Introspection is looking inward to examine our thoughts, feelings, and motivations. It is a deliberate effort to observe and self-analyse one’s inner thoughts and processes. This practice dates back to the oldest ancient Indic philosophic traditions and has been a cornerstone of many spiritual and psychological disciplines.

Watching your mind is a precious practice for obtaining self-awareness, emotional regulation, clarity and personal growth. It develops into a truthful relationship of knowing, understanding and experiencing your body and mind. Despite many challenges, the advantages of gaining a deeper insight into our mental structure are vast. By dedicating time to introspection and integrating it into our daily lives, we can initiate the journey of self-exploration, ultimately leading to a more fulfilling and harmonious life. The introspection methods include meditation, self-monitoring, journaling, reflecting on feelings, mantras and mindfulness practices.

The human mind is a complex entity filled with memories, emotions, and thoughts, constantly in flux. Despite its pivotal role in shaping our experiences and behaviours, the mind remains largely uncharted territory for many. Your mind emotionally identifies and attaches to your desirable thoughts, causing you to lack control over them. Nonetheless, one section of the mind remains untouched by conditioning, where it can experience choiceless awareness in pure consciousness, which we refer to as the soul. For this reason, the subject of spirituality highly emphasises the regular exercise of introspection, which involves examining our inner activity closely through the soul.

The soul is superior to the other two fundamental components, which we call the body and mind. Spiritually, I, as aware energy, am the witness of both. Our minds revolve around emotional desires, so we don’t need to seek independence from external influences; instead, we can discover that freedom and subdue it from within. Understanding material things is easy, but comprehending and controlling the selfish mind, an illusion that shapes our surroundings and actions, is far more complex. The above indicates that our being in body and mind is derived more from its being-ness through the metaphysical awareness of energy embedded in the soul, since you claim both body and mind to be yours.

Knowing the soul and the spirit is an inner journey of self-discovery, not a quest for external or material knowledge and accumulation. Witnessing your mind takes you inward to understand who and what you are. The mind, conscious or subconscious, functions in duality in the relativity of hot/cold, happiness/sadness, plus/minus, divine/devil, etc., for it chooses one of the two for its desirous need.

However, in the spiritual realm, from the superconscious section, we operate spontaneously in choiceless non-dual thoughts; we merely observe and witness our thoughts. It is that section we call the soul in which the witness as aware energy resides, checking and guiding the cognitive mind through its soul as that individual witness-er to all it perceives.

The mind vibrates randomly and recklessly, multitasking by exercising its power of choice amidst dualities. Like pleasure and pain or happiness and sadness are dualities, illusory imaginations in which our soul gets trapped. Because if one aspect is present at any given time, the other, like a shadow, is bound to follow. They are all mental creations where the cognitive behaviour and attitude connect to what we desire, bringing joy or grief, often leaving us with little control over these tendencies.

Although the mind is an instrument for us to use, it turns the tables, making us dance to its emotional state. This dynamic process often results in the mind overpowering our soul, rendering us mere puppets to its whims.

No matter how hard we try to steer our thoughts and emotions, the mind remains stubbornly resistant, refusing to budge. Consequently, we remain deeply identified with and attached to the mind’s fleeting fantasies, giving rise to a false persona that we commonly refer to as ego-consciousness. This ego obscures our true nature and binds us to a distorted sense of self, leading to a life driven by superficial desires and transient satisfactions.

Breaking free from this cycle requires a sincere shift in understanding and creating an observant relationship with the mind. Instead of being dominated by it, we need to reclaim our role as the masters of the mind. It involves cultivating mindfulness and self-awareness, enabling us to observe our thoughts and emotions without becoming entangled. By doing so, we gradually diminish the power of the ego and reconnect with our true essence.

Essentially, the mind should serve as a tool to navigate life, not as a dictator controlling our every move. Through diligent self-inquiry and introspection, we can disentangle ourselves from the mind’s relentless grip. This journey towards self-mastery is not easy, but it is essential for achieving true freedom and self-realisation. By recognising the mind’s tendencies and learning to transcend its limitations, we can live more authentically and align with our higher purpose.

Watch your thoughts; do not judge and decide hastily, but rather do so consciously. Witness the many shows your mind presents to you. By observing without attaching a label, watch your mind and its actions. Do not let these activities control you. Do not get carried away by your thoughts. Your mind will transform from a problem to a free entertainer once you view it as an observer. It is only by becoming a witness to your thoughts that you will understand the distinction between your mind and your true self.

Witness your thoughts unquestioningly and non-judgementally; you will learn what is useful and what is not. Without disturbing or distracting the mind from its thoughts, just watch. It shall usher in a state of peacefulness, taking you beyond your memories of emotional and desirous thoughts into the present, the essence of witnessing. We call this unity Sakshi Yoga, the union of all three sections of the mind.

This insightful process will calm your mind, taking you towards higher meditation. You will have greater freedom of choice when you learn to observe and witness your thoughts and can exert control over them. While observing, if you notice negative thoughts flowing from past events projecting into the future, they gradually dissolve on their own simply because now you are aware and conscious of the same.

While witnessing inner thoughts, you are in the present moment to moment, without any constraints from space and time. You can deal spiritually with such unfavourable situations in a more effective manner and, in the process, indirectly take control of them. During witnessing, your mind must be fully independent and not attached to any thoughts, awakening that non-dual aware energy settled within the superconscious section, which we call the soul. The inward act of exploring your mind and its thoughts will make you transcend spiritually into the present moment, which the cognitive mind cannot.

‘I am not what I think’ is a fundamental statement of spiritualism. However, as Descartes famously stated, ‘I think, therefore I am,’ is relevant to materialism. The mind interferes with the spiritual self through emotional desires. Because of ignorance, most of us are highly materialistic without having an idea of what spiritualism is all about. This severe imbalance is the cause of all the disasters and destruction occurring on land, sea, and in the air, as well as within our minds, driven by lust and greed.

Our deepest inner desire always wishes for fulfilment from a wholesome life. To achieve this state, we must break down the barrier between the mind’s endless material desires and righteously balance them with spiritual experiences, transcending into higher consciousness and realising a caring concern for all around us.

NAMASTE