Seeing Your Way (S4E8)
Many meditators become attached to the idea that meditating must be done with the eyes closed, but how can we use sight - much like we've used sound in the past - as an anchor and a window into a budding self-awareness? Observing your body's responses and reactions to visual stimulus is a beautiful way to practice. Try it with me!
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Transcript
Set yourself up in a comfortable position or an pose in which you can feel some ease.
arrive more deeply to your practice in any way you know how. Whether that's orienting yourself by looking around, or closing the eyes and taking a few full breaths.
Be as open as you can toward whatever your attention is being drawn to.
Feel the body pressing down into the support of the ground. And take a few moments to gather your awareness around an anchor, like breath, or a particular part of the body.
for a few moments, blink your eyes open, and notice how with sight, there's a tendency to be pulled out.
Instead, can you try to receive shapes, lights, and forms, while at the same time staying aware of your body?
Something to notice is whether you have resistance to opening your eyes in the first place.
Some of us are attached to an idea about practicing being done with eyes closed or not including sight.
Turn your attention a little deeper inside and notice what's happening in the torso area.
Is there contraction or expansion? Or any other sensations that you can tune into?
Return to eyes closed or downcast. And reconnect more fully to the body.
Now that sight isn't taking up your attention. Notice what is present.
Once more, blink your eyes open and practice keeping 50% of your awareness on the body and 50% on the shapes and lights that you're taking in through the eyes.
If you find yourself getting really pulled out and you forget to be aware of the body, you might drop in the phrase, there is a body.
After you've gone inside again, you can continue with the eyes open, or one last time, close the eyes and observe.
As we wrap up our practice, I'd like to offer this reflection.
In the Theravadin Buddhist Insight Meditation tradition, the instruction is often to close the eyes.
When we don't really know how to incorporate sight into our practice, it becomes harder and harder to include it in our mindfulness experience in the day to day.
As we start to pay attention to sight, we start recognizing how lucky we are to have the capacity to see.
Instead of waiting for sight to be threatened in order to find gratitude there, we can cultivate a sense of appreciation for it through our practice.
In a moment, the bell will ring. Try to carry this practice into your day to day and start to notice the impact of what you're taking in through your eyes.
Thank you for your practice. Until next time, take care of yourself because that's how we can best take care of others.
