Who is the internal observer? The fifth stage of yoga - Pratyahara: how to develop the inner observer

Great amount psychological problems- from the fear of making mistakes to the midlife crisis - have one common deep root. This identification- who you think you are. The way you answer the question “who am I?”

Whatever you name the ship, that’s how it will sail

How does identification create problems? Very simple.

For example, you are in school and get a B. If you are very upset, if you are ashamed, then you think something like this: “ I'm an excellent student! That means I should only get A’s!” Psychologically speaking, you identify yourself with the role of an excellent student, and that is why you feel so bad from an objectively good grade.

In adult life this mechanism works on the same principle. A woman who connects her self with external beauty will be in a panic when she discovers the inevitable age-related changes. A specialist who has been fired may become depressed due to the collapse of his identity “I am a successful, sought-after professional.”

Each of us has a list of things we identify with. Often these are social roles or professions: father, mother, son, daughter, husband, wife, doctor, fireman, teacher, actress.

Sometimes we are completely captured by certain desires, emotions, moods. There are people who are inextricably internally connected to certain principles, belief systems, theoretical paradigms and conclusions.

It is important to understand that we are highly dependent on what we identify or identify ourselves with. Remember the example about the excellent student: her neurotic reactions are directly caused by identification. An A student or a C student will not be upset because of a B.

How to untie the Gordian knot?

Any identification is a narrowed idea of ​​oneself. Therefore, the solution to the problems associated with it is to untie this knot.

Sages and spiritual teachers understood this many hundreds of years ago. However, at that time there was no developed psychotechnics - step-by-step techniques for working with your consciousness.

Modern practical psychology successfully creates ways through which ordinary people, not Shaolin monks, can effectively work with their psyche and solve psychological problems.

In the second half of the 20th century, psychologists discovered a simple but powerful way to radically change the idea of ​​who I am. Let's do this practice right now.

Read the text below so slowly and thoughtfully that a response to the words arises inside you, any sensations or images appear.

Practice

I have a body. It is not the same now as it was 20 years ago, and in another 20 years it will be different. Sometimes my body is fine, sometimes some part of it is sick. The sensations of my body are changing. Besides, I can be aware of it. So my body is not me. I have a body, but I am not my body.

I have emotions. They come and go. I can usually be aware of and control my emotions, but sometimes they overwhelm me very strongly. I treat my different emotions differently: some are pleasant to me, others are neutral, and others are disgusting. Based on all this, it is clear that my emotions are not me. I have emotions, but I am not my emotions.

I have desires. They are changeable and even sometimes inconsistent or contradictory. As a rule, I can be aware of them, observe their “behavior.” Therefore, my desires are not me. I have desires, but I am not my desires.

I have different moods. Sometimes I'm sad, sometimes I'm angry, often I'm happy. Different moods come and go, plus I can look at them from the outside (“what am I upset about?”). It turns out that my mood is not me. I have a mood, but I am not my mood.

I have thoughts. I think about some of them intently ( “Should I marry Petya or is it better to marry Kolya?”). More often than not, thoughts just spontaneously arise in my head. Sometimes great creative thoughts come to my mind, and sometimes depressing, self-accusatory thoughts. Since my thoughts are so different and since I can, having learned, be aware of and observe them, it is clear that my thoughts are not me. Despite the fact that most of them are about me, about who I am. So I have thoughts, but I am not my thoughts.

To sum up this self-inquiry, I clearly see that I am not my emotions, thoughts, desires, moods and my body. I disidentify with all of this.

What remains in the end? Who am I really?

It turns out that at a deep level, I am the one who is aware of more and more superficial phenomena, I am the center of perception of all external and internal phenomena, I am an observer of changeable thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations.

What does it mean to be an observer?

Such a fundamental revolution may remain for you just a funny game of the mind, or it may become a bridge to a completely different quality of living.

There is a huge difference between the life of a person who is constantly “covered” by one experience after another, who is “drowning” in his emotions and moods, whose actions are controlled by changeable, spontaneously arising thoughts, and the life of a person who identifies himself with an observer witnessing a changeable reality ( that is, at a deep level he considers himself to be one).

