by Leo Babauta

In a world full of distractions, it’s good to find a quiet place to escape the unease. In a quiet room, we can find stillness. And in that stillness, we can contemplate within our own mind.

As we become more aware of our thoughts, what we often find is that the conscious mind is very restless. It wants to take care of a thousand things, because it’s feeling some uncertainty and fear. It wants to fix problems, take care of all the undone things, and to figure out if everything is going to be OK. It wants to get all of our needs met, from survival needs to meaning, to connection and love.

But what if we could allow our conscious minds to rest? What if we could allow our minds to settle into the full sufficiency of itself just as it is?

A self-sufficient mind is a disciplined mind that’s content within itself. It’s rooted in a sense of completeness and wholeness. It’s a mind that knows on a deeper more subconscious level that everything we need is already contained within us.

To settle into this mindset, we would need nothing in each moment, other than what’s required for our physical survival. This kind of practice brings a deep sense of peace. There’s a strong sense of assurance in knowing that we are already enough. It’s a lifetime practice.

Here’s how I recommend starting:

1. Sit in a quiet spot. Elevate your hips above your knees with a cushion, to give yourself more stability and comfort. Sit in an upright but relaxed posture. Eyes can be closed or slightly open with a soft downward gaze.

2. Find stillness. Stay in this spot for at least 5-10 minutes, longer over time if you like. It doesn’t have to be long, but when you feel restless, stay for a little longer to practice with this restlessness. 

3. Rest in direct experience. Let your attention turn to the sensations of your body, the sensations of the present moment. These sensations are direct experience of the world. Rest your mind in this open awareness of direct experience, without needing to do anything but witness them.

4. Observe the mind. Your conscious mind will want to turn away from this direct experience. That’s because it feels unsettled. It wants to get its needs met, or fix problems or deal with uncertainties or fear. That’s OK! Watch the conscious mind do its thing. What is it trying to fix? Notice the underlying fear or desire as the mind tries to do its thing.

5. Appreciate the luminous quality of the conscious mind. The conscious mind is like an energy, trying to do its best to survive. It is unaware that it already is brilliant, abundant, enough. It is luminous and beautiful. We can start to appreciate these delightful qualities of the mind. This takes curiosity, appreciation, and lots of practice. Keep practicing.

Leo Babauta is a simplicity and mindfulness blogger, healthy living practitioner, husband, father, vegan, and author of the best-selling book "The Power of Less," and best-selling productivity ebook "Zen to Done." To learn more about how to cultivate more zen habits into your lifestyle, visit: zenhabits.net

Photograph by Katrin Bolovtsova