Namaste!
My name is Raman.
Today we will practice Vipassana meditation with open awareness.
Vipassana means to see clearly,
To see as it is.
This practice of Vipassana meditation is also called insight or mindfulness meditation.
On a lighter note,
There is no meditation without mindfulness.
I personally find this practice closest to a natural state of being.
This practice of Vipassana integrates all the experiences and we clearly see the true nature of all the experiences and ourselves.
I highly recommend that you practice it regularly to uncover your true self and deep peace within.
In our meditation practice or otherwise,
We experience our body through the five senses of touch,
Taste,
Smell,
Sound and sight.
We also experience our mind through our thoughts and emotions.
Let's call all these experiences as objects of our awareness.
In this practice of Vipassana,
We take the position of an observer and allow our awareness to move from one object to another,
Whatever comes up most prominently in the moment.
One moment you may be aware of the physical sensations in the body in the form of itching,
Pressure,
Heat,
Lightness,
Heaviness,
Tingling,
Tickling or pain.
Simply be with that.
Another moment you may notice a stream of thoughts.
Be with that.
Then you may notice sounds around you.
Listen to that.
Then the sensation of breath may become predominant.
Then you may experience some emotion like anger,
Anxiety,
Worry or gratitude or peace.
You watch whatever experience comes up in your awareness without any attachment or resistance.
Don't try to change any experience in any way.
You will notice that every now and then you get lost in thoughts.
It's completely normal.
Whenever you realize you have gotten lost in thoughts,
Again take the position of an observer and start watching from a distance.
So,
Find a comfortable place to sit.
You can sit on a chair or cushion or yoga mat.
If you are sitting on a chair,
Keep your feet comfortably rested on the ground.
Hands on your knees or in your lap.
Close your eyes if you have not closed them already.
Sit with your back comfortably straight.
Head,
Neck and spine in a straight line.
Alert,
Yet relaxed.
Relax your forehead.
Relax your eyes.
Relax your jaw.
Relax your complete body.
Now take a mental resolve to sit still till the end of this practice.
If you still have to move any of your body parts,
Do it very slowly.
Slowly and with complete awareness.
Now bring your attention to the sounds around you.
Sounds from nearby places.
Sounds from far off places.
Full attention on the sounds around you.
Now bring your attention to your breath.
Feel the natural state of your breath.
Where do you feel your breath in your body?
Don't try to change your breath in any way.
Simply watch it as it is.
Now bring your attention to your body and notice different sensations present in this moment.
Do you feel any pressure,
Heat,
Coldness,
Tingling,
Tickling,
Burning sensation,
Pain,
Discomfort,
Lightness,
Heaviness or any other sensation in your body?
Keep watching these sensations from a distance without any attachment or resistance.
Now bring your attention to your thoughts.
What kind of thoughts are?
Appearing in your mind.
Simply be aware of them without trying to push them away.
Notice the pattern of your thoughts such as remembering a past event or planning something in future or imagining a conversation or an event.
Now scan through your body and notice if there is any dominant emotion in the form of anger,
Guilt,
Fear,
Sadness,
Happiness.
Don't get attached to any pleasant emotion and don't resist any unpleasant one.
Simply notice.
Now open the window of awareness to whatever is arising in this moment.
Allow your awareness to watch and experience whatever is most pronounced in this moment.
Allow your awareness to move from one experience to another.
Whatever comes up,
Move strongly in this moment.
Whether it is your breath or sound or taste or sensations in your body or any thought or emotion.
Be very alert and conscious.
Keep watching with non-judgment and curiosity.
If it is a sensation,
Know where and how it feels.
If it is a thought,
Know that it is a thought about the past or future.
If it is an emotion,
Know that it is a feeling and you can also give a name to that emotion.
Notice how every experience comes,
Stays for a while and then goes away.
Whether it's pleasant or unpleasant.
This is called Anitya,
Which means impermanence.
Bhagwan Buddha said that clear understanding and experience of Anitya takes us beyond suffering.
Keep watching with curiosity.
If there is pain,
Notice where it is and what it feels like.
If there is an itch,
Observe how it feels.
Notice every experience.
Fully experience everything with awareness without trying to change it.
Notice that every experience keeps changing,
But the one who is observing,
The witness,
Never changes.
Whenever you realize you have wandered away in thoughts,
Gently acknowledge and take the position of an observer again.
It is perfectly fine to get lost in thoughts.
Simply watch,
No doing,
Let every experience come,
Let it be and then let it go.
If it is a pleasant feeling or sensation or thought,
It's okay,
Let it be.
If it is not a pleasant feeling or sensation or thought,
It is okay to let it be.
No attachment or resistance.
Keep on watching from a distance with curiosity and non-judgment.
All right.
Now,
Let's just sit still in this silence and stillness for a few minutes,
Enjoying this awareness,
Your own company,
Fully alert,
Awake,
Present and relaxed.
Be aware of this stillness,
This space,
This silence inside you.
Be aware of this knower,
This seer inside you.
Be aware of the awareness,
Be aware of the presence,
This knower,
This awareness is always present in the background.
Look very intently and investigate if it has any shape or form.
Do you ever lose it?
All right.
Now,
Before we end this practice,
There is some homework for you.
Whenever you go to the washroom,
Simply notice and observe the dominant experience in that moment without trying to change it or label it as good or bad.
Simply observe what is appearing in your consciousness.
Now,
Whenever you want to come back,
Gently wriggle your toes,
Give your body a good stretch.
Bring your palms together in a namaste pusher and rub them to generate heat.
And feel the warmth of your palms over your closed eyes.
And gently open your eyes.
Wishing you peace and awareness for the rest of your day.
Namaste.
