Category Archives: Self-Regulation

Gliding into Stillness after Thanksgiving

Posted on December 5, 2019 by Payal Patel

Black Friday. Deals extended!Cyber Monday. Cyber week!Lights flashing in our eyes. Our eyes darting to find great sales and our minds jumping from desire to desire – from a new phone to a new outfit.Sweets and food stimulating our taste … Continue reading →

Posted in Focus & Clarity, Observation, Preparing the Mind, Self-Regulation, Stillness, Uncategorized | Tagged calm, clarity, Focus, mindfulness, Observation, Overwhelmed, Stillness, thankgiving | 1 Comment

Recultivating the Fearless Child-Mind: Part II

Posted on March 11, 2019 by Payal Patel

Being a child is one of the most fascinating experiences – the mind journeys into realms and places that adults often struggle to imagine. In the fixed daily path we follow day-in and day-out, our minds get used to routines. … Continue reading →

Posted in Anxiety, Beginner's Mind, Curiosity, Preparing the Mind, Self-Regulation, Walking | Leave a comment

Self-Regulation VI: Walking Into Longer Days

Posted on December 26, 2018 by Payal Patel

Winter solstice has passed and we are finally climbing out of our journey into progressively shorter days (and of course, by that I mean fewer hours of sunlight). As we moved into the darker days of the winter, we may … Continue reading →

Posted in Focus & Clarity, Observation, Preparing the Mind, Self-Regulation, Stillness, Walking | 2 Comments

Self-Regulation V: The Mandala Practice

Posted on December 13, 2018 by Payal Patel

The mandala is an ancient symbol that represents the universe. It serves as a microcosmic representation of all that exists within us and in the external world. Mandalas have an intricate circular symmetry made of geometric patterns. Years ago, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Anxiety, Color, Curiosity, Focus & Clarity, Mandala, Non-Judgement, Observation, Preparing the Mind, Self-Regulation, Stillness | 1 Comment

Self-Regulation IV: A Gratitude Meditation & Happy Thanksgiving!

Posted on November 20, 2018 by Payal Patel

Before I begin I would like to I dedicate this post to Swami Tadatmananda (Swami T hereafter), who taught me about meditation in addition to many other practices. I offer a meditation, below, that is a variation of what he … Continue reading →

Posted in Gratitude, Metacognition, Observation, Self-Regulation | Tagged Gratitude, Humility, Learning, Meditation, mindfulness | Leave a comment

Self Regulation III – Morning Mindfulness: The Mind & The Inextinguishable Flame

Posted on November 13, 2018 by Payal Patel

The candlelight flame is an ancient Indian symbol of undivided attention. It is said that if we leave the mind to its own devices (to entropy!), the flame of attention will scatter into thousands of tiny lights pointing in thousands … Continue reading →

Posted in Focus & Clarity, Metacognition, Observation, Preparing the Mind, Self-Regulation, Sleep, Stillness | Tagged Balance, emotions, Focus, Grit, Learning, Meditation, Mind/Body, mindfulness, Observing, Relaxation, Self-Regulation, Sleep, Stillness | Leave a comment

Self-Regulation II: Begins Before Bedtime

Posted on October 30, 2018 by Payal Patel

The world of sleep is mysterious and vast. We are conscious of ourselves just before we drift off to sleep. However, in between falling asleep and waking, we intentionally or unintentionally place full trust in the world around us – that … Continue reading →

Posted in Focus & Clarity, Preparing the Mind, Self-Regulation, Sleep, Stillness | Tagged Anxiety, Balance, emotions, Focus, monkeymind, Relaxation, Self-Regulation, Sleep, Stillness | 3 Comments

Self-Regulation I: Getting To Know Your Breath

Posted on October 14, 2018 by Payal Patel

One of the first steps to developing the fertile soil in which we can plant seeds (in the form of tools) that help us self-regulate is getting to know one of the most mysterious and ever-present aspects of our beings: … Continue reading →

Posted in Beginner's Mind, Metacognition, Self-Regulation | Tagged Beginner's Mind, Breath, connection, Curiosity, Mind/Body, Self-Regulation | 1 Comment

Fall 2018 Self-Regulation Series: For All Ages!

