Meditation Watching the Thinker In this meditation,
There will also be a focus on breathing,
In conjunction with the paradoxical intention method.
Begin with a few simple natural breaths.
No need to control them.
Just observe the breath as it is already.
Now,
Take two or three slightly slower breaths.
Let your shoulders relax.
Let your abdomen soften.
Allow yourself to sink into stillness.
Let the breath carry you inward.
As you begin to settle,
Inhale again,
But this time with focus.
Feel the breath enter,
And as you reach the top of the inhale,
Imagine a light energy drifting upward,
In a way,
Like steam rising and drifting up from the momentum of the breath.
The energy floats,
Dissolves,
And disappears.
As you slowly and comfortably exhale,
Gently shift your focus inward to your mind.
With a light,
Curious attitude,
Begin the paradoxical practice.
Ask yourself,
What will my next thought be?
Watch and wait.
Maintain a questioning attitude while allowing the thought to come,
Creating an observable gap in your thinking.
Feel free to breathe freely or take multiple breaths between the suggestions,
So there isn't a sense of rushing.
Come back to focusing on the breath when it feels natural in the progression of the meditation.
When a chosen exhale completes,
Place your awareness at the base of the belly.
Feel any soft pulse of energy there.
Subtle,
Quiet.
Let your attention rest in that stillness.
Then softly return to the breath.
Inhale with the same spaciousness,
Feeling the movement of breathing.
Drifting with the energy.
Exhale into the paradox again.
Perhaps questioning right before the exhale,
What will I think next?
Wait without force.
Simply observe.
Repeat this cycle for several breaths.
Inhale into presence.
Exhale into the watcher.
Feel each breath quiet the mind and open the space within.
Flow as energy.
When it feels natural,
Begin shifting your focus entirely to the breath,
Both inhaling and exhaling.
Let the mind go quiet.
Rest in the rhythm of breath and the quiet energy at your core.
If thinking pulls too strongly and tries to reclaim center stage,
Return gently to the paradox.
Ask the question.
Wait for the answer.
And notice where the thinker resides.
Is this you?
Continue to allow attention to settle more and more into the breath and subtle energies of the heart and belly.
Let these be your resting place.
Close the meditation with a final conscious breath.
Calm.
Steady.
Then carry this state with you into life as best you can until you return to meditation.
