The Observing Self

This exercise will talk about you as the Observing Self. The Observer's only job is to experience life as it happens. Its a place beyond our roles and personality images, simply noticing. Feel a greater sense of peace and acceptance by realising there's a place beyond 'you'.

Transcript

This exercise will talk about you as the observing self.

The observer's only job is to experience life as it happens.

The observer cannot be destroyed,

Unlike the images we create of ourselves,

Such as the smart one,

The attractive one,

The leader,

The teacher,

The parent,

And so on.

The observing you is noticing when you're living up to these images,

And it notices when you're not living up to them.

So when you don't live up to these images,

When you fail,

The story or image you hold onto may be threatened.

But the observing you is not threatened.

The observing you is always there through your sweetest moments and the hardest moments you may ever experience.

The observing you is the one noticing your emotions,

Your pain,

Your joy.

So in a sense,

These stories are images and feelings are not you.

They're just things that happen to be in your life right now.

The observing you is simply the vessel that holds all of these stories and feelings.

Now I'll invite you to try a meditation with me to gain a solid understanding of the observing you.

Close your eyes,

Get settled into your chair,

And follow my voice.

If you find yourself wandering,

Just gently come back to the sound of my voice.

For a moment now,

Turn your attention to yourself in this room.

Picture the room.

Picture yourself in this room and exactly where you are.

Now begin to go inside your skin and get in touch with your body.

Notice how you are sitting in the chair.

See whether you can notice exactly the shape that is made by the parts of your skin that touch the chair.

Notice any bodily sensations that are there.

As you see each one,

Just sort of acknowledge that feeling and allow your consciousness to move on.

Now notice any emotions you are having and if you have any,

Just acknowledge them.

Now get in touch with your thoughts and just quietly watch them for a few moments.

Now I want you to notice that as you notice these things,

A part of you notice them.

You notice those sensations,

Those emotions,

Those thoughts,

And that part of you we will call the observing you.

There is a person in there behind those eyes who is aware of what I am saying right now and it is the same person you've been your whole life.

In some deep sense,

This observing you is a you that you call you.

Now I want you to remember something that happened last summer.

Just look around,

Remember all the things that were happening then.

Remember the sights,

The sounds,

Your feelings,

And as you do that,

See whether you can notice that you were there then,

Noticing what you were noticing.

See whether you can catch the person behind your eyes who saw and heard and felt.

You were there then and you are here now.

I'm not asking you to believe this.

I'm not making a logic point.

I am just asking you to note the experience of being aware and check and see whether it isn't so that in some deep sense that you that is here now was there then.

The person aware of what you are aware of is here now and was there then.

See whether you can notice the essential continuity in some deep sense at the level of experience you have been you your whole life.

I want you to remember something that happened when you were a teenager.

Now just look around,

Remember all the things that were happening then.

Remember the sights,

The sounds,

Your feelings.

Take your time and when you are clear about what was there,

See whether you can,

Just for a second,

Catch that there was a person behind your eyes then who saw and heard and felt all of this.

You were there then too and see whether it isn't true as an experience fact,

Not a belief that there is an essential continuity between the person aware of what you are aware of now and the person who was aware of what you were aware of as a teenager in that specific situation.

You have been you your whole life.

Finally remember something that happened when you were a fairly young child,

Say around age 6 or 7.

Now just look around again,

See what was happening.

See the sights,

Hear the sounds,

Feel your feelings and then catch the fact that you were there seeing,

Hearing and feeling.

Notice that you were there behind your eyes.

You were there then and you are here now.

Check and see whether in some deep sense the you that is here now was there then.

The person aware of what you are aware of is here now and was there then.

You have been you your whole life.

Everywhere you've been,

You've been there noticing.

This is what I mean by the observing you and from that perspective or point of view I want you to look at some areas of living.

Let's start with your body.

Notice how your body is constantly changing.

Sometimes it is sick and sometimes it is well.

It may be rested or tired.

It may be strong or weak.

You were once a tiny baby but your body grew.

You may have even had parts of your body removed as in an operation.

Your cells have died and not all the cells in your body now were there when you were a teenager or even last summer.

Your bodily sensations come and go even as we have spoken they have changed.

So if all of this is changing and yet the you that you call you has been there your whole life that must mean that all of you have your body as a matter of experience and not of belief.

You do not experience yourself to be just your body.

So just notice your body now for a few moments and as you do this every so often notice that you are the one noticing.

Now let's go to another area your roles.

Notice how many roles you have or have had.

Maybe sometimes you are in the role of a spouse or a sibling,

A friend,

A business partner,

A student,

A son or a daughter.

In the world of form you are in this in some role all the time.

If you were to try not to then you would be playing the role of not playing a role.

Even now part of you is playing a role the research participant role yet all the while notice that you are also present.

The part of you that you call you is watching and aware of what you are aware of and in some deep sense that you does not change.

So if your roles are constantly changing and yet the you that you call you has been there your whole life it must be that although you have roles you do not experience yourself to be your roles.

Just look and notice the difference between what you are looking at and the you who is looking.

Now let's go to another area emotions.

Notice how your emotions are constantly changing.

Sometimes you feel love and sometimes hatred.

Sometimes calm and then tense,

Joyful,

Sorrowful,

Happy,

Sad,

And Even now you may be experiencing a change in your emotions.

Even now you may be experiencing emotions,

Interest,

Boredom,

Relaxation.

Think of things you have liked and don't like any longer.

Of fears that you once had that now are resolved.

The only thing you can count on with emotions is that they will change.

Although a wave of emotion comes it will pass in time.

Yet while these emotions come and go notice that in some deep sense that you does not change.

It must be that although you have emotions do not experience yourself to be just your emotions.

Allow yourself to realize this as an experience event not as a belief.

In some very important and deep way you experience yourself as a constant.

You are you through it all so just notice your emotions for a moment and as you do notice also that you are noticing them.

Now let's turn to a more difficult area your own thoughts.

Thoughts are difficult because they tend to hook us and pull us out of our role as observer.

If that happens just come back to the sound of my voice.

Notice how your thoughts are constantly changing.

When you were a child you used to be ignorant then you went to school and learned new thought.

You have gained new ideas and new knowledge.

Sometimes you think about things one way and sometimes another.

Sometimes your thoughts may make little sense.

Sometimes they seemingly come up automatically from out of nowhere.

They are constantly changing.

Look at your thoughts even since you started this exercise and notice how many different thoughts you have had and yet in some deep way the you that knows what you think is not changing.

So that must mean that although you have thoughts you do not experience yourself to be just your thoughts.

Just notice it and notice even as you realize this that your stream of thoughts will continue and you may get caught up in them and yet in the instant that you realize that you also realize that a part of you is standing back watching it all.

So now watch your thoughts for a few moments and as you do notice also that you are noticing them.

So as a matter of experience and not of belief you are not just your body,

Your roles,

Your emotions,

Your thoughts.

These things are the content of your life whereas you are the arena,

The context,

The space in which they unfold.

As you see that notice that the things you've been struggling with and trying to change are not you anyway.

No matter how this war goes you will be there unchanged.

See whether you can take advantage of this connection to let go just a little bit secure in the knowledge that you have been you through it all and that you need not have such an investment in all this psychological content as a measure of your life.

Just notice the experiences in all the domains that show up and as you do notice that you are still here being aware of what you are aware of.

Now picture yourself in this room and now picture the room and everything in it and when you are ready to come back into the room open your eyes.