Breaking the Loop
Meditation and the Art of Returning
The first time I tried to meditate, I expected peace. Quiet. What I found was noise.
Thoughts. Lists. Regrets. Mood states. Things I forgot to say to people five years ago.
My mind was plagued by incessant chatter. An unending cacophony of thoughts that appeared as if from nowhere. In trying to quiet my mind, I would catch myself thinking, “quiet the mind,” then, “stop thinking.”
It was frustrating, to say the least.
But then I was struck by the realization: the goal isn’t to stop thinking. It’s to notice thinking. To return. To start again.
Waking up1
In last week’s post, we explored the Default Mode Network (DMN), the brain’s autopilot for rumination, self-judgment, and worry.
Meditation offers a way to step out of that loop.
Neuroscience shows that even brief mindfulness2 practices reduce activity in the DMN. Functional MRI studies reveal that experienced meditators exhibit decreased activation in DMN hubs like the posterior cingulate cortex, and increased connectivity between regions responsible for attention and emotional regulation34.
Put simply, meditation quiets the noise.
Each breath becomes a signal:
You are here. You are not your thoughts.
We need no longer be held captive by our mind, stuck on a recursive treadmill of fear, guilt, or fantasy. We can choose to get off the ride. And we can choose it now.
A Stoic Parallel
The Stoics weren’t neuroscientists, but they understood this practice well.
“External things are not the problem. It's your assessment of them. Which you can erase right now.” — Marcus Aurelius
To meditate is to strengthen that power; to train attention, to notice the stories we tell ourselves, and to gently return to what is real.
In the End
Meditation doesn’t silence the mind. It teaches you not to follow it. Each breath becomes a vote for calm over chaos.
For presence over narrative.
For a well-lived life.
Reflection
Try one minute today: sit quietly and focus on your breath.
Notice where your mind goes.
Don’t fight the thoughts. Just practice returning.
Yes, this is a quiet nod to the Waking Up app by Sam Harris. Dr. Harris has built something incredible in this app, and I highly recommend taking a look here.
Particularly focused attention and Metta or loving-kindness meditation
Garrison, K. A., et al. (2015). Meditation leads to reduced default mode network activity beyond an active task. Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, 15(3), 712–720.
Tang, Y. Y., Hölzel, B. K., & Posner, M. I. (2015). The neuroscience of mindfulness meditation. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 16(4), 213–225.