Welcome to your meditation practice for creating space around your thoughts.
This practice is centered around a concept called metacognition.
Metacognition is a simple but powerful skill that we can absolutely learn.
It means becoming aware of your thoughts while they're happening,
Instead of being pulled along by them.
So rather than finding yourself somewhere that a 30 minute train of thought sent you on,
You get to choose to step back from your thoughts and observe them.
And rather than trying to stop thinking or change your thoughts,
We're practicing something gentler,
Noticing your thoughts as just that,
Thoughts,
Not facts,
Not commands,
Just ideas in the mind that are actively passing through our awareness.
This small shift from being inside your thoughts and identifying with them to observing them creates space.
And in that space,
More choice becomes possible.
Choice in how you want to respond to the thoughts that arise.
Find a comfortable place for your meditation,
Sitting or laying down if that's more comfortable.
Let your body relax in this space.
There's nothing you need to do with your breathing.
Just let your body be breathed naturally.
Now,
Let's do something a little different than we typically do in a meditation practice.
Rather than asking your thoughts to be in the present moment,
And anchoring your mind with the breath or a mantra,
Let's just sit for a little bit in the openness of silence and simply let your mind do whatever it wants to do,
As though you were sitting and waiting for the train but didn't have your phone with you.
Just let your mind be whatever it naturally is for the next few minutes.
There's no right or wrong.
Just let yourself think as you naturally do.
We'll begin to wrap up our thinking,
Coming back into this moment of practice.
No matter where your mind went and what you thought about,
It's all right.
It's all beautiful information as to what might be on your mind right now,
Or what you might think about often.
Now,
Reflect on some of the thoughts that you had,
And see if you can simply name what kind of thoughts they were.
Planning,
Judgment,
Memories,
Fantasies,
Random ideas,
Criticisms.
You're simply naming them from the perspective of an observer.
What was there?
This noticing is metacognition.
Now,
Let's sit again,
With no repetition of an affirmation,
No anchor,
Just our thoughts.
Even if it feels a little weird or uncomfortable,
You are building your ability for metacognition.
And this time,
When you have a thought,
Experiment with this phrase after you think it.
I'm noticing that I'm thinking,
And name the kind of thought.
So it might be,
I'm noticing that I'm thinking about what comes next.
I'm noticing that I'm thinking something critical.
I'm noticing that my mind is replaying a story.
And as you sit with your thoughts,
Know that you are the sky.
Your thoughts are the clouds that pass by,
And the sky doesn't argue with the clouds,
It simply holds them.
So be here with your thoughts,
And follow them up with,
I'm noticing that I'm thinking,
And what kind of thought it is.
Let's start to bring our mind back into the present moment again,
And notice if that small shift in language created a little more space for you.
No longer being inside the thought,
But just being aware of it.
Now bring to mind a familiar mental pattern.
Perhaps self-criticism,
Doubt,
Pressure,
Urgency,
Or getting lost in memories.
Try not to dramatize it,
Or be upset with yourself if it feels less than ideal.
You are human,
It's okay to be perfectly imperfect.
Just become aware of your habitual thought patterns,
And name them gently,
As something your mind regularly tends to.
And as you notice these habitual patterns,
See if you can say to yourself,
Ah,
This is a pattern that I'm noticing.
Not good,
Not bad,
Just recognizable.
And then quietly ask yourself when you notice this pattern,
And start to recognize it,
What would it be like to not add anything to this right now,
But to just witness it?
You don't need to replace the thought with a better one right now.
You're simply choosing not to fuel the thought or pattern.
Let the pattern be here,
Without feeding it with explanation,
Argument,
Or self-correction.
For a few more breaths,
Rest as the one who notices,
This is the pattern I'm recognizing.
Thoughts may still arise,
Sensations may come and go,
But there's more of a steadiness underneath all of it now.
This is awareness.
As part of yourself that's an observer that's been here the whole time.
It's the you beneath the overthinking,
The storytelling,
The learned judgments or habits.
You have been here all along.
And by practicing metacognition,
That calm and steady you can step forward more often.
As we start to wrap up our time together,
Please remember that metacognition isn't about controlling your mind.
It's simply about recognizing that you are more than the thoughts you have.
And each moment of noticing creates a little more space,
And a little more freedom.
Anytime you get pulled into a thought and forget this practice,
That's okay,
It's new.
Remember you're human.
And see if you can bring the practice back in the moment you realize that you're being hard on yourself again,
Or judging others harshly,
Or defensiveness starts bubbling up,
Or you're off in la-la land.
And in recognizing that,
Metacognition has already returned.
When you're ready,
Start to gently move your body and open your eyes.
Return to your day not trying to think differently,
But knowing that you can relate to your thoughts differently.
And the more you practice,
The easier it is for that awareness to stay with you.
Thank you for taking your time to practice with me today,
And I can't wait for our next meditation together.
