One of the greatest gifts of mindfulness is that it allows us to cultivate a Teflon mind. What does that mean, and how does it relate to us since it usually refers to cookware? Normally, our mind is like Velcro. Everything sticks. It is as if those judging thoughts come wrapped in hooks and barbs and lodge themselves in our mind each time they arise. The outcome is that our judging thoughts stay firmly entrenched, taking up residence in our mental attic and making it feel cluttered and full.
Normally, our mind is like Velcro. Everything sticks. When we shine the light of awareness on our thinking, thoughts can be seen more clearly and lose their sticky quality.
In contrast, mindful awareness creates a sense of space. When we bring awareness to something, it becomes enveloped in a spacious clarity, just as when we shine a light on something in the dark we see the object but also notice all the space around it. In the light of awareness, thoughts can be seen more clearly and lose their sticky quality. Awareness is like the sky, and from this perspective thoughts are just clouds passing through the sky. They don’t stick…