So this week, two worlds come together Eastern philosophy and Western Science, affectionately referred to as when East meets West.
Two powerful and relative verse’s/chants await you. Taken from The chapter on pure awareness from Chapter One of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra to Practice identifications and stilling the fluctuations of the mind. Along with four prompts to deepen your self enquiry, exploring how false memories maybe affecting how you see and understand your current reality. I’ll also be drawing from my days studying Memory during my time at Cambridge. Offering a brief introduction to Memory Pathology & Terminology presenting some insight to help you gain a new shifting perspective on how you perceive memories and ultimately your reality.
With a full and interesting week of entertaining, and preparing for new ventures and adventures, surprisingly l’ve found it more of a challenge to be creative. However, l should have known that (thankfully) that essence wouldn’t linger for too long. Able to catch the realisation arising of how l was subscribing to a somewhat false story and a reminder of how quickly we can revert to our old patterns and stories in our minds.
I feel so blessed to be joining my mentor
towards the end of the year for reflection and learning more about how to sit and soften with life.
I’ve always had a duality of thought in terms of my belief that things happen for a reason and believing that we have Will Power, to make conscious choices that can change the directionality of our path in life.
One such thing happened to me this week, as l was on my patients (eye patients) rounds this week (my other part-time job for now!) I had been thinking the last couple of weeks about re-tipping my toes in the water to teach YOGA in real time at a physical place as opposed to online.
Looking at my route on Wednesday, l realised that one of my patients lived near one of my old yoga studios in Cambridge. I quietly whispered to myself and then re-affirmed out loud “If there’s a parking space right outside, then l will stop if not l won’t.” Yes, you guessed when l pulled into the road there was a free space right outside the entrance, so in l went to have a brief conversation on the possibility. Greeted by a new centre manager we hit it off straight away.
Nonetheless, that being said in amongst the joy, l also observed my mind beginning to negativity wonder and spiral. Old memories from a particular difficult time in my teaching profession resurfacing. Inferring and subscribing too old stories of unworthiness and imposter syndrome that one experiences from time to time, often more prevalent if you’ve had a long break away. Therefore, befriending your mind becomes essential for cultivating strong mental wellbeing.
Befriend YOUR MIND
Our Memory has multiple facets of memory within our memory! Therefore, understanding and bringing awareness to how your mind works from both an western and eastern scientific perspective can help you evolve and remove yourself from suffering.
My journey in Cognitive Experimental Psychology (When l had hair!)
Memory - A vast field for scientific exploration
During my time at Cambridge, l found the scientific study of Memory and Vision fascinating. Although now it’s even hard for me to recall the amount of material l actually studied. Another interesting side story to note here is WHY l went back to University as a mature student? Was to help my understanding of memory loss in Dementia and Alzheimer’s patients as my mother was greatly suffering from Alzheimer’s at the time.
This was some of my old scribbles on one of my many sessions with one of my amazing lecturer’s Dr Andrea Grieve who broke memory down in a easy and informative way.
So feel free to nerd out below!
Memory is split into two our conscious and non conscious.
Conscious memory also known as our Explicit/Declarative memory contains both our long and short term memories. Long term containing Episodic (events) and Semantic (facts).
Non-conscious also known as Implicit/Procedural contains our skills (habits) and conditioning (priming).
It is worth also remembering that memory has three main functions which are Encoding, Storage and Retrieval.
FALSE MEMORIES and the Impact on the Self
So what are False memories?
Basically False memories are recollections of past events that the brain has created, distorted, or reconstructed over time normally in a bid to protect the constructed self. Often found in PTSD patients but more apparent for example with witnesses in criminal trials, when they asked to recall what they saw and/or heard.
How we create False Memories reminders:
There is some memory that really isn’t memory.
There is something such as false recall:
Activation through word association.
Failure to recognise why that item is your mind.
Maybe some items are lending themselves to be incorrectly recalled.
The illusion of remembering events that have never happened is really possible.
Recognition is lower than recall.
Watch out for assumptions and claims.
THE impact on the SELF/MANY SELF’S/NOT SELF’S are repeating cycles of behaviour that can undermine our quality of living and experiences. Often fuelling fear and keeping us from experiencing some form of freedom.
How to unsubscribe to False memories and stories from an Eastern perspective
Meditation and Mindfulness
Embodied philosophy and chants
VERSE’S/CHANTS
YS1.2
yogas’ citta-vritti-nirodhah
When you stop indentifying with your thoughts, fluctuations of the mind, then there is Yoga, identity with Self, which is samadhi, happiness and bliss
YS1.12
abhyasa-vairagyabhyam tan-nirodhah
Identification with the fluctuations of the mind is stopped by practice and non-attachment
I’ll leave you this week with some Embodied Prompts for consideration on False Memories
What are you currently subscribing too that maybe preventing your progress and joy?
Reflect upon any memories that are troubling/limiting to you that may not be quite as true as you think?
Do you often get confused when recalling certain memories?
What memories are you/have you blocked or struggle to remember?
Share this post