My teachings are easy to understand
And easy to put into practice.
Yet your intellect will never grasp them,
And if you try to practice them, you’ll fail.
My teachings are older than the world.
How can you grasp their meaning?
If you want to know me,
Look inside your heart.
(Tao te Ching chapter 70
Stephen Mitchell translation)
In my classes and individual work with people, inevitably we move into a different ‘head space’ – quite literally. For adults in our waking hours, our brain waves are mostly operating within the beta range. For you scientists, this is a frequency between 13-30 Hz, 15-4 cycles/second. Within this frequency range, we are involved in solving problems, planning, actively engaged in mental activities. If we are sitting around watching tv or meditating or daydreaming, that’s not so much beta – but if you are reading this or having a conversation with someone or figuring out how to solve a particular problem, you are likely in beta.
Beta is a useful frequency, and how we get a lot of work done out in the world. But it isn’t meant to be the only frequency we use, as it keeps us in a very mental, intellectual state, where our awareness is usually focused outside of ourselves, and responds from very fixed patterns.
When we want to create change for ourselves – positive, lasting change – our beta brains have limited abilities. Beta mind already knows it all – or at least thinks it does. It has firm opinions, and the stories to back them up. Judgments, beliefs, even memories are all locked into specific boxes, and labeled “Truth.” Whenever something arises in our life that resonates with any of those boxes, our beta mind assumes very specific ways of responding. Thus we tend to repeat all those patterns, beliefs, judgments that make up what we assumed was “truth,” even when they no longer serve us, let alone bring forward a desired result.
In the verse above, we get a clue how to move out of beta, and into a more spacious awareness where we can begin to create new possibilities for ourselves and our lives. To beta mind, looking inside your heart sounds ridiculous – it simply doesn’t have the bandwidth to understand what that could mean. Fortunately our brains are designed to resonate to other frequencies besides beta – frequencies where we can connect with our inner control panel and get out of the historical loops of action/reaction that no longer serve our expansion.
Looking into your heart – what happens right now, if you close your eyes and simply focus your attention on your heart area? Notice any sensations. Tune into your breathing. Don’t do this if you are driving or in the middle of a conversation, but if you are reading this, stop reading, close your eyes, and simply be aware of your heart. Keep your awareness there for 10 breath cycles. If your mind starts making comments, let it know you are just taking a short break, and will be back soon. Just be present to your heart area, to your breath. One cycle. Two cycles. Three…
Notice if anything changes in your body. Perhaps your shoulders lower. Your breathing deepens. Or perhaps nothing changes, but somehow you feel a little different. You may want to stay focused here longer, it feels quite good.
Or not. Notice if your mind starts getting agitated, pulling you back. That’s beta, telling you there are much more important things you should be doing right now. It feels the need to stay in control. Just observe that as well, even as you remain focused on your heart area, on your breathing.
When you have to move on, or can’t stand this any longer, open your eyes and take another moment to simply be present. Look around your space. Yes, you can move back into beta – but recognize it isn’t the only voice in the room. Recognize it is simply spouting practiced opinions. Maybe there are other options. Maybe in that more spacious, heart-and-breath-aware space, you have room for different possibilities.
Although the sky is endless, beta brain can only go so far. If you want to know more expansive possibilities for yourself, look inside your heart.
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