Wake Me Up: Morning Positivity - Meditation Mini - Detached Observation

Episode Date: February 13, 2020

In this meditation mini, we'll watch our thoughts pass by like clouds in the sky. A great practice for sharpening your self awareness. Enjoying Wake Me Up? Get ad-free access to the entire WMU catalog + bonus content by joining the WMU Premium Feed. Sign up and start your 7-day free trial at https://wakemeup.supercast.com/. Follow the show on Spotify - Apple Podcasts - Podchaser Say hi or request an episode at www.wakemeuppodcast.com/contact. See visual guides for the yoga and stretches in WMU episodes at www.wakemeuppodcast.com/stretches. And find the podcast on Instagram and TikTok. **Only partake in the physical movements suggested in Wake Me Up episodes if you are physically able and in safe surroundings. All movements are done at the individual's own risk. Be safe, and always consult a doctor if you have any questions or concerns.** Have a wonderful day 😃 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you'd like to enjoy Wake Me Up completely ad-free and get access to exclusive bonus content, check out the link in the show notes for the Wake Me Up premium feed. Hi, and welcome to Wake Me Up. This is the podcast where morning people are made. This is the second mini-meditation episode, and these are a bit different than the morning routine episodes of Wake Me Up. They're just going to be guided meditations. I'm hoping that these give you a bit more variety

and help you to develop your meditation practice as well. So please reach out to me and let me know what you think about these meditation minis. Wake Me Up is all about you, the listeners. So if you do or don't like these or you would prefer I just do more of the morning routine episodes, whatever it is, just let me know because that will help me shape the podcast for you.

And the best way to reach me is to send a message through the website at wakemeuppodcast.com. I also want to take a second to thank everyone who's left a review so far. It's been really helpful for social proof that you're enjoying the podcast. And if you haven't left a review yet, I'd really, really appreciate it from the bottom of my heart. Of course, don't forget to subscribe or follow the podcast on whatever platform you're listening on. So you never miss a great day. Now let's get started. Today we're going to practice a very simple meditation technique.

It's sometimes called silent observation or the detached observer. All it calls for us to do is to watch our thoughts come and