Ka Puana: The Problem With Thinking

Excerpts used with permission of the publisher: GreatRiverBooks.com

I have a knack for generating stress in that time right before dawn when it’s too cold to get out of bed and my wide-awake brain seems to run out of control. Fearful, worrisome thoughts cascade in, ruining my morning peace. If I have the presence to breathe, rest in Hook Ups*, and focus on the birds calling up the morning, I can stop the runaway thoughts; otherwise I enter the day incoherently.

When I first read that thinking inhibits coherence, I had a knee jerk reaction to defend the status quo. Aren’t we supposed to think? Isn’t that the responsible, rational thing to do, to figure things out so I feel safe in knowing what’s coming next, to orchestrate events and plan all my actions? In the times when I’m truly creative, however, I’m not thinking about or even trying to be creative. I’m just in the moment, and the most remarkable ideas come to me; my world and events fall perfectly into place and I easily move from task to task consciously with what needs to be done in that moment. The same thing occurs when I am fully present with a friend or even a stranger, listening without thinking about what to say—or my grocery list. They become my teachers, opening up their unique corner of the universe to me. Something they say can trigger multiple pieces of a puzzle to fall into place. Voila! I experience the Ah-Ha, the exhilaration of seeing something in a new, more complex way, more clearly than I had ever seen it before and I feel I’ve been given a great gift.

Two cardiologists, Michael Cooper and Michael Agent, did an interesting experiment with a group of men who had very elevated cholesterol levels (ranging between 300-500). These men had been cardiac patients, some with severe problems. Besides keeping diet, exercise, and body weight constant, these high-risk men were trained to sit quietly for 15 minutes a day and clear their minds. They were told that if a fearful or worrisome thought came into their head, to just let it pass and come back to the present. Almost immediately, this caused their cholesterol levels to drop by one third. This kind of a drop is unheard of except with one specific drug now on the market. And this highly effective technique is cheaper and safer than any drug.¹⁶⁵

In traditional Chinese medicine, the heart and mind are considered to be the same, thus one word heart/mind is used for both aspects. The Chinese feel that excessive thinking or excessive emotional strain detrimentally affects the heart/mind. The notion of “not thinking too much nourishes the heart” is heavily influenced by Taoist ideas of nourishing life by calming the mind and preventing distracting thoughts. I wonder if Taoist sages would say that rampant consumerism, multitasking and the strong intellectualism of our culture harasses the heart?

The heart runs the show, acting as though it has a mind of its own, profoundly affecting perception, intelligence, and our interaction with others.¹⁶⁸ As mirrors for those around us, our greatest gift is coherence. As parents, educators, and friends, we miss the boat by focusing on an agenda, or driving ourselves beyond our limits when the heart energy is not straightened out first.

The Yum Solution

Stop

• Stop the runaway thoughts about the past and possible futures.
• Be aware of where you are at this moment with no distractions.
• Be present, with who you are and who others are at this moment.
• Do Hook Ups and take long, slow breaths from your belly.

Look

• Look at your world with a child’s eyes, experiencing the constant newness.
• Look at yourself honestly as a valuable, unique being.
• Look at others or the situation as the perfect learning experience.

Listen

• Listen to the rich sounds of nature.
• Listen from your heart to the tone of another’s voice and words.
• Listen to your intuition and your gut feelings.

Touch

• Reconnect through touch, which is our strongest anchor and bridge.
• Hug yourself and others with the hug of the beloved.
• Touch with your eyes, meeting another’s eyes with total love.
• In a difficult situation extend your hand, and turn with the other person to look at the situation before you instead of between you.

Move

• Take a relaxed walk, swim or bike ride, being aware of the feel, the smells, and the sights.
• Relax your shoulders and open your heart.
• Do integrated movements, yoga, tai chi, or dance to your favorite music.
• Move your mouth in song, laughter, or gratitude for yourself and others.

Yum

• With pleasure, recognize and bless who you are, what you have in your life and the people and situations you have manifested to assist your growth.¹⁶⁹

We don’t need expensive technologies, therapies, or designer drugs to come home to the heart. It only takes a moment of true presence and coherence to change the incoherence, not only in ourselves, but also in those around us. This forces us to more responsibly trust ourselves for the solutions, giving us back the power to structure our lives as we choose. ❖

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Carla’s books can be found at Kona Stories and her website.

Contact author Carla Hannaford: CarlaHannaford.com

Notes:

* Hook Ups = crosssed legs, complex intertwining of the hands and arms, with tongue on the roof of the mouth. It demands balance and stimulates the neocortex of both hemispheres of the brain and makes it easy to come to coherence.

165: Dossey, Larry. Healing Words: The Power of Prayer and the Practice of Medicine. HarperCollins, New York, 1993, p. 291.

168: Lacey, John I & Beatrice C. Lacey. “Two-way communication between the heart and the brain: Significance of time within the cardiac cycle.” American Psychologist, Feb. 1978, pp. 99-113.

169: Adapted and expanded from the original Yum Solution developed by my good friends in Hawai‘i, Candle and Iao.