Watch The Thinker

Our habit is to immerse ourselves in our thinking without even knowing that we are doing it. We are "lost in thought" for most of our lives. When we are lost in thought, our thoughts become believable. The internal dialogue becomes truth. But it is not. We are not our thoughts. We are the witnesses of our thoughts.

This practice helps us to stay present in the seat of the Witness so that our awareness of the thoughts becomes like our awareness of the passing of the clouds on a clear day.

Transcript

Come into a comfortable seat. If you're seated on a chair, Feel your feet firmly rooted on the earth without your legs crossed. If you're seated on a cushion or a pillow, Let your legs be comfortable whether they're crossed or extended out in front of you. If you're seated on a pillow, Let your seat be comfortable and easeful and relaxed. And once you find that seat, Bring your attention to the parts of your body that touch your chair or your cushion. Feel the solidity there, Feel grounded, Connected, Rooted. From that connection to the earth, Bring your attention to your belly. Lift your belly up a little bit. Lift the center of the chest up. Lift the roof of the mouth up. Lift the crown of your head up. Feel your spine growing longer and taller and more spacious. Feel the heads of your arms drop back in space, Getting brighter along the front of the heart. And feel the shoulders softly melt down the back. Relax your jaw. Relax the tongue in your mouth. Relax your cheeks and your brow. Relax and close your eyes. And bring your attention to your breath. Feeling the rise and the fall of your breath in the body. Noticing how the inhale lifts the chest and how the exhale softens the chest. Notice that experience in the body as you breathe in and as you breathe out. This meditation is intended to help you become aware that you are not your thoughts. This meditation will help you reside in the seat of the witness, The observer, The sustainer of your life. You will watch the thinking in order to not become immersed in the thinking. So turn your attention inwards and observe the contents of your mind. Some people think in words and in stories. Some people think in images and pictures. Some people both. So for this meditation, We will observe the contents of our mind and identify what we are observing. So if you observe thinking or stories or words, Simply say to yourself, Thinking. If you observe pictures or images or internal movies, Simply say to yourself, Images. If you are observing silence or space, Simply say, Silence. So begin that practice now. Observing the internal experience and labeling so as to not become immersed in the story of the mind. Observing and labeling takes practice. It's quite easy for us to become immersed in the thinking. So if you find yourself immersed, Just notice and come back to the labeling. In your mind, It might sound something like this, Thinking, Silence, Image, Image, Thinking. Continue to label. If you are able to label, You are observing and you are outside of thinking. You are that which observes thinking. You are not your thoughts. Continue to watch and label and observe. If the mind wanders, It's okay, Just bring it back. Observing your internal experience. We're not trying to stop thinking. We're simply observing. Come back to the sensation of your body in space. Feel yourself here fully embodied. Feel your feet, Feel your seat, Feel your belly, Your chest, Your throat, Your face. Come back to the breath. Knowing from this practice that you have the tools to observe thinking, Even in your daily life, Off the meditation cushion. So thank yourself for this time. And we'll dedicate this time to all beings, Whether big or small, Near or far, Seen or unseen. May all beings be well. May all beings be happy. May all beings be free from suffering. Namaste.