by Donna Quesada: This article—the fourth in my series on Kundalini Yoga’s 10 Bodies—focuses on the “fourth body of light,” known as The Neutral Mind.

In the ancient tradition of Kundalini Yoga, the Self is understood, not as one body, but rather, as 10 Bodies, three of which are the mental bodies. Those three mental bodies include The Positive Mind, The Negative Mind and The Neutral Mind.

The 10 Bodies are different aspects of our consciousness, all of which work together to cultivate our mood, our way of being, and the way we see the world.

The Neutral Mind is that part of us that holds innate wisdom. Deep within, we just know… But the noise of the world, as well as the noise within us, often obliterates this wisdom. That is why we need to strengthen our Neutral Mind, so as to be able to access its clear-sightedness. Meditation is the best way to fortify this fourth body—The Neutral Mind.

When we get still and silent, our thoughts, like the waves in the ocean, eventually settle and we are then able to touch the greater truths that lie within.

In Zen, we may not use the same terminology, but we refer to a similar state of being, which is beyond “the picking and choosing mind.” What this means is to go beyond that busybody that lives inside all of us, who is always ready to judge everything before a complete understanding has been reached.

Long term meditators often say that they notice themselves becoming less “reactive” as a result of their meditation practice. This is a word that is often used in my household, as I have a French partner. And since this is an ongoing source of humor between us, and since I know he wouldn’t mind, I’ll share this example in order to drive home the point. Whenever I am taken aback by his exaggerated, slightly volatile responses to life’s provocations—from airport delays to computer challenges—he reminds me “I’m French.” This quip is a way of justifying his tendency toward being highly reactive.

We all have years of habituated behaviors, ways of thinking, along with a storehouse of triggers that awaken these responses within us. But The Neutral Mind tempers these habituated responses… it enables us to rise above all of that. To use another analogy, it’s a bit like a plane lifting up and above all the turbulence of the big loud, chaotic world below.

To be fair, I also joke that sometimes we’d do better if we were a bit “more like the French” as they are notoriously intolerant of things like injustice and political nonsense. The trick is… as my Zen teacher used to say, not to let things “get you by the nose.”

In other words, we can use The Three Minds (The Negative Mind, The Positive Mind, and The Neutral Mind) in a conscious and skillful way, as necessary.

To recap, The Negative Mind (Second Body) is the alarm. It waves the red flag when there’s danger. We need this guy… he helps us set boundaries and keep ourselves safe, especially because The Positive Mind (The Third Body) can sometimes be foolishly optimistic and blind to possible risks.

But when each of the three minds is strong and balanced, they work together in cooperation for the good of our overall well-being.

The Neutral Mind is like the calm and wise elder, who has “looked at life from both sides” and has the natural and intuitive sense of what to do and what is right. This is the elder who is always calm, always present, listens well, and to whom you can talk about anything.

To go a little bit deeper, The Neutral Mind takes us above the western fixation on being happy and positive all the time. Life is a rainbow that includes all the colors of our many moods. The Neutral Mind is always conscious and present with all that is, and all that we are. We are not just one thing. Sometimes we feel ebullient and sometimes we feel sad. The Neutral Mind is the anchor that keeps us steady through it all and reminds us that all of it is part of life. Sometimes it’s smooth sailing. Sometimes the waves kick up, and that’s OK, too. It’s the witness of it all. It’s the lighthouse within. It’s our built-in sanctuary.

In a Neutral State of Mind, we feel at ease and at peace with ourselves and with life, where ever we are. And when we are peaceful within, we can be a compassionate beacon of light for others.

All forms of meditation will strengthen The Neutral Mind.