Isn’t You: Rachel Naomi Remen suggests that healing involves letting go of expectations and beliefs that aren’t authentically yours. Make a list of expectations you hold about who you “should” be. Where did each expectation come from? Which of these feel true to your soul, and which feel imposed from outside?
3 – Quotes to share
Send a quote to someone who needs it, or share them all on social media to spread the good vibes!
4 – Q&A for deeper learning
Read through the questions and answers and write down at least one “aha moment” that clicked for you.
Q1: What does it mean to “silence the mind,” and why is it so difficult?
A: Silencing the mind doesn’t mean stopping all thoughts—that’s nearly impossible and actually counterproductive. It refers to creating enough mental stillness that your deeper wisdom can be heard. It’s difficult because our minds are designed as survival tools, constantly scanning for threats and problems. When we try to force silence, the mind perceives this as a threat and generates even more mental activity.
Q2: How is being an “observer” of thoughts different from just thinking?
A: When you’re thinking, you’re identified with and caught up in your thoughts—they feel like reality and you react to them emotionally. When you’re observing, you create a slight distance where you can witness thoughts passing through without believing them completely or reacting automatically. It’s the difference between being swept away by a river and standing on the bank watching it flow.
Q3: Why does trying to control or silence my mind make things worse?
A: Your mind interprets attempts at forced control as a survival threat. Since the mind’s primary job is to keep you alive by staying vigilant, it will resist anything that seems to threaten this function. The harder you fight your thoughts, the more they fight back. It’s like quicksand—struggling only pulls you deeper in.
Q4: If I’m not supposed to try to silence my mind, what should I do instead?
A: Shift from fighting to witnessing. Instead of trying to make thoughts go away, simply observe them without judgment. Notice when your mind is busy, acknowledge the thoughts that arise, and hold them gently without labeling them as good or bad. This non-reactive awareness naturally creates the spaciousness for mental quieting to occur on its own.
Q5: How do I know if I’m accessing my soul’s wisdom versus just my regular thinking?
A: Soul wisdom typically feels different from mental chatter. It tends to be quieter, calmer, and carries a sense of knowing rather than anxious wondering. Regular thinking is often repetitive, worry-based, and filled with “should” statements. Soul wisdom usually emerges in moments of stillness and feels aligned with your authentic self rather than external expectations.
Q6: What are practical ways to practice being the witness of my thoughts?
A: Start with body awareness meditation—simply notice physical sensations without trying to change them. This builds your observation skills. Throughout the day, pause and mentally note “thinking” when you catch yourself lost in thought, without judgment. Practice describing your mental state to yourself as if you were a neutral reporter: “I’m noticing worried thoughts about tomorrow” rather than “I’m so anxious about tomorrow.”
Q7: How long does it take for the mind to naturally become quieter through this approach?
A: This varies greatly by individual and depends on how consistently you practice non-reactive observation. Some people notice shifts within days, while others need weeks or months. The key is to release the expectation of a timeline—ironically, expecting quick results is another form of mental pressure that the mind will resist. Focus on the practice itself rather than achieving a specific outcome, and the quieting will emerge naturally over time.