It's certainly not an easy task to watch your mind. To the beginner a few moments of witnessing is good enough to get carried away into a never ending abyss of thoughts.
Awareness should start with the physical layer - the body. Watching the body is easy but is similar to watching the mind. Start with one activity at a time. It could be breathing or posture or voluntary relaxation of muscles or blinking whichever is easier. Then slowly start watching one more physical activity. By and by there would be a conscious witnessing of yourself that is no different from watching your mind.
Watching the body can have interesting observations. In these pages I'm planning to share my own experiences. These are observations done over a period of time that is more than at least three weeks so I understand the difference between what is imagined or perceived and what actually goes on.
Ankle watching
Much earlier than midlife set in, I suffered minor back injuries due to my work. On a trip to Japan, I noticed images of a commercial on special shoes that keeps the ankle straight and relieves people of their back problems. I sure did not buy the product, but curiously started observing my ankle and the ankles of others.
- First of all, it took me some effort to keep the ankle straight whilst involved in day to day chores.
- Secondly, it made me more aware of my legs that were till then a forgotten asset.
- After a few days of observation and constant reminding, I could feel a positive effect on my back
- Walking and running gait improved
- It's been more than five years now and I can vouch for it as a principal remedy to my back ache
Now the big question, what has ankle watching got to do with witnessing and witnessing my mind?
The conscious repetition of a remedy appealed to me the same way as a 'mantra' works in a meditation. It takes the attention off the distractions and focuses the mind on a single subject. Constant corrections meant knowing when I wasn't keeping my ankle straight and immediately switching to the right posture. This not only puts the ankle on the right foot, but the whole body follows suit and a momentary relaxation of the entire system. However, in a busy day, this may happen as glimpses or may not even happen.
Ankle position while walking was much more easier to control since a straight ankle meant a better gait and efficient movement and not to mention the stride is smoother. If you are like me and enjoy being noticed then ankle watching wouldn't be too difficult to try while walking especially when there are lots of people around.
Watching other people's ankles acted as an experimental process that led to convincing myself that I was doing things right. There are people who walk with both ankles pointed outward, some do just one ankle and develop a mild limp, for some while running one of the ankles does a anti-clockwise semicircle, overweight individuals tend to spread their ankles, when tensed people tend to sit on the edge of their seats while their ankle is pointed upward and toes pressed to the floor, children learning to walk spread their ankles, and many more. I was initially tempted to write an entire article about ankle posture but decided not to get too technical and complicate things.
It was fun and a step towards understanding my body better than before with just one repetitive witnessing activity involving a body part. Also made the entire body react and relax. The moments of such undisturbed or unwavering mind through a well supported body were such a pleasure to hang around with!
Here's what I'm currently watching:
- Lifting weights
- Blink
- Tummy breathing
- Why do I keep raising my hands and stretching back during work?
- What gives me a high to what does it mean to be on a high?
