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Shared Witnessing Meditation (CLICK
HERE
for a description of the process)
(CLICK
HERE
for next call times)
Developed by Eric Sucher and inspired in part
by the work of Eckhart Tolle,
the Shared Witnessing Meditation offers a pathway
to making a deeper connection with life in the present moment,
that also supports us in directly experiencing our Essential Self
-- the "True Self" within each of us
that is free, whole, peaceful,
powerful, compassionate,
creative, generous, joyful, and secure.
A profoundly beautiful, nourishing practice, the
Shared Witnessing Meditation cultivates our capacity to remain present & Be With
everything we experience, just as it is. By holding a "witness" perspective,
observing our own internal experience (thoughts, body
sensations, emotions, etc.) & then briefly reporting that experience to the
group, we often access a blissful place of pure Being
that is our true nature.
Although our goal
is to connect more fully with the Present and expand our capacity to Be With all
that is, just as it is ...
paradoxically this practice is often able to transform or dissolve our experience
of discomfort or pain
when nothing else works.
In our culture, we're taught that the worst thing
that can happen to us, is experiencing uncomfortable or painful thoughts or
emotions. As a result, we tend to be afraid of these parts of our inner
experience, often covering up, ignoring, or distracting
ourselves from these "negative" experiences. We tend
to quickly reach for strategies that we hope will make us feel better.
The
tragedy is that this can leave leave us haunted by the very discomfort or
pain we're so desperate to get relief from, while
disconnecting us from ourselves, Life, and those around us.
Those of us who practice Shared Witnessing Meditation see our pain or discomfort
as a message from our Inner Wisdom, inviting
us to go
within, to connect with the authentic, essential
longing that lives underneath our distress. When we meet fully with it,
when we
allow ourselves to experience our discomfort or
pain in the moment, just as it is -- without trying to fix or change it -- it
becomes a doorway to fulfillment of everything we are so
desperate to receive.
This Shared Witnessing practice allows Life to reenter and fill
us in those places that have become closed off and
disconnected
from Life; places that have become even more uncomfortable or
painful precisely because we have avoided them.
As we develop a mindful capacity to tolerate our
experience of pain or discomfort, we expand our ability to stay present and at
choice in the moment. This in turn transforms our capacity to stay connected
with ourselves, with Life, and with others, regardless
of circumstances. When we meet our pain or discomfort with this kind of
compassionate, embracing awareness, our discomfort
and pain eventually transform into something astonishingly beautiful,
transforming, life-giving, miraculous.
The Shared Witnessing Meditation Process
- Sit quietly in a comfortable position. (You can lie down, just be aware
that you're more
likely to fall asleep.) Take a few deep breaths, letting the air fill your
belly as much as possible. Feel the sensations in your body.
Listen to the thoughts that go through your mind. Feel the emotions that arise.
Report on what you notice. After some time, you
may sometimes notice that your mind has fallen silent, and you feel peaceful,
whole, and complete. There may be a feeling of ease
and spaciousness, gratitude, joy, etc. You may wish to notice this experience;
you may wish to report on it; or you may wish to
simply sit silently and enjoy it. All choices are valid. (See below for
reporting examples, and suggested guidelines for your
meeting organization.)
Tips -
Notice that there's a part of you that directly experiences
the thoughts or feelings, and there's also an Observer or
Witness part of you that does the Noticing. Feel what it's like to be in
this Observer/Witness/Noticing perspective, and what it's
like to be in the Experiencer perspective. Practice shifting from
Observer/Witness/Noticing to Experiencing.
When reporting, use "framing" language that helps you keep your
Observer/Witness/Noticing perspective. You might
report what you're observing by saying, "I'm noticing my body feels ..."
or "I notice thoughts about..." or "I notice I'm feeling [an
emotion -- annoyed, happy, curious, etc]...." Some people say,
"There is a feeling of..." or "I'm having thoughts about..."
or
"I see that I'm feeling/thinking..." It's usually best not to begin a report
just by saying, "I'm thinking..." or "I'm feeling..." without
some framing/distancing language in front of it, since that's how we usually
talk about our direct experience.
