The well known saying mind over matter can hold deeper wisdom than you may have given it credit for. Becoming aware of mind over matter is cultivating the power of your mind and valuing the pure strength of your beliefs.
Where Does Mind Over Matter Come From?
Mind over matter can be understood best when simplified into what the mind means. The mind, meaning the part of us that reasons, makes decisions, perceives, and reasons. This then goes to explain using the will of the mind we can dictate the matter of our reality and our experience of it.
Very commonly this phrase can be found in reference to controlling physical pain or strong sensations. It goes hand in hand with the placebo effect, which in psychology is when someone believes what they are receiving will benefit them. Although they actually receive an inactive treatment they still reap the benefits due to the belief they are being given a healing treatment.
Sir Charles Lyell referred to the term “mind over matter” in 1863 within The Geological Evidence of the Antiquity of Man. It was in reference to the expansion within animals’ minds and the exponential evolution of man.
Examples Of Mind Over Matter
The practice of yoga is of a spiritual development of awareness. This teaches the yogi how to control and become aware of the subtleties within the body, mind, and spirit.
Dr. Herbert Benson, a professor at Harvard Medical School went to Upper Dharamsala, a Himalayan Indian town in 1981 to study the yogis who practiced tummo meditation. The yogi’s practiced in about 4 degrees celsius conditions and sheets dripping with icy water on their naked bodies.
The yogis were able to not only dry the sheets but to make them steam. In these conditions, the average human would not be able to stop their body from shivering uncontrollably.
Bensen measured the monk’s internal temperature and found the rectal temperature did not change but within the fingertips and toes found an increase of up to 8.3 degrees celsius.
Another example is Air Force Colonel George Hall who had been captured in the Vietnam war and experienced one of the longest captivities in American history. During his seven years of imprisonment, he spent his time mentally visualizing playing golf.
The intriguing and thought-provoking aspect of his experience is that when Hall was released one of the first things he wanted to do was, of course, play golf despite being 100 pounds lighter and not having played in seven years. He managed to shoot a 76 which goes to display his body formulated muscle memory from his daily mental playing.
How Can You Learn To Achieve it?
To begin strengthening your mind over matter you can begin by practicing meditation. Many ancient yogis and monks have been found to learn to control their physiology by expanding their awareness.
Meditation techniques such as mindfulness guide you to become aware of the subtleties within your body. Through this, you can become aware of how you interact and impact them. Try this mindfulness guided meditation for exploring your sense of touch.
Pranayama is a yoga technique meaning to extend the breath in order to move prana or life force energy throughout your chakras. This practice trains and strengthens the mind to be able to have a singular focus. Click here to find a sound healing for all seven chakras.
When the ability to direct the mind is more accessible then you can more intimately dictate the experiences you have and the experiences you create.
Mind Over Matter and The Law Of Attraction
It is no doubt our minds can dictate the experience we have of our reality. When deciding to think positively we can alter our perception of any situation simply by making the committed decision to do so.
Our mind actually has even more power than simply changing our perception and emotional state. It has to power to bring into physical manifestation that which we focus and hone in on through the law of attraction.
