Distinction # 5

Zoning In vs Zoning Out

As I am enjoying my vacation on Cape Cod, it is also a great opportunity to ponder and observe myself in different states. I noticed that sometimes, I zone out in awe of a beautiful scenery, merging with the peace of a solitary pond, or simply turning into a turtle soaking up the sun after a good swim. I become the pond, the trees, the lilies or the turtle. I become one with nature and enjoy the state of no-thinking which comes with it. In so doing, it seems I am going back to a more primitive,  pre-thinking state.

At other times, I sit in meditation on a rock by the water and I zone in observing my thoughts passing by and consciously letting them go, to go back to the peaceful center of no-thinking. The experience of peace I get to may feel the same as when I zone out but there is a major difference, I am going beyond my habitual thinking patterns to reach a place of higher consciousness beyond thought itself.

Zoning Out, we get a break from too much thinking but we do not change how we handle the challenges of life once we get back to it.

Zoning In, we strengthen our ability to handle life challenges . When we witness our thinking while it is happening, we distance ourselves from it while strengthening a higher level of consciousness in ourselves. The more we do this, the more we can benefit from the wisdom of this higher level of consciousness in our everyday decisions and actions.

So although zoning out and zoning in are both great ways to get a break from this addiction to over-thinking we all have; to grow in practical consciousness, we want to make sure we include zoning in as a practice!