When you notice you've shifted back into directly experiencing your
thoughts/feelings/body sensations, simply gently
bring yourself back to your Observer mode. It can be very easy to get caught
up in and/or identify with our direct experience --
that is, to think that our thoughts, feelings, or body sensations are "true" or
"right" or that they are "us." This is how we've been
taught to see our thoughts, feelings, and body sensations. But, we are not these
things; they are like passing weather, changing
at a whim as the result of (for example) what we ate, what we
thought someone said, or how we interpret something that's
happened.
When reporting, do your best to speak from the Observer/Witness/Noticing
perspective. Often we interpret this guideline
to mean that we need to strive to "do it right;" we may feel our bodies tense,
or feel anxious, or think "I've got to do this right."
Use these experiences as part of your practice: simply move into your Observer
mode and notice all the things you experience in
reaction to this guideline, or to how other people are doing their reporting.
Each witnessing report takes only a few seconds, and sentences
are usually fairly short. If you find that your reports are
lengthy or involved, you've probably slipped out of witnessing mode and into
analyzing or sharing your direct experience. Bring
yourself back to a place of detachment, where you're simply noticing and
reporting describing what's coming up.
If you find yourself analyzing what you're saying to
figure out how long your sentences are, or how long your reports last, or
how "good" a report it is compared to what others are doing, simply bring
yourself back to a place of detachment and back into
your Observer mode, and report on what you're noticing.
If you notice thoughts criticizing or judging yourself or
others for anything, you can simply notice and report on that, too.
*When it is done from the Observer/Witness/Noticing perspective* it's
often very powerful and transforming for people to report
their negative thoughts or feelings towards each other. When
noticed and shared from this perspective, the other person isn't
seen as the cause of our experience, they are merely seen as what stimulates or
activates something within us. The experience
itself is ours, arising from within us.
Sometimes people have very intense experiences; let them have
their experience. If someone cries or is angry or feels
embarrassed, avoid conversing with them, trying to comfort them, or trying to
change their experience. Stay with your own
experience, and if you're moved to, report on that.
Reporting Examples -
-
I notice my heart (or chest) feels tight.
-
I notice the thought, "Am I doing it right?" and I'm feeling
embarrassed.
-
I notice I'm feeling afraid and stupid, and there's a thought
"You never know what you're doing." I notice I'm feeling surprised;
I just realized, I say this to myself all the time.
-
I having a feeling of gratitude and relief, and I notice I'm
crying from it.
-
I can see that I'm feeling annoyed by what Sarah said.
-
There's a feeling of concern for John; I notice I want to
give him a hug.
-
I notice the waistband of my pants feels too tight.
-
I'm realizing I want to tell Katie she doesn't need to feel
embarrassed.
The Shared Witnessing Meditation -
Suggested Guidelines
Number of People - This practice can be very helpful when
done alone or with just one other person, and we find it becomes
noticeably more beautiful and transformational when at least five people
practice together.
Length of Time/Keeping Time - It helps to have someone set
a timer for however long the group wants to practice, so that no one
has to watch a clock during their practice. (Note: There
is a lovely application for android phones called "Zen Timer" ($1.95 one-time
cost) that offers
a variety of bell and chime sounds, any duration, and chimes at the start and/or
end of the selected time. Similar applications are available for iPhones as
well.)
Creating a Connected, Safe Space - Especially when
starting a new practice group, it's helpful to have a facilitator who most
people experience as openhearted and compassionate. For new groups, having each
person introduce themselves, perhaps sharing
a little about the meditation experience, their healing journey, and/or what
they like to do for fun that brings them joy, can help
everyone feel welcome and safe. Once a group is established, having each person
"check in" by briefly sharing whatever they need
to say to get present and settled is enough to create a sense of connection for
everyone. And, the Shared Witnessing Meditation can itself
serve as the "check-in." (We've begun using the Shared Witnessing Meditation
as the check-in for some of our practice groups that focus
on other forms of inner work.)
Taking Turns - This can be done in order around the circle, or it can be
done "popcorn" style, where people speak in any order,
whenever they're moved to. We don't know how this will go when the group is
being done as a tele-call; we'll report back to you when
we have some experience with what works well!
Questions? In Need of Support?
Call us 24 hours at 952-487-3896 (Minnesota) or 503-296-5456
(Portland), or
click here to email us. We're here to help!
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