Just observe

I'd like to share with you a new mindfulness technique that I'm learning. It's a body scanning practice called vipassana.
In this practice we slowly scan the body and observe sensation. Sounds easy? Kinda. The challenge is to just observe the sensation. Don't judge it as good or bad. Don't try to change it, say by scraping an itch. Just observe.

In this practice, I notice that if I can remove any expectation (thinking that a certain part of my body should feel a certain way), it ceases to control me.

For example, if I think that my hand shouldn't itch, and I detect that my hand is itchy, I find myself wanting to scratch it to get to the state of not itching. This desire moves me out of experiencing the here-and-now. It moves me away from experiencing and accepting life as it is.

I notice that this is true for me when I'm not meditating as well. When I struggle, it's usually because what is occurring is different than what I expect should happen. And that difference causes suffering.

If I release myself of thinking things should be certain way and just observe, I accept things the way they are and can easily navigate my life.

So, I invite you to join me today in releasing an expectation about something and just observe it. Let me know if that changes how you interact with those around you.

Peace

"WHEN WE LET GO OF EXPECTATION, THERE IS PEACE."

KIM ENG