What's the most useful piece of advice or teaching I have been given?It keeps coming back to me how profound this simple technique and idea has helped me. Probably very obvious to some people but I find I refer back to this again and again. So what is it? Basically it is identifying with the part of me that is the witness to everything, the watcher, the observer, the seer. I first became aware of this through one of Stephen Cope's books - (Google that guy, he's written some very interesting stuff). He details an exercise "Breathe, Relax, Feel, Watch and Allow" which I use in many of my yoga classes as a way to focus the mind and to eventually get beyond the thoughts.
At first I was intrigued about this mysterious watcher who is part of 'me', my over- active imagination visualised some dark hooded figure stalking me and shaking her head at my actions and words. You can tell I had a lot more work to do at that point. But then I realised this part of 'me' - (some would class as pure consciousness, light, Divine and probably dozens of other interpretations) is not a judge or a critic - merely an observer.
So it began, the observer first of all watched my monkey mind in meditation, then watched my breath in asana practice, watching my frustration in balance postures! But then I found when I was just going about my normal life, dealing with the kids and interacting with others - I was more frequently noticing my witness, observing my behaviour. Just quietly and without judgement, noticing my tone and even observing thoughts as they were arising day-to -day.
It has been a very gradual process and being able to identify with this observer does not make you think, behave or act in a virtuous manner all the time. We are all human, we all get mad, sad, desperate, ecstatic and million other things, it's just now there is a little bit more awareness and more tolerance of myself, knowing it's all part of the human experience.
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