It is crucial to be in control of your mind at all times.
Your breath has an input on the quality and quantity of your thoughts so it is crucial to maintain control of your breath at all times.
When we lose control of our mind and our breath, we lose control of the self.
Whenever we are out of control of our mind, we must purify and maintain control over the domain of mind, as well as the domains of body and spirit. The three that equal the one. 3:1.
There are infinite ways to clear your mind. The “best” way to clear your mind is the way that is most accessible to you.
When pursuing mastery, which should be pursued at all times except for breaks at the Inn to recover from loyal pursuits, the wanderer must aim to transfer control of the individual to the spirit and not the mind.
Letting the mind run rampant is ineffective. It is akin to letting a toddler parent his parents. It doesn’t work.
While you can clear your mind with off-path, unproductive activities, these should be used sparingly, in contrast with mind-clearing methods that push you further down your many paths.
Below are 100 ways to clear your mind. They are separated by Body, Mind, and Spirit. Each domain contains 33 ways to clear your mind using that domain.
33 ways to clear your mind – Body
- Investment in the body(path progression)
- Going on a walk outside
- Yoga
- Weight training
- Calisthenics, pushups, situps, etc.
- Deep Stretching
- Playing a sport
- Using a reflex ball
- Going fishing
- Shadow boxing
- Going on a hike
- Sauna
- Chopping wood
- Hiking
- Hotspring/hot tub/bath soak
- Climbing stairs
- Climbing hills
- Body scanning and releasing each muscle
- Cold shower
- Ice bath
- Dunking your face in cold water
- Martial arts
- Cleaning your home
- Wim Hoff breathing
- Self-massaging knots(SMR)
- Getting a massage
- Using a massage gun
- Rucking
- Hanging – pull-up bar, or a ledge
- Swimming
- Floating in water
- Holding a plank
- Running sprints
33 ways to clear your mind – Mind
- Investment in the Mind(path progression)
- Zen meditation(no mind)
- Mantra meditation(one mind)
- Visualization
- Using the Morning Pages strategy
- Writing your thoughts on paper to get them out of your mind(container-to-container transfer)
- Reading a book
- Reading manga
- Fasting from your phone
- Fasting from all technology
- Solving a puzzle or a brain teaser(crossword, brainteaser, sudoku, etc.)
- Focus on a single point in space
- Reading philosophy
- Pondering a quote or a passage
- Writing Poetry
- Writing an essay
- Writing a story
- Drawing
- Organizing your physical space
- Organizing your digital space
- Playing music
- Listening to music without words
- Doing math
- Counting meditation(count to 500, 1,000…)
- Learning a new language
- Listen to a podcast
- Watching educational content like history or a documentary
- Brainstorming anything
- Listen to an audiobook
- Reading articles or the paper
- Naming(addressing) what you are aware of, including your thoughts
- Playing a memorization game(license plates, something you see, recall)
- Reading a random page of a book(dictionary, encyclopedia, picture book)
33 ways to clear your mind – Spirit
- Investment in the Spirit(path progression)
- Breathwork
- Focusing on a mantra
- Prayer
- Calling a friend
- Calling a family member
- Reading Musashi’s 21 rules for life
- Going to a party/throwing a party
- Studying your code
- Reciting affirmations
- Having a conversation with a dead relative, mentor, or model
- Visualizing the future you want
- Visualizing the present that you love
- Visualizing the past that you appreciate
- Visualizing saying goodbye to a habit that does not serve you to remove it from your life
- Visiting the grave of someone you know or do not know and conversating with them
- Writing a to-do list
- Having friends over for any occasion(dinner party, game night, watching sports)
- Playing an engaging and heroic video game
- Watching an engaging and heroic movie, show, or other piece of content
- Stillness meditation – settling the sand at the bottom of the glass
- Staring at clouds
- Staring at the stars
- Staring at the sunrise or the sunset
- Starting a fire then staring at a fire
- Volunteering to help others
- Performing a ritual
- Reframing a negative memory or experience
- Contemplating your death
- Making a decision you have been avoiding
- Fasting
- Giving a gift
- Making a donation
The path of paths
- Pursuing mastery across your chosen paths
Pursuing mastery across your chosen paths should be the default state and the default way to clear your mind. If domains of body and mind are exhausted, the wanderer may rest at the Inn, and get back to the path when recovered.
How do you clear your mind?
