Meditation is not about making your mind quiet. It is a way of entering into the quiet that is already there, buried under the 50.000 thoughts the average person thinks every day.

In other words, thoughts are not necessarily bad.

Thoughts are essential in meditation for understanding your emotions, reactions, behaviors, and bodily sensations.

Problems arise when you face negativity and do not know how to deal with it.

14 days of self-discovery in the beautiful temple of Ubon Ratchathani (Tree of life)

In many studies, the default network, a brain network activated in self-related thinking and mind wandering, has been made responsible for negative emotions such as anxiety, fear, and self-doubts.

It is activated when you think about the past and the future and let your mind go off the rail.

Meditation Technique 1: Open Monitoring for Discovery

Let us say you feel anxious and you do not know why.

Now instead of distracting yourself, you do the opposite and meditate on your emotions.

Don’t ask, “What should I do about it?” Ask, “What part of me is being disturbed by this?”

Through this practice, you will understand where the negativity comes from.

You will spot the insecurities and past experiences that led to your emotional being. And now you are better equipped to solve them.

Another powerful technique to better understand yourself is to repeat a mantra, for example, try mantras like “truth,” “discovery” or “authentic”, when you enter meditation.

Meditation for Joyfulness

The Direct Experience Network for Being Present

When the direct experience network is active, you are not thinking intently about the past or future, other people, or even yourself. Rather, you are experiencing information coming into your senses.

For example, if you are on the beach, this network is activated when you notice the warmth of the sun hitting your body.

Meditation Technique 2: Breath and bodily sensation awareness

When you intentionally focus your attention on incoming sensory data, such as the feeling of the sun on your skin, it will make you experience the moment fully leading to joyfulness within you.

This is why meditation breathing exercises work when you’re stressed as you focus your attention on the sensory experience of your breath.

The more often you can live in the moment, the more often you will experience the bright sides of life such as the warmth of the sun, the smell of nature, a deep conversation with a friend, the flow feeling when you immerse into your work.

14-day itinerary for a self-discovery journey at the beautiful Temple of Ubon Ratchathani (Tree of Life) in Thailand: