In The Doors of Perception, Aldous Huxley describes the brain as a “reducing valve”— a mental gatekeeper that limits our consciousness to keep us from getting overwhelmed. It gives us what we need to function, not everything that’s available.

Our brain rations thought the way we’d ration water on a long, hot hike: just enough to keep moving. Over time, we start to believe this careful drip is all there is. Huxley asks: what if our daily experience is only a fraction of what’s actually possible?

We live by routines and habits, mistaking the map for the territory (as Korzybski famously put it). Huxley suggests there’s a world of more imaginative terrain out there: unknown, vivid, unexplored. The goal isn’t to squeeze more from the brain like it’s underperforming, but to stop assuming “enough” is the full story. I love Huxley’s invitation to look past the frugal scaffolding of ‘enough’ and explore the extraordinary. The everyday suddenly shimmers with possibility.

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(Video above by @aleksmutated)

I like how everyday stuff can open small windows into mindfulness. Take your feet, for example. Right now, notice how they’re touching the ground. Four points. Yep, I’m borrowing a yoga exercise: heel, outer edge, ball, inner edge. Feel how the ground meets you back. It feels good to be where your feet are.

It could be other things too like tasting your coffee in the morning before getting to your computer or enjoying a walk after lunch without mentally composing emails.

Seen this way, mindfulness and presence become a habit of noticing and appreciating what’s already here. Kind of like remembering to look up at the trees instead of down at your feet when you’re exploring a city. True story. Discovered in Shanghai with my aunt. Story for another time. Your whole view changes.

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There is a steady rhythm inside your chest. 🎶 It expands and contracts all day long. Each breath can impact your mood or mental state.

Pay attention to it and you can notice a connection. If you are nervous, your breath might become jumpy. When you are focused, it smooths out. If you are upset, it can feel short. The mind influences the breath. I recently started yoga, and what I love is realizing this relationship runs both ways.

If a stressful thought can tighten your breathing, intentional breathing can loosen the grip of that thought. Slow the inhale and stretch out the exhale. Your body gets the message to relax and your mind usually follows.

You may not control every thought that pops into your head. But the ability to influence the atmosphere those thoughts move through is pretty awesome. Shift your breath, and you start to shift your mental state.♡

(happy update: she landed a great role. 🐾✨)