The Mind as a Messenger — Returning to the Natural State of Mind
I’ve been reflecting lately on what the mind is really for. Not just what it does when it’s caught in old habits, but what its natural function might be.
One way I’ve been seeing it is like this: the mind is a messenger.
When the Mind Gets Stuck
You probably know the feeling. The mind locks onto worry, anger, or some looping thought, and suddenly the whole body feels on edge. What’s happening is that the mind is sending the brain a message: “Not safe.”
The brain, trying to protect us, flips the survival switch — fight, flight, or freeze. Adrenaline, tension, racing thoughts. And the body reacts as if the threat is happening right now, even if it’s just a memory from the past or a story about the future.
This is the messenger doing its best job — but in the wrong situation.
Re-Training the Messenger
Here’s where mindfulness practice comes in. If we can notice the stuckness and name it — “this is worry,” “this is fear,” “this is that old story again” - the grip softens. We don’t have to push it away; just recognizing it shifts the loop.
Then we bring awareness somewhere steady: the feet on the floor, the breath in the belly, the sound of the room. Now the mind has a new message to send: “Feet here. Grounded. Some discomfort, but safe enough right now.”
The brain responds to this, too. Shoulders drop. Breath deepens. The alarm eases. This is how we re-train the mind, not by forcing it to stop, but by giving it new messages to send.
Three Ways to See It
I like to look at this through a few different lenses:
Science: The mind evolved for survival, scanning for danger, predicting the future. Mindfulness helps calm that survival wiring and reset the nervous system.
Contemplative tradition: The natural state of the mind is luminous, clear, aware. Practice doesn’t add something new; it uncovers what was already there.
Poetic/human: The mind is a bridge between raw experience and meaning. Its natural function is not just to think, but to connect with ourselves, with others, with life.
Each lens says the same thing in a different way: mindfulness helps return the mind to its natural state. A state of rest.
Sit. Feel. Heal.
That’s really what Sit. Feel. Heal. is about:
We sit to notice the messages of the mind.
We feel what’s present without turning away.
We heal by re-training the messenger, letting the body return to safety and the mind to presence.
It’s not about being perfect. It’s about remembering, moment by moment, that we can shift the message and in doing so, remember the natural state of the mind.
A Reflection to Try
Take a moment right now:
Close your eyes or soften your gaze.
Notice what message your mind is sending in this moment. Is it calm? Busy? Worried? Planning?
Without pushing it away, name it gently: “This is restlessness.” “This is planning.” “This is okay-ness.”
Then shift attention to something steady; your feet on the ground, the breath in your belly, or the sounds around you.
See if the message changes. What does your mind send to your body now?
You don’t have to force anything. Just notice how the messenger responds when you offer it a new place to rest.
Joe