Posted on September 30, 2018 by Payal Patel

Staying true to my last post on eliminating excess, I took time to cut out extraneous work, unnecessary internet time, and moved as slowly as possible as I transitioned back into the school year (which, as any teacher knows, is … Continue reading →

Posted in Self-Regulation | Tagged Balance, emotions, Learning, Mind/Body, Self-Regulation | 2 Comments

A New School Year & Taking Care of Ourselves: Eliminating Excess

Posted on August 17, 2018 by Payal Patel

A new school year is approaching and we are often swamped by a mix of emotions – Overwhelming feelings Nervousness Excitement Feeling upset We feel overwhelmed by a huge list of courses and teachers we know almost nothing about – … Continue reading →

Posted in Anxiety & Struggle, Focus & Clarity, Metacognition, Preparing the Mind, Self-Regulation | Tagged Anxiety, EliminatingExcess, Learning, NewSchoolYear, Overwhelmed, Social Media | 5 Comments

On Struggle (Part 2): Embracing the Evolving Mind

Posted on January 6, 2018 by Payal Patel

At the core of productive struggle is a practice in which the mind accommodates new experiences and ideas by first allowing room for the questioning, and if necessary, loss of pre-existing notions. This practice is simply represented in the following … Continue reading →

Posted in Anxiety & Struggle, Grit, Metacognition, Self-Regulation | Tagged BefriendingStruggle, evolvingmind, Grit, Growth, Learning, openminded, Struggle | 2 Comments

Test Anxiety Meditation II: Decluttering the Mind and Heart

Posted on September 24, 2017 by Payal Patel

NOTE: Those of us who are not students can use this by substituting test anxiety with extreme nervousness during high pressure situations (public talks, meetings with a boss, high-pressure deadlines at work, etc.) In high pressure situations, such as exams … Continue reading →

Posted in Anxiety & Struggle, Math Anxiety, Self-Regulation, Test Anxiety | Tagged Exam, Focus, NewSchoolYear, OldHabits, Test Anxiety, ViciousCycle, WhatIf | Leave a comment

Waves of the Mind

Posted on August 7, 2017 by Payal Patel

Growing up, my parents told me a lot of stories from ancient Indian epics. There was one piece that always stuck in my mind. It was a repeated phrase which roughly translates, “In a moment of fury (or any other … Continue reading →

Posted in Focus & Clarity, Metacognition, Observation, Self-Regulation, Stillness | Tagged accept, Anxiety, emotions, Focus, Learning, Meditation, Mind/Body, monkeymind, observe, Observing | 7 Comments

Embracing Your Pace

Posted on July 23, 2017 by Payal Patel

Imagine this scenario — You are silently reading a book and every few minutes, you hear sounds of turning pages. You look up – your friend is on page 16. You look down at your book – I am only … Continue reading →

Posted in Focus & Clarity, Metacognition, Non-Judgement, Observation, Preparing the Mind, Self-Regulation, Stillness | Tagged accept, Anxiety, embrace, emotions, Meditation, observe, Observing, slowingdown, Stillness | 4 Comments

Welcome to Learning In Stillness!

Posted on June 11, 2017 by Payal Patel

Welcome Learning In Stillness Readers! Peace and Love, Payal Patel

Posted in Anxiety, Anxiety & Struggle, Beginner's Mind, Curiosity, Focus & Clarity, Grit, Math Anxiety, Metacognition, Non-Judgement, Observation, Preparing the Mind, Self-Regulation, Test Anxiety | Tagged Anxiety, Balance, Beginner's Mind, Breath, connection, Curiosity, embrace, emotions, evolvingmind, Exam, Focus, Grit, Growth, Humility, Labeling, Learning, learningfromchallenge, Meditation, Mind/Body, mindfulness, monkeymind, Non-Judgemental, Observing, OldHabits, Relaxation, Self-Regulation, Social Media, Stillness, Struggle, WhatIf | Leave a comment