The second option does not make a person an emotionless, cold robot, but it opens up inner freedom that is not available in the first option. Thoughts do not become triggers for acute experiences, long-term uncomfortable states, spontaneous actions with unpleasant consequences (and for most people this is exactly what happens, most people live this way).

Although there is no escape from physical pain and difficult situations in any case, a person rooted in the feeling of being an observer of what is happening perceives and experiences such problems differently, because nothing negative can happen to an observer. The observer or witness is only aware of physical sensations or mental images.

In spiritual traditions internal observer often described as a mirror that reflects everything. It is emphasized that the mirror does this without the slightest effort, it reflects accurately, without judgment, and nothing happens to itself.

Practice

Try to imagine yourself as a mirror: perceive everything you see, hear, feel as a reflection in a mirror: “Then the sound of a car appeared, then it disappeared... a bird sat on a branch... flew away... my stomach was growling... it died down...”

Make it difficult for yourself. Walk around the room or go outside, continuing to “be a mirror” - without commenting, just “reflect” everything around: pictures, sounds, sensations from the wind, sun, rain... Realize the novelty of the experience of non-judgmental perception.

If you take root well in your new sense of self, you will be able to easily experience various stressful situations. You will become as free from the influence of anxious or depressive thoughts as from the rain by watching it from warm room. Many problems will lose their strength and power, because they will not be able to hook you: all thoughts and sensations turn out to be simply objects of your observation, they are simply reflected in the mirror of your awareness.

Probably, the proposed method is not a panacea, but its possibilities are enormous, which I advise you to see from your own experience.

From the editor

“Change your brain, your life will change!”- neurobiologist and neuropsychiatrist Daniel Amen took this slogan for his book. Indeed, many problems in our lives are solved in our heads. Read a summary of Amen's key ideas in our review:.

Identity crisis, fear of losing one's own self, self-doubt are heavy baggage to carry with you every day. French coach David LaRoche proposes to announce a seven-day marathon of self-confidence that will help you give impetus to the desired changes in your life: .

Accept yourself and don't dwell on inadequacy own expectations Is being perfect a mission impossible? Life technologist Ekaterina Kostina tells how to embrace your uniqueness: .

Pratyahara practices are necessary to prepare the mind for the practice of one-pointed concentration of dharana and dhyana. The purpose of practice is awakening surface layers consciousness and creating stability in it. Consciousness is affected by 2 sources of instability. The first is the external world (including the physical body), in which everything is constantly moving and changing, the mind is connected to this source through the senses. The second is internal: these are thoughts and emotions, where everything is also unstable. The mind of an ordinary person is almost completely absorbed by these sources of instability, and there is no need to talk about the stability of consciousness.

In order to make consciousness stable, the Presence of the Observer is developed in the mind by pratyahara practices. This Observer can perceive both the external world and everything that happens in consciousness, and in addition, he can be aware of his own Presence (Presence, Existence, Being). This ability is used in pratyahara practices. It is awakened in its rudimentary form in every person.

The main qualities of the Observer are immutability, constancy, immobility, and this creates a source of stability in the mind if the aspect of the Presence is developed and consolidated in the consciousness. Although it is not easy to feel these qualities without an intense sense of Presence. In addition, by its nature, the Observer is, as it were, empty, but at the same time full, since it contains the full content and potential of individual consciousness. This “Being” can be called the Aware Void. Feeling the nature of this Emptiness (Fullness) is also not easy; thoughts and emotions will interfere with this.

The essence of pratyahara is well described in the sloka of the Bhagavad Gita: “When He (the yogi), like a turtle drawing in all its limbs, detaches the senses from the objects of the senses, then his consciousness becomes steadfast.”

At the initial stages of practice, you can use vision, hearing and objects of the external world. The separation of the physical body from external objects and the fact that the Observer is localized in the body area is a very favorable factor for practice. From external objects (visual or sound), attention is transferred to the body area, the goal is to feel the Presence of the Observer, that is, oneself. Through attention, you “pump” energy into your own Presence, manifesting it more and more. In addition, this simple practice develops a very useful skill in separating the Observer from the observed, which will then be very useful for working with internal objects in consciousness. It is from this separation that vairagya (non-attachment, detachment) arises, which is often mentioned in yogic texts. This practice should be brought to automaticity.

