Working with the Witness

by Beth

Layer of Earth by Kazoo Shiraga*

As we age, we change. Wrinkles and gray hair appear, muscles begin to lose mass, and our relationship to society can change. In some cultures aging earns us status as wise elders to be revered; in others we are ignored or seen as no longer having value. Also, we may begin thinking about end of life issues, seeing death as loss, something to fear, or as a natural transition to something else (the something else often depends on our culture, country, family or spiritual beliefs). However, no matter who we are or where we live, cultivating and enhancing awareness and the ability to witness “what is” will enable us move through our aging process with integrity.

A simple definition of awareness is: knowledge or perception of a situation or fact. Awareness is at the heart of any definition of yoga. Practicing this becomes especially important to anyone who has ever stepped foot on a yoga mat or sat on a meditation cushion. You can read about Nina’s experience with awareness in her post The Power of Svadhyaya (Self Study).

The science of yoga offers many tools to cultivate awareness. Working with the Witness is a good one to consider. The Witness is the aspect of self that allows us to see ourselves in action as we are acting. The kosha model of yoga psychology focuses on five levels of awareness and is my go to context for working with the Witness. I’ll list them all separately here to talk about them but they are all ultimately one interrelated system. The five levels are:

1. Physical Level (Annamayakosha). This is the level that we experience through all of our senses including sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell. The ability to become aware of body sensations is a key step in activating the Relaxation Response and the healing process. This is the level that most people readily relate to and the level most focused on through yoga asana.

For me, working with the Witness helped me connect the dots between discomfort in backbends, such as Locust and Half Wheel, and headaches that followed a day or two after practicing. That awareness led to an appointment with a sports medicine doctor, who diagnosed me with spondylolisthesis. So I’ve been modifying my back bends and was delighted to read Shari’s post about spinal movements All About the Spine, which confirmed my experience. 

2. Breath-Energy Level (Pranamayakosha). Breath is the vehicle for the entry of oxygen and life energy, or prana, into the body. Learning to breathe effectively and efficiently is one of the most important lessons in yoga. When we are aware of our breath and how we breathe, we can better manage our moods and states of mind. This is key to managing stress and remaining calm no matter what is happening. 

3. Mental-Emotional Level (Manomayakosha). Mental awareness is based on what we perceive through our thoughts and feelings in two ways: 1) by analyzing and organizing our knowledge and experiences and 2) by intuition, hunch, inner voices, images, instant knowing, and fantasy. Emotional awareness helps us perceive and understand our habits, patterns and life lessons. 

By witnessing my periodic “blue funk days” while in the middle of them, I’ve discovered something interesting. When they lift—and so far they always do—I often experience intuitive flashes that result in writing ideas, home decoration projects, and themes for my yoga classes, or those AHA! moments that lead to new understandings. I’m now aware of them as they make their appearance and I’ve learned to “ride the emotional wave” instead of trying to cut it short. 

4. Wisdom-Witness Level (Vijnyanamayakosha). The Witness is the lamp that illuminates all aspects of ourselves (persona and shadow) for integration and acceptance. When we are able to witness our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors without judgment, we can cultivate and deepen our ability to recognize our patterns and consciously choose to make changes. 

5. Bliss Level (Anandamayakosha). This is unity consciousness, going with the flow of life whether positive or difficult. It is direct experience of the universal energy or connectedness that we can tap into through consistent practice, which we control, and grace, which we do not control. 

One tool to wake and work with the Witness is the body scan. The technique focuses on engaging and deepening awareness at all levels of being to promote healing (as opposed to curing, which may sometimes be a happy side effect). Depending on your needs and readiness, body scans will focus on some or all of the koshas. There are many techniques and ways to practice this, and you can learn to self-guide. 

