A proverb in the dharma is that the mind takes its shape from what it repeatedly rests upon, and how it engages with the contents of awareness. What is found within awareness cannot be controlled. What can be controlled is the shape the mind takes. We have the freedom to choose what we dwell upon. In other words, neural pathways that we repeatedly choose to use form stronger connections. Neurons that fire together, wire together. The dharma understood neuroplasticity long before the fields of psychology and neuroscience ever existed.
Chances are you take care of your physical health to some degree. You try to sleep enough. Eat your greens. Move your body. We do this because we want to increase the length and quality of our lives. Increase the body’s total number of heartbeats. But does living longer equal more hours lived? Of course not. Many hours are spent sleeping. We are not conscious, then, though we are alive. I will extend this argument further. Hours spent with our awareness lost in a cascade of narratives and thought, are not truly lived. When rushing between appointments, worrying about the future, or otherwise lost in a hazy cloud of diffuse awareness, time passes without even being noticed. What is the point of living for more years if you are not aware of the contents?
Here are three simple steps to literally live longer, starting right now:
Drop your shoulders down and back.
Take the deepest breath you’ve taken all day.
Rest your mind.
The only thing you can be certain of is the existence of your own consciousness. Whether or not you perceive the fundamental nature of reality is irrelevant. You can be certain there is an undefined locus of perception associated with “you”. Your mind is your only certainty. Why not get to know it better? Why not change its shape? Make the choice to live longer.
