How to shift our perception into the here & now

We can also use the skills of our motor output systems to shift our perception into the here & now. Purposely relaxing muscles you routinely hold tense can help you release pent up energy and feel better. I'm constantly checking in with the tension in my forehead & inevitably, if I an't fall asleep at night, I loosen my jaw & then proceed to pass right out. Thinking about what's going on with your muscles is a great way to pull your mind back to the present. Systematically squeezing & relaxing them may help you come back to the here & now.

Another way is through purposely using our voice to interrupt those looping patterns of thoughts that were distracting. I find that using repetitious sound patterns such as a mantra is very helpful.

Listening to a verbal meditation that guides me into a thought pattern with emotion & physiology is another great way to shift my mind away from unwanted loops. Prayer, whereby we use our mind to intentionally replace unwanted thought patterns with a chosen set of thought patterns is another way.

The secret to hooking into any of these peaceful states is the willingness to stop the cognitive loops of thought, worry, and any ideas that distract us from being here & now. Most mportant , however, our desire for peace must be stronger than our attachment to our misery, our ego, or our need to be right. "Do you want to be right? Or do you want to be happy?"

Many of us may not choose happiness is because when we feel intense negative emotions like anger, jealousy or frustration, we are actively running complex circuitry in our brain that feels so familiar that we feel strong and powerful. I have known people who consciously choose to exercise their anger circuitry on a regular basis simply because it helps them remember what it feels like to be themselves.....

In an attempt to diminish the power of my fear/anger response, I intentionally choose not to watch scary movies or hang out with people whose anger circuitry is easily set off. I consciously make choices that directly impact my circuitry. Since I like being joyful, I hang out with people who value my joy