Further, using multi-object practices, when you try to be aware of many objects (visual, sound, or both), without forgetting to feel your own Presence, the power of perception channels is developed. This increases resources and attention capabilities. The attention resources of an ordinary person are not enough to practice yoga. Already at this stage, acquaintance with Silence (Emptiness) occurs. Since perception and thinking are connected, with intense perception thinking stops, that is, the absence of thinking is an indicator of the full inclusion of attention. But when this happens, there is no need to be distracted by Silence - it is better to continue working with objects and show more of the Presence of the Observer, since Emptiness can absorb a lot of attention, and the point of practice is to control many objects at the same time. To become more familiar with the Emptiness, practices of working with space are used.

This can be practiced in any large open spaces as the Void is very similar to space. You are trying to perceive the entire volume of space in front of you and mentally feel the space behind you, connecting it into a single space, feeling your Presence in the center. Space is a very three-dimensional object, and it engages full attention, stopping thinking. This allows you to better feel and study the Emptiness, and take root in it, as well as create spatially expanded states of consciousness. Subsequently, after a good development of individual aspects - Presence, large resources of attention and rooting in the spatially expanded state of Emptiness - more complex practices with the simultaneous manifestation of these aspects become possible. This takes mental stability to a whole new level while significantly increasing your control capabilities.

All these practices can be performed in ordinary life situations, for example, during solitary walks (just don’t practice anything while driving a car - it’s dangerous). Of course, at the beginning the new states will not be stable, but will look like “flares”. Resilience increases with practice. Despite their apparent simplicity, these practices are very powerful, and they can easily overstrain the mind (especially the practice of multi-objectivity), causing a negative reaction in it, so gradualism and caution are necessary. It’s not bad to have a teacher already at this level, although it is not necessary that he be completely Enlightened - after all, these are superficial levels of consciousness. Do not forget that pratyahara practices are not practices for beginners. It is assumed that the practitioner already has experience working with attention during body practices and pranayama. Pranayama practices are especially important because the mind is connected to prana. Successful practice of pranayama cleanses and prepares the channels of the “subtle” body, the ability to control prana, and allows you to control the mind. Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras considered yoga as an integral system: yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, samadhi. Ignoring individual stages of practice leads to difficulties or complete impossibility of implementing subsequent stages of practice. The first five stages are essentially preparation for the implementation of the last three. Naturally, in parallel, a program for the development of mental awareness is being implemented, described in detail in the article, in which the developments of the above-described practices are used to work with thoughts and emotions. In addition, it is necessary to develop specific type awareness - awareness of action, that is, understanding of what is happening: “I am walking,” “I am sitting,” “I am meditating,” and the like. This was not mentioned in the article.

As a result of successful pratyahara practice, the awareness of the surface layers of consciousness awakens and improves, the ability to work with thoughts and emotions develops, the mind becomes calmer and more stable due to the manifestation and consolidation in the consciousness of the qualities of the Observer and the dissolving effect of the Emptiness. In addition, one automatically disidentifies oneself with the body, thoughts, emotions and personality (false ego), since all this can be observed being separated, being, as it were, in “another dimension”, and begins new life already in this “dimension”, and it is much closer to the Spirit. At the same time, the possibilities of mind control, which are also developed by these practices, greatly increase. Control is what distinguishes yogis from crazy people, and if it is not developed, it is very easy to move from one category to another.

At the same stage, it is necessary to awaken the internal source of Love - this allows you to emotionally balance the mind and awakens in the practitioner a reciprocal feeling of love and devotion (bhakti), which is very helpful in life and practice. For this you can also use ordinary life, in which there are quite a lot of manifestations of Love. When you feel a feeling of love, sympathy or friendship for someone (it could be your beloved dog) or enjoy the beauty of nature or a work of art, you need to look within yourself for the source from which this feeling comes to you. From the source, Love first comes to you, and then to the outside world. Your Love for someone is created from Love for you, coming from the source of Love. We are all beloved children of our Spiritual Parents. When you discover this source, you will be able to fill yourself with Love and Joy without external objects, although initial stage You may have to use someone else's image.

