21-Day Dhyana Sadhana - Day 16 - Non-Resistance to the Flow of the Mind

Day 16 for the 21-Day Dhyana Sadhana, 21-Day Meditation Practice daily online retreat as we approach Divali 2024. 

Today I speak about working with the mind and particularly, the thoughts, in meditation. From my years of teaching meditation the #1 complaint I receive is that you can't stop thinking. In this session I help you to understand that this is not an obstacle. You are greater than the mind. 

In meditation you are guided to go to a deeper centre where thinking is no long an obstacle to meditation and you are able to experience beingness. 

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Meditation Transcript

​All right, let's come into a meditation posture, please. Thank you very much. I invite you to close your eyes.

Sit with your spine aligned. Relax the body. Relax the shoulders. Relax the abdomen and the chest. Relax your face. Take a few deep and complete breaths, becoming steady in yourself.

Open up to observe every dimension of being.

That means giving attention to your body, your vitality, your emotional space, the emotional landscape of your being. Observe the quality of listening. And of course, observe your mind, the content and the condition of your mind.

And strive to keep the consciousness, the awareness, as open as you can, observing every detail with great curiosity and alertness.

See what is held in your being and take a deep breath, repositioning into the sense of I, the identity: "I am experiencing."

You notice. You notice the many phenomena of experiencing, but give greater attention to that sense of self, the feeling of I, that feeling of beingness.

It's being supported from a deep spiritual place. Your "I" is empowered by the Source.

When you focus on that sense of self, there's a reconnection. There's a growing awareness that the Source is supporting you.

There's a growing awareness of your divinity.

This is beyond the mind. You don't need to think about it.

You're abiding in yourself, anchoring in the sense of I.

Notice that sense of I is unwavering.

It's holding your entire being, yet it doesn't seem touched by the mind, by the body, by the breath.

The energy is moving in you, in your being. You can feel it with the breath.

But that sense of I is not fluctuating.

Notice that.

Can you feel that as you stay in this place? What's happening in the mind is of no consequence.

Whatever thoughts flow through the mind, it's not impeding you. It doesn't feel like an obstacle. You might be aware of it, or the thoughts may even seem very small. You can't make it out.

Notice this, that when you are not so absorbed in the mind, you feel bigger than the mind.

You feel bigger than the thinking. Pay attention to that.

Breathe into that feeling, the vastness of your being.

This is the freedom from the mind.

Now take a few deep breaths from the brow. Guide the flow of energy down to the root. From the root coming back up to the brow.

A long, slow and steady breath, opening up the central channel to the flow of energy.

Now refocus on the brow. Breathe deeply into the mind, into the brain.

We're holding an inner posture of non judgment.

No matter what thoughts arise, no matter what we observe, we remain neutral.

And we also need to come into that place of no expectation. That means you're not waiting for anything to happen. You don't need to.

You can just be.

Try to feel the fullness of being.

Your perfection is not in some future moment. It's here with you now, as part of you.

You are cultivating the intimacy with the present moment. Drop the past totally. Become fresh, new. Discovering yourself again. Open up to the expansiveness of the mind, not limiting it in any way. The spaciousness.

And as you breathe out, allow yourself to dissolve into that space.

Don't cling to the body. Don't cling to any experience. Allow yourself to go to become the spaciousness, the vastness.

Let's take a deep breath.

All the way in, all the way out. Guiding the flow of energy down the central channel. And again. In

and out. Grounding your energies towards the body. Again, in and out. And let's do some deep abdominal breathing. Tune into your senses. Feel your body.

As we come towards the end of our meditation, let's affirm strongly in the mind:

I stay centered in the source of my being, recognizing my power to master the mind.

Thank you very much. Coming all the way back. Tuning into the body, making yourself fully alert. When you feel ready, with a few gentle blinks, you can open the eyes.

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Reflection

1. What did you observe in this meditation? 
2. Describe the experience of the mind.