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A Quiet Mind · Sri Aurobindo Studies

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  Normally the mind is something of a chaotic marketplace.
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  Sensations come in. Feelings, emotions, ideas, all
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  kinds of distractions arise, and the mind reacts and follows them
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  Willy nilly until the next impulse moves it in another
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  direction. The past arises as we review
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  things that have occurred to us and ruminate over what that
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  means. In some cases, we obsess over
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  something someone has said or done and we repeat thoughts over
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  and over again. The future enters our minds as
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  we focus on something we would like to do, intend to do, or on
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  some possible outcome that we fear or hope for.
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  The present impinges on us with the constant flow of sensations
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  and impressions that demand our minds attention.
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  Even when we are relatively focused on a project or tasked.
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  Oftentimes thoughts intervene to reflect on something in the
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  past, or we may get distracted by sounds or sights in our
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  environment, or we may experience a pang of hunger or
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  feeling of thirst and interrupt our concentration on the task.
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  To attend to these feelings, we may be carrying with us the
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  residue of a discussion or argument we had with someone
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  earlier, the remembrance of a dream we had while sleeping, or
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  a fantasy we build about something we would like to see
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  happen in the future. We do not normally even pay
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  attention to all the mind's activity because it is just the
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  normal way things function for the seeker.
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  However, when he attempts to sit for meditation, he becomes
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  acutely aware of these things. This can lead to considerable
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  discouragement and a sense that one cannot succeed in quieting
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  the mind. Many simply believe that these
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  distractions only arise when one tries to meditate, but the
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  underlying reality is that they are always present, but the
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  individual does not pay attention to them.
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  Another issue arises when the seeker begins to grapple with
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  physical and vital impediments that need to be addressed in the
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  spiritual development process and sees that they are not
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  changing quickly or easily. This can lead to mental
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  perturbations and can act as a further source of anxiety,
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  worry, or constant mental processing.
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  Even as he tries to solve the embedded issues and habits of
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  human nature in what turns out to be unrealistic time frames
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  and methods, Eventually the seeker can, through repeated
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  attempts, bring a measure of quietness to the mental process.
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  There are a number of different methods that have been tried and
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  it is up to the seeker to determine which method is
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  suitable for him. Swami Vivekananda in Raja Yoga
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  describes the link between the breath and the flow of mental
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  ripples in the mind stuff. Sri Aurobindo describes in
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  various places the shifting of the standpoint to the witness
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  awareness and the rejection of the thoughts before they enter
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  the being, as well as describing the psychic aspiration and
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  corresponding receptivity to the higher force that can bring the
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  mind to a state of quiet awareness.
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  Seekers also find that the force can bring with it a state of
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  solid peace, even a state of silence of the mind.
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  The experience of the spiritual force descending and overriding
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  the normal mental process is reported by many who practice
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  the integral yoga. While this experience does not
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  generally last indefinitely, it shows the practitioner that such
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  a state of awareness is possible.
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  Sri Orbindo notes quote, Silence is always good, but I do not
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  mean by quietness of mind entire silence.
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  I mean a mind free from disturbance and trouble, steady,
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  light and glad, so as to open to the Force that will change the
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  nature. The important thing is to get
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  rid of the habit of the invasion of troubling thoughts, wrong
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  feelings, confusion of ideas, unhappy movements.
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  These disturb the nature and cloud it and make it difficult
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  for the Force to work. When the mind is quiet and at
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  peace, the force can work more easily.
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  It should be possible to see things that have to be changed
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  in you without being upset or depressed.
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  The change is the more easily done.
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  End Quote reference Sri Aurobindo, Bases of Yoga,
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  chapter 1. Calm, Peace and Equality, page
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  2.