How to Use the “Neutral Mind” to Release Anxiety
Five tips that can help you overcome feelings of uncertainty during the COVID-19 crisis
Historically, infectious disease outbreaks have been accompanied by a widespread rise in anxiety and fear among the public.
So it’s no surprise that due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, anxiety is on the rise globally. As Vox reports, it is also fueling demand for digital mental health tools.
While these tools can certainly be beneficial, I would also like to propose another tool that is easily accessible and innate to everyone.
It is called the “neutral mind.”
What Is the Neutral Mind?
In Kundalini yoga, each human being is seen as having 10 energetic bodies.
Three of these are known as mental bodies:
- The negative mind (2nd body) gives out warnings and worst-case scenarios.
- The positive mind (3rd body) imagines the best possible outcome.
- The neutral mind (4th body) listens to both the negative and positive minds’ inputs.
The neutral mind acts as a scale, balancing information from both positive and negative minds, before making any decisions.
The neutral mind is calm, centered, and precise.
It’s less attached to outcomes and expectations of events, and more interested in intrinsic motivations and reactions.
How Can the Neutral Mind Help?
Cultivating the neutral mind is a strategy that complements the experts’ advice for navigating the pandemic.
How so?
According to psychological science, it is strongly advised to strengthen self-care via mindfulness, exercise, and relaxation techniques, during this anxiety-inducing time.
Prioritizing these behaviors not only increases psychological well being but also helps boost your immune system.
Having a strong neutral mind can lead to:
- Becoming more discerning in how you manage your energy and respond to external life circumstances.
- Creating a sense of safety and expansiveness that moves away from duality, enabling you to see the big picture through the highs and lows of life.
- Developing qualities of compassion and being of service to others.
- Sharpening self-reflection and intuitive knowledge, allowing you to make better decisions in stressful times.
Cultivating a neutral mind can help you deal with feelings of uncertainty. It is like taking a bird’s eye view on your own life.
Please don’t think of it as “spiritual bypassing.”
It is not about rejecting any feelings of stress, anxiety, and fear, but it’s about normalizing and integrating these feelings in a non-judgemental, non-obsessive way.
It’s also backed up by science.
Hold up.
Before you dismiss this as spiritual mumbo-jumbo, let me assure you that there is a link between Kundalini yoga and decreasing anxiety levels.
A 2018 study from the International Journal of Yoga Therapy suggests that Kundalini yoga can help reduce symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder and soothing feelings of restlessness.
A 2017 study also found that practicing this form of yoga helped decrease cortisol levels and perceived stress in 26 people who took up Kundalini yoga classes for three months.
Additional research suggests that Kundalini yoga may also help prevent cognitive decline and ease depression symptoms.
Speaking from experience, practicing Kundalini yoga helps me to neutralize and calm myself down during times of angst and anxiety.
How to Strengthen the Neutral Mind
While you might be using some common Kundalini yoga techniques, you don’t need prior knowledge of yoga.
But you’ll need dedication and consistency, as well as a willingness to learn.
To start, here are five tips to help you cultivate the neutral mind:
- Meditate daily. Start with 10 minutes and work your way up. Since a peaceful heart center is a foundation for the Neutral Mind, focus on heart-centered meditations — have a look on YouTube for inspiration (this is a great one, under 20 minutes). If you’re already familiar with Kundalini yoga, commit to a daily Sodarshan Chakra Kriya practice for 40 days.
- Balance the left and right brain hemispheres through different recommended breath-work and physical exercises (known in Kundalini as Kriyas). Alternate nostril breathing is simple and effective. Also, try the cross crawl — starting from 1 minute and building up to 5 minutes. Lie on your back on the mat and raise opposite hands and feet towards the ceiling. Raise your left leg at the same time as your right arm and vice versa. This exercise has an instantly relaxing and supportive effect on your nervous system.
- Engage daily in activities that “open the heart center”— things that give you a sense of connection and oneness, so to speak. These are intuitive and primordial actions, such as playing with your pet (if you have one) or taking a walk in nature (if possible). As anyone who had a gong bath will tell you, sound vibrations have a healing effect on the body. So try chanting, since repeating a mantra stimulates the neutral mind. Alternatively, play your favorite music and crank up the volume, then sing and dance like no one’s watching (if you’re self-isolating, chances are no one actually is).
- The attributes of the neutral mind are compassion and service. So ask yourself: “How can I be of service today?” Many of us feel helpless in the face of this crisis. But many of us are also in the privileged position of owning a smartphone and laptop with internet access. While it’s great to support those more vulnerable through donations or acts of service, you also shouldn’t underestimate the healing effect of your words and presence on a loved one. Checking in and offering support during this testing time is greatly appreciated, as are random acts of kindness with strangers you come into contact with (albeit digitally).
On a personal note: I am Italian and the devastating news from home in the last week hit me hard. So I have made it a rule to check Whatsapp and social media only a few times a day.
The reason being is I have seen a lot of fake news and panic being spread around, which does not benefit anyone with coping during stressful times.
So I have decided to make a distinction between “noise” and “news.” While I stay informed via reliable news sources, I also find it essential for my wellbeing to put boundaries with the noise — and those triggers that can set off anxiety.
Also, I only connect with family and friends after my spiritual practice.
When my Neutral Mind is strong, I am less susceptible to feelings of fear and panic. This means I can support them from a more centered, balanced and non-reactive space. It’s also easier to tap into positivity and spread the good vibes.
5. Commit to a daily spiritual practice. Consistency is the surest way to support your neutral mind. Why not try incorporating some of these strategies over the next few days? See how they feel. Continue if you find them beneficial. It’s really that simple. You can expand your practice as you go along.
Why Not Give It a Try?
A strong neutral mind is a powerful and underrated tool. Plus it’s accessible and free of cost.
While it isn’t an instant cure for anxiety and mental health issues, investing in a mindful practice is a sure way to commit to self-care — which is crucial at this time.
By helping you tap into your own inner strength and build resilience, cultivating the Neutral Mind can help you better manage feelings of anxiety.
Hopefully, after some time, you will notice an internal shift in how you perceive external events and react to stressful situations — especially during the global health crisis.
