Mindfulness and the Tao

If you like to follow the Tao and get away from the control of your ego, your ability to be mindful of everything that is going on inside of you is key. So what exactly does it entail to be able to observe yourself?

Observation is the ability to detach yourself from everything that you are doing and, at the same time, be able to observe everything that is going on within you and in the environment that you are operating in. It is very much like you are watching a movie of yourself, but you are sitting in the audience at the same time. In the beginning you will probably get involved quite frequently, so you will be the actor on many occasions and the spectator in others, but that is ok too. Never try to force anything or your ability to observe will disappear.

You probably spend time analyzing how other people behave; you analyze their mistakes, or why they behave the way to do. But at the same time, have you ever thought that you can apply the same methodology to yourself? If you observe yourself carefully, you will realize many things about yourself, know the reason why you are getting stuck in some cases, find out why you experience these emotional swings and understand why it is so hard to quit some of your habits.

When you are observing yourself, you actually get in touch with your spiritual consciousness, and you will discover a universal healing power. Under your observation, you will learn how to step back and will have a shot at overcoming your robotic responses to your environment. Once you reach that stage, 'karma' will no longer stick to you and you will learn how to set yourself free. Awareness is a very powerful healing force.

When you observe, naturally, you will realize many things. For example, it is very common that we are triggered to react in a certain way when we are interacting with other peoples or when we are in special circumstances. We get mad when people say something that doesn't meet our expectation. Without this understanding, we are just carried away by our emotions without the ability to grasp what is behind all these dramas. We think that we have good reasons to be mad at others and blame them for our suffering. In doing so, we cut into our own power base - by losing control, we become the slaves of our emotions. The good news is that we can spot these points when we lose control and respond before the emotional train risks leaving the station for good. In fact, if you can transcend these moments, you will see for yourself that you can save a lot of money on antidepressants and anti-anxiety pills that way.

There are little tricks to get to this level of mastery. For example, you can look out for the moments when you have a strong emotional reaction to something and you can literally hear a voice kicking in and saying 'Hey, I am being emotional again - what's going on here?' In these cases, give yourself a time-out. Go to a quiet place and be with that emotion; feel how this emotion is influencing your body and what kind of thoughts you have. If you are really able to connect with your inner state, you will be surprised to realize how mechanical your emotional reactions always are in response to some pretty straight-forward triggers; you will be also be surprised to see how your emotions are transformed under your observation. Once the shock of the emotional swing has been digested, you will see for yourself that all you are left with are joy, love, peace, and understanding.

There are some ways to train yourself to raise your level of awareness:

1. Meditation: Regular meditation can really help you practicing your observation skills. Set a time every day aside for 10 minutes, sit still and watch whatever thought or emotion arises, the noises, the aches from the body, the thoughts rising to the surface. It is an observation without judgement. In the same way, learn to receive whatever comes your way in life without judgement.

2. Mindful living: Observe how you eat, what is the smell of the food, how does it taste and how fast or slowly you eat. Notice how your system digests the food and how your energy level is changing in response. Observe how you walk. Can you tell how your leg and feet coordinate when you walk? Observe everything that comes your way in that fashion.

3. Doing exercise might be a good practice as well. Just as you build muscle strength when you exercise, you can develop mind power when you do your awareness exercises. Can you be aware of all your body parts as you exercise them?

Once you are very skilled in observing yourself, it will be very easy for you to understand what is going on inside yourself. It is a process to get to this level of mastery, but every situation and interaction that comes your way is a new opportunity to practice. You have a chance to say good-by to the robot inside, and you will quit being a victim of your environment. At this point you will become a creator of your reality and stop being a follower. Soon you will learn that along the Tao there is nothing really that can give you an excuse for being grumpy about. Instead, you are grateful for whatever it is that is coming your way - your life is blessed after this realization.

By Sue Zhen