Thought Awareness

Step out of the mind's constant stream and onto the shoreline of observation. From this vantage point, you witness your thoughts as they pass by, creating a gentle space between your awareness and the thoughts themselves. This practice reminds you that you are not your thoughts but the observer of them, fostering a sense of freedom and clarity. By cultivating this mindful detachment, you learn to navigate the flow of the mind with ease and grace, rather than being swept away by it.

Transcript

Hi there.

Welcome.

Find a place where you can settle.

If it's comfortable to close the eyes or soften them down,

Go ahead.

Allow yourself to tune in and notice what's taking place within the body.

The subtlety of the breath.

Both the arrival of the inhale.

And the departure of the exhale.

And that ebb and flow that happens over and over again.

And perhaps you can step away from being the breather.

And instead just allow yourself to be breathed.

And as you watch the breath come,

As you watch the breath go,

Somewhere in the background,

The mind continues to do what the mind does best,

And that's think.

And oftentimes we're unaware of the stream of consciousness going on in the background.

In the background.

And sometimes there's an awareness of it.

And sometimes we become aware of it.

After we have drifted so far down the stream from one thought to the next to the next to the next.

But at some point there's an awareness of that journey.

And it's almost like you allow yourself to step out of the stream.

You remove yourself.

You become aware of the thoughts.

And they're still welcome to come.

But instead of flowing with them.

You get to watch them just flow by.

And over and over again.

And then you come back to your anchor,

You come back to your breath.

Feeling the rise in the belly.

And the softening of the shoulders.

And the mind such an active tool.

Eventually,

Slowly creeps its way back in.

You allow yourself to be aware of that.

Allow yourself to notice,

Let that be your practice.

And then once you're aware of the thought.

You have a decision to make.

Do you continue following it down the stream.

Or can you step aside and let it pass.

And settle back into the body.

Settle back into this pace of allowing yourself to be breathed.

There's this constant back and forth.

Constant to and fro.

For a time it feels like it's just you and the breath.

And then those thoughts,

They just show up.

Allow them to pass.

Allow yourself to be brief.

I invite you to spend a bit more time here.

Exploring the shifts.

Practicing this awareness of what shows up.

And what passes by.

And in your own time.

When you're ready.

Allow the eyes to blink open.

And move back into whatever your day has in store.

Thank you.