Mindfulness: getting a bit more subtle – part 3 of 3

This is Part 3 of a 3-part series on Mindfulness

Read part 1: http://waverleyyoga.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/what-exactly-is-mindfulness-1-of-3.html

Read part 2: http://waverleyyoga.blogspot.com.au/2014/05/exploring-mindfulness-part-2-of-3.html

If you have been reading this series you will have become aware that being mindful is becoming aware of the sensations of the moment. For me, this attitude of attention and awareness enhances the richness of everyday life. It brings meditation off the cushion and into everyday awareness.

It also doesn’t mean that everything that has happened before is no longer relevant. In fact the past helps to form our experience of the present.

A natural progression in notice moment by moment sensations is to become more aware of the inner sensations.

Some of the myriad of things I have noticed when I feel within are:

• An uncomfortable feeling in the stomach, a bit churned up
• A feeling of expansion and openness at the heart, a feeling of joy 
• A feeling of tightness or a ‘lump’ in the throat
• A feeling of flowing and ease at the throat
• A clear headed feeling, aware of thoughts rolling over 
• Feelings of joy, feelings of frustration … oh too many feelings to write down

One thing I have noticed is that if we spend all the time ‘in our heads’ we can more easily ignore the messages that the subtle body sends us.

When we develop being mindful we are more open to the messages of the subtle body. So life becomes even richer and awareness even more finely tuned.

What do the above examples mean anyway?

Feelings in the Gut

Gut sensations have to do with getting things done and having the will (or not) to do things.

My teacher once said she felt tight in the gut until she made a difficult phone call, and after that the tightness dissipated. It doesn’t have to be anything major! But awareness is so useful.

Feelings in the Heart

We all know the pain of lost love or the ache of loss. And hopefully also the heart-expanding, joyful feeling of love.

These feelings are very real aren’t they? But when we are caught up in our head we can miss these life-affirming signals!

Feelings in the Throat

Could it be that the ‘lump’ or tightness in the throat relates to not being able to say what you want to say, or not knowing how to say something? Feeling that your voice doesn’t count?

And could the easeful throat indicate ease of communication – both receiving and giving? You know how some people are just so much easier to communicate with, you understand each other.

Feelings in the 'Head-space'

Of course the head is the area of wisdom.

It is also where we create all those thoughts of anger, frustration, stress at things not being as we want them and so on.

Meditation is the key.

I find I am not so likely to be aware of my inner world if I do not take the time to be quiet.

Just as we can notice body sensations both inner and outer, we can also notice the sensation of being aware of thoughts rolling around in the mind.

My mind is very good at keeping me from experiencing inner sensations.

I have described previously how chanting somehow takes awareness away from my thinking space and into the feeling space. (You can read that post here: http://waverleyyoga.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/what-is-chanting-and-why-would-i-want.html) I then become aware of loving spaciousness. I find that dancing does this too!

Eventually we see that we can be mindful of the mind. We can watch the thoughts arise and then slip away. 

Perhaps we see that even that old familiar sense of ‘me’ is just a thought as well.

What? Yes I have spoken about that in another blog Simple and obvious once you know, but truly profound

When we take the time to meditate, we develop mindful awareness that we can then take off the mat and into everyday life. 

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Simple and obvious once you know, but truly profound

One of the most important teachings in yoga came up in the yoga studio the other day.

The Sanskrit term used in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras is ‘vritti svarupya’. That is, mistaking the thoughts for reality. What? That’s right, our thoughts do not reflect reality.

What do you mean? My thoughts are real, I hear you say. I don’t get it.

OK, I’ll try again.

Your thoughts (and mine too) are your brain functioning. Just as your heart does its work by beating ceaselessly, one of the functions of the brain is to create thoughts.

Let me say it again. The thoughts that your mind comes up with can never be a true reflection of reality. The brain takes the cues and information available to it and creates a thought. When you consider that, then how can thoughts ever reflect reality? (They can’t.)

Yes this is BIG.

So whatever I think about something … its good, its bad …whatever … doesn’t actually change anything.

‘It is what is is’.

Regardless of what the mind decides!

You may have come across another quote that reflects this understanding:

‘We do not see things as they are, we see them the way we are.’

Ok, so what is the value of thoughts then? I hear you say. I thought it was good to have a mind?

It IS great to have a mind. The mind is a wonderful tool that helps us as we make our way in life, plan, talk, solve problems etc. But the trick is to recognize what a mind can and can’t do. Yes of course you can have thoughts. Great thoughts and ideas!

It is quite funny.  We spend our whole life deciding what we like and don’t like, shaping our world views, becoming the sort of person we want to be. 

In fact we even create a ‘mini-me’ in our head, our mind-generated sense of self. Sanskrit also has a term for this, ‘asmita’. It is also the ego.

Here’s the good news! We don’t have to give up any of that. We can just recognize what our mind can and can’t do, and accept that our thoughts are ‘brain events’.

When you think about it, this is very freeing. We can recognize that there’s no need to be too attached to our thoughts, they are really not that special! Our sense of ‘me’ is afterall, just a thought!

Did I figure this out all by myself? No way. I am indebted to my teacher *Swami Shantananda, (affectionately known as Mataji) who gently helps people to see this through the practice of meditation and study of the Yoga Sutras. She says that people rarely figure it out without a teacher, as it is so hidden until it is blindingly obvious!

It is one thing to get this in an intellectual sort of way, and quite another to get it in life. So I watch my thoughts in meditation, and at other times, and feel the freedom that comes from not having to be so attached. Don't take my word for it, see for yourself!

So simple, and yet profound.

"By constantly keeping one's attention on the Source, the ego is dissolved 

in that Source like a salt-doll in the sea." 

~ Ramana Maharshi

*Read Mataji’s reflections at http://www.swamishantananda.com.au/