Here is a short self-guided script that you can practice in any comfortable position. First, make an intention to witness whatever arises without judgment and then gradually move your awareness through your body, breath, and mind as you say the following to yourself:

I am aware of my feet, ankles, lower legs, knees, upper legs, hips, waist, belly, low back, rib cage, mid-back, chest, upper back, shoulders, neck, face and the top of my head. (Pause) 

From the top of my head awareness moves over my face, down my neck, out over my shoulders and down my arms to my hands and fingers. I welcome any sensations or information I receive. (Pause) 

I notice my breath and watch the inhalation and exhalation. The breath comes and goes naturally, not changing in any way. Where is the movement of the breath felt? In my belly, chest, throat, nostrils? (Pause)

I watch the ebb and flow, the rise and fall, the in and out of the natural, essential breathing process. I am totally aware of my breath and my breathing. (Pause) 

Now, I move my attention to the mind and my thoughts. Do they flow easily from one thing to another or are they fixed on one thing? (Pause) 

Are they focused on the past or do they center on the future? (Pause) 

Can I see each thought, simply rising and passing one by one? Can I be aware of thinking while I am thinking? (Pause) 

I am now calm, relaxed, and aware. I rest in myself, breathing slowly and deeply. (Pause and rest here as long as you like)

Personally, I find this useful for grounding during stressful times, and it works like a charm those fortunately rare nights when I have trouble falling asleep. With practice, you can lengthen or shorten your explorations. Or you can begin the practice with prepared recordings. A little research will turn up many options. Voice, pace, length, tone, and content vary. Most will allow you to sample your choice before you buy. Be sure to pick one that feels just right for you.

With practice we learn to become aware, or conscious, of ourselves on all levels of our being. We can then bring clear and focused attention to what we find; accept and integrate all aspects of the aging process, pleasant and not so pleasant, and if we chose make conscious changes that bring us into alignment with our individual lives. Working with the Witness helps us move through our aging process with strength, flexibility, balance, wisdom, and grace.

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What is Mindfulness?

by Nina

In Baxter’s post yesterday (see here), he described how a student of his, after a day of mindful yoga, was able to achieve a state of detached awareness that helped her deal more effectively with her teenaged son. And in my original post on the relaxation response (see here), I mentioned mindful yoga practice as one of several ways to trigger the relaxation response. So today seemed like a good day to explain what we mean by mindfulness and to say a little about how it helps.

“All of us have the capacity to be mindful. All it involves is cultivating our ability to pay attention in the present moment.” —Jon Kabat-Zinn

Poppy by Joan Webster

You might not realize this, but your thoughts alone can make you stress out. Worries about the future, regrets over the past, and judgments about yourself and others can trigger the stress response because you are essentially telling yourself that you are danger! In fact, in many cases, it is your thoughts about what’s going on that makes you stress out, not the situation itself.

Practicing mindfulness means becoming an impartial witness to your thoughts and experiences as you have them. To do this, step back and tune into the constant judging and reacting to inner and outer experiences that constantly stream through your mind.

“The eye is for seeing; the mind creates doubt; the wisdom faculty is for ascertaining [the nature of things]; the Field-Knower abides as the witness of all these processes.” —Moksha-Dharma

Yogis believe that there is a witness or drashtri (the Field-Knower, the Seer or Pure Awareness) present in all of us. And this witness is the spark of the divine, the single, incomprehensible consciousness that unites all beings, that dwells within.

So how does this witness help with stress levels? Being in mindful state gives you a break from obsessive thoughts about the past or anxiety about the future. And when you are free from stressful thoughts of danger, the relaxation response kicks in.

Being mindful also teaches you to recognize the physical and mental symptoms of stress so you can nip them in the bud by using your favorite stress management techniques. And it teaches you about your thought patterns, so you can learn not to react on “auto pilot” (Baxter’s story about Maleena is example of this), which can give you the ability to live more peacefully.

Pineapple Sage by Joan Webster

To practice mindful yoga, simply bring your witnessing frame of mind into your yoga practice. Jon Kabat-Zinn expresses how to do this so well that I’m going to quote him:

“We practice yoga with the same attitude we bring to the sitting mediation or the body scan. We do it without striving and without forcing. We practice accepting our body as we find it in the present, from one moment to the next. While stretching or lifting or balancing, we learn to work at our limits, maintaining moment-to-moment awareness. We are patient with ourselves. As we carefully move up to our limits in a stretch, for instance, we practice breathing at that limit, dwelling in the creative space between not challenging the body at all and pushing it to far.”

You can also practice yoga as a moving meditation by focusing on your breath during your practice or on a particular physical sensation, such as spreading your toes evenly on the ground in all your poses. Mindful yoga is one of my favorite ways to de-stress, as I bring into my home practice subtle physical alignment tips I learn from my regular teacher, and then just experiment and feel....

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