This is the most easily attainable Divine Aspect. And although the source of Love and Creativity is outside the personality, even the superficial layers of Silence (Emptiness) immediately behind thoughts are literally saturated (illuminated) with these forces. Although, in order to feel this, you may have to change some personality programs, which is not difficult to do at the level of pratyahara practices. Many creative people They feel these forces well, even without knowing how to enter the Void. It is from these states and about these states that many inspiring works of art, full of Love and Light, have been written. And often the description of states of this level is mistaken for yogic Samadhi, which of course is not true. It is possible to achieve the aspect of Love without fully awakening the entire depth of individual consciousness, but from this level it is impossible to achieve other Divine aspects: those levels of Knowledge, Awareness and Power to which a person who has fully awakened consciousness and achieved Samadhi gains access. Practices different levels Samadhi, through contact with the Superconsciousness, transforms a human being into a Superman, bringing him to a completely new stage in the evolution of the Spirit. But what happens at the levels of Samadhi is often impossible to describe in words.

In principle, having successfully practiced the first five steps of yoga, which were mentioned above, and having awakened the inner source of Love, you don’t have to go further in the practices of one-pointed concentration (dharana and dhyana) in this life, unless you have a Teacher with a very high level personal practice, there is no prepared body capable of withstanding long-term practices while sitting with a straight back, there is no developed “subtle” body capable of withstanding increased energy load, there is no time for sufficiently long daily practices, there is no “inner call” to deeper knowledge of oneself. All of the above - the necessary conditions for successful practice of dharana and dhyana. The first five steps are quite enough for a happy “inner” life. You can live, enjoying awakening and developing awareness, using the enormous creative potential of the Emptiness in life, reading numerous spiritual literature that will attract you. The awakened feeling of Love will respond with joy to everything beautiful.

But if you have an “inner call” for deeper self-knowledge, this will not satisfy you.

Vladimir Ozhogin is a yoga instructor, a student of guru yoga Sri Shalendra Sharma.

Self-observation practices that I use.

If we generally characterize the practice of self-observation, then we should probably consider it as a technique of transferring attention from oneself as a “participant” in events, to oneself as an “observer” of oneself as a “participant”. This transfer of attention and identification of oneself with the “observer” helps to study the “participant”, see him as he really is, realize a lot about himself and try to consciously change something in himself.

The mind is constantly looking for something to do.

So why shouldn’t he become a person’s assistant on the path of self-realization? Why shouldn’t the mind start studying internal sensations, which will be in abundance during internal observation of one’s own consciousness?

In order to start the practice of introspection, nothing special is required - only the ability to concentrate internally, and probably the internal attitude - not to be afraid to see the truth about your present self.

The first thing to do is to find the “inner observer” within yourself. There is an “observer” inside every person. This is the part of consciousness that always observes what is happening, is present and witnesses everything that happens to the “participant”. She doesn’t interfere in anything, doesn’t react in any way, doesn’t evaluate in any way, just watches dispassionately.

We always seem to flow with the events of external life, with our emotions, feelings, experiences - we are participants. And in order to become a researcher of oneself, one must disidentify with the “participant” and become an “observer”. And then, from a new position, observe yourself as a “participant”, without changing anything about it yet. (Collect information, so to speak).

While you are a “participant” and not an “observer”, it is very difficult to realize something in yourself, and even more difficult to consciously change. You must first learn to become an “observer” and do it consciously.

Finding the observing part inside your own consciousness is the first step you need to take in order to move on. Every person has an inner observer. Entering and exiting it is very often carried out unconsciously and is not registered by consciousness.

But if you become more attentive to yourself, you will notice that even in the midst of very strong emotions and mental experiences, at the moment of active engagement in any activity, at the moment of reflection or pleasure, there is always something in the consciousness, as if removed from this inner and external activities. It silently observes, without making judgments, without expressing emotions, it simply contemplates everything that a person does.

The “observer” is easier to detect during quiet activity, alone with oneself, while thinking or reading. You just need to feel his presence once and remember it inner feeling"observations". And then try to highlight it in yourself during everyday activities. If possible, you can continue your normal activities from the “observer”.

Then you can notice that a certain internal detachment will appear in the consciousness, and external reactions will become more conscious, behavior will be calmer, more reasonable, and less emotional. You can also notice that the sense of “observer” is very easily lost. There's no need to worry about this.

The main thing is to find the feeling of an “internal observer” in your consciousness, try to remember it from time to time and sometimes go into it.

That's the whole first step.

If you cannot immediately identify the “observer” in your consciousness, you can create an internal intention to detect him, remembering that he exists inside every person, without exception. From time to time you need to focus your attention inward. Or just consciously observe yourself as if from the outside.

This exercise can help “awaken” the inner observer, highlight the feeling of “observation” of oneself, and make it conscious.

The inner observer will sooner or later be noticed by consciousness, since it has manifested itself unconsciously many times before. But the consciousness, now aware of it and armed with the intention to find it, will certainly make it known, and then the mind, too, sooner or later will be able to detect it, and you will be able to realize it.

P.S. I will be grateful to everyone who will share with me their practical methods of internal work, or evaluate my own.

I will answer all specific questions if anyone is interested in the practice of self-observation.

http://natashapo.livejournal.com/11460.html

*****

"There are three ways to deal with temptation:

1) Buddhist: understand that desires (temptations) give rise to suffering and renounce them.

2) Biblical: understand that temptations are temptations sent by darkness, and resist them.

3) Wilde: understand that the only way to resist temptation is to give in to it" (With).

*

What distinguishes a person who lives unconsciously towards himself from a person who has accustomed himself to internal attention? We already know: activating the energy of life is essentially the only thing that unites fitness, physical education and sports with the eastern systems of health and harmony of a person with himself. Next they go fundamental differences, due to a lack of understanding of which, mass health systems do not truly provide either health, longevity, or harmony of life.

The first difference is the attitude towards the role of internal attention. At first glance, there is nothing new in this. Whatever we want to understand, study, or do, we direct our attention to all this. Attention refocuses the energy of your body, soul, spirit and consciousness on what you want to understand, study, do. Attention is a way to mobilize internal resources. For some reason this fact is missed when we're talking about about the person himself. Inner attention is attention to what is happening inside us. After all, the only person who can examine us is ourselves! And there is no other way than to make yourself the subject of your attention.

What happens in a person when he turns his attention from the external world to the internal world? At the biochemical level - almost nothing. And something radically new arises precisely at the electromagnetic level. Attention reorients the entire electromagnetic matrix of a person to the point to which our attention is directed. And it doesn’t matter where exactly - internal organs, functional systems, soul, heart, brain or your own consciousness. At the point of attention, the electromagnetic matrix “meets” itself. This is how a resonant generator arises, releasing “energy from nowhere”, due to which a sensation appears at this point. It only takes a few minutes to fix your attention at any point of pain in order to make sure that the pain begins to dissolve, giving its energy to the person. It’s the same with states of depression and oppression. Sometimes just observing them is enough to get relief.

Everything would be fine if not for one strange fact. When you observe the external world, you do not have a question about who is observing (the subject of observation) and what the observation is directed at (the object of observation). When you turned attention to yourself, it is clear that you yourself became the object of observation. Who then is the subject who is watching you? Of course, you say, it’s us again! No doubt! You, observing your body, soul, brain and consciousness, your own spirit... You, aware of your whole self in the process of observation... Do you feel a discrepancy? At the biochemical level, this situation cannot be described. Psychology, describing attention as a function of the psyche, reduces everything to neurophysiology. And... that's it. Neurophysiology has nothing to describe the fact of the appearance of “energy out of nowhere.” A psychologist may say something about split personality, but again it’s off the mark. For in a state of duality, a person loses the integrity of consciousness; when observing himself, on the contrary, he gains a feeling of this very integrity! It seems that you, as an Observer, can explore your whole self as if from the outside, without being either a body, a soul or a spirit, or your consciousness! But it is you, as an Observer, who organize the resonance of the electromagnetic matrix towards yourself! The longer the observation, the more energy is produced in resonance. I have established this fact in hundreds of studies. A split personality that gives rise to a sense of wholeness! In fact, there is no secret here. No, if we remember that in an ordinary person the electromagnetic matrix has a vague (oscillating) shape of our body. When observed, the energy matrix is ​​rearranged, creating a resonant generator (a point that generates energy). Gaining the experience of observation and learning to expand the field of attention, we already find ourselves working like a transformer, the core of which we ourselves become. Numerous conscious experiences of people always reveal this phenomenon!

