Before we begin our practice,
Let's have a look at what witness consciousness really is.
Who is the witness?
A common misconception about meditation is that you must completely empty your mind,
Or construct,
Elaborate peaceful images in your imagination.
For many of us,
Especially those who are prone to overthinking,
Or those who cannot easily visualize mental imagery,
This expectation turns meditation into frustration.
This practice,
However,
Relies on a deeply liberating concept,
Which is found in both ancient Eastern philosophies and modern psychology.
The observing self,
Or witness consciousness.
Imagine the sky.
Sky is vast,
Sometimes clear,
And ever-present.
Throughout the day,
Whether past is through it,
Dark storm clouds of anxiety,
Light fluffy clouds of daydreaming,
Or the heavy fog of exhaustion.
The sky does not fight the weather,
Nor is the sky damaged by the storm.
It simply holds the space for the weather to pass.
Your mind is the weather.
Your thoughts,
Your inner critic,
Your doubts,
And your physical sensations,
Are all just passing storms.
But you are not the weather,
Right?
You are the sky.
You are the silent,
Spacious awareness that observes these things happening.
If you can hear your inner voice doubting you,
It means you are not the voice.
You are the awareness listening to it.
Because we are practicing witness consciousness,
We do not need to visualize a single thing.
We do not need to create a mental picture of a beach or a forest.
Instead of imagining something that isn't here,
We are simply dropping into the reality of what is here.
We use our actual,
Real-time physical senses.
The feeling of gravity.
The sound of the room.
The physical rhythm of the breath.
As anchors to keep us in the seat of the observer.
As you prepare to settle into this meditation,
Keep these three gentle guidelines in mind.
First,
Expect thoughts to happen.
Your brain's job is to secrete thoughts,
Just like your mouth secretes saliva.
When a thought arises,
Do not get angry with yourself.
Simply say to yourself,
Ah,
A thought.
And step back into the seat of the one who is watching.
Second,
Lean into the silence.
Especially in this practice,
There will be stretches of quiet.
This is intentional.
The silence is the wide open sky where you can practice simply existing without having to do anything.
And third,
Feel.
Don't force.
If you lose your place,
Just return to the physical feeling of your body pressing against the chair,
The floor,
Or the bed.
Gravity is a wonderful,
Constant anchor that requires zero imagination.
But take a moment right now before we begin to make your physical body as comfortable as possible.
Either lie down or sit.
Release your shoulders.
Let them drop.
Unclench your jaw.
Let your tongue fall away from the top of your mouth.
Take a deep,
Full breath in.
And as you exhale,
Give your body weight over to gravity.
You have arrived.
There's nowhere else to be and nothing you need to do.
Simply allow yourself to rest in the awareness that witnesses all things.
Close your eyes now.
Notice the fact that you are here.
Feel the weight of your body resting against the surface beneath you.
You don't need to picture anything or change anything.
Just feel the physical pressure of gravity.
Notice the sensation of your hands resting.
Notice the temperature of the air on your skin.
You are simply observing the physical form.
Now move your attention to your breath.
To the natural rhythm of your breath.
You are watching the body breathe.
Notice the gentle expansion of the belly and the soft release.
Expand your awareness now to include the sounds in your room.
Maybe a passing car.
Or a distant hum.
Or just the sound of silence.
Notice how sounds arise out of nowhere,
Stay for a moment,
Then fade away.
You are not making these sounds.
You are the witness.
You are simply the space in which they are heard.
Let your awareness move inward now to the space of your own mind.
Thoughts will naturally appear.
A to-do list.
When a thought arises,
Try not to follow it.
Instead,
Just watch it.
Notice that you are not the thought.
If you can observe a thought,
You must be the one looking at it.
You are the quiet,
Still awareness that watches the busy mind.
Let the thoughts come and go,
Like clouds passing through a vast,
Open sky.
You are not the clouds.
You are the sky.
For the final few minutes,
Drop the focus on your breath and drop the focus on your body.
And also drop the focus on your thoughts.
Simply rest in the feeling of being awake.
Rest in the awareness itself.
Just be.
If you get pulled away by a thought or a physical sensation,
Gently step back into the seat of the observer.
You are the awareness that witnesses all things.
Unchanging,
Untouched.
Completely at peace.
Take a slightly deeper breath now.
Feel the edges of your physical body once more.
Now wiggle your fingers and your toes.
Waking your body up.
And whenever you're ready,
Slowly open your eyes.
Thank you for your practice.