Who then is the Observer through whom we can explore and become aware of ourselves? This is a virtual Personality that our intelligent electromagnetic matrix creates itself based on observation tasks. Thus, to the presence of four aspects of nature (body, soul, spirit and consciousness), a person who has embarked on the path of self-awareness brings into action the fifth aspect (the Fifth Element), behind which the prospects for human evolution open up on a simply cosmic scale!

The Inner Observer exercise is an advanced form of disidentification meditation. The difficulty is that you need to learn not to lose the achieved state of “I” in everyday life situations, moreover, to use the inner “I” as an observer observing your actions, emotions, thoughts, as well as the reactions of people and objects around you. The described state is the state of awareness to which the leading Teachers of our time have called.

It is easiest to practice this meditation in situations that do not have emotional stress. In the future, you should choose situations that are more difficult and dangerous for you. Note that the destruction of the state of the “internal observer,” i.e., the involvement of the “I” in the process (“bhava” in Buddhist terminology) occurs when the energy capacity of emotions is higher than the energy capacity of your “I.”

In order to master the “inner observer” meditation, do all the exercises described in the “Actualization” chapter, maintaining the “I” state.

"I am"

Meditation “I am” belongs to classical yoga and can be used as an auxiliary for the crystallization of consciousness.

Repeat, not tensely, like a self-hypnosis formula, the phrase “I am*. With regular and hard work, you may also achieve the state of Self.

Feeding consciousness

Meditation “feeding consciousness” can help you if you are experiencing conditions such as emotional fatigue, disappointment, reluctance to live, and most importantly, a decrease in awareness of existence. All these are symptoms of the so-called “exhaustion of consciousness,” which is a consequence of a person’s neglect of his nature, first of all, his desires. These symptoms can come on very quickly if we do something because we “have to” and not because we “want to.” After all, “should” is a superconscious attitude that is weakly supported energetically. “I want” is worth all our energy biological nature. Exhaustion of consciousness can also manifest itself at the somatic level in the form of diseases or unpleasant physical sensations that arise when you do “unwanted” things.

The purpose of this meditation is to feed the consciousness with the energy of our subconscious - the energy of desires, so before reading further text, read Appendix 2.

Update the basic needs described in Appendix 2. When you manage to feel the corresponding energies, try to realize which of the primary needs you satisfy when performing unloved actions.

The criterion for the correct implementation of meditation is a general increase in energy potential, the emergence of a positive emotional attitude towards the matters under consideration, ideally a feeling of awareness and meaningfulness of being.

Meditations aimed at expanding consciousness

If you have managed to crystallize your inner “I” - your consciousness, you can begin the process of expanding it. Expansion of consciousness includes the following stages.

1. Update various processes mental life that does not belong to consciousness - subconscious, superconscious or parallel to consciousness.

2. Interpretation, i.e. assignment to one of the known types, issuance of a name. Since the instrument of consciousness is language (or, more precisely, a sign system), consciousness can only operate with certain, named objects. It is this fact that underlies the well-known rule of magic - “If you know the name of an object, then you can control it.” The more accurately it was possible to interpret or determine this or that object of the unconscious, the greater the chances of success.

3. Taking responsibility upon oneself, i.e. eliminating the internal duality of “I” - not “I”.

Acceptance of desires

Realize that everything you do, you do only because you want to. If you experience internal resistance, analyze which of the primary needs are satisfied by you in the process of doing those things that you supposedly don’t want to do

The criterion for correctly performing meditation is the appearance of a feeling of relaxation and satisfaction. This is due to the fact that many physical constraints are associated with attempts to constantly force oneself to perform some action and the fight against these attempts.

One of the effective meditations aimed at expanding consciousness is< расширение*. Эта медитация имеет различные разновидности. Наиболее интересными из них являются: «пространственное расширение», «временноерасширение», «абстрактноерасширение». Последний вариант является особенно сложным, однако именно он способствует расширению сознания в психологическом смысле. Два первых варианта можно рассматривать как вспомогательные, хотя они тоже могут дать интересные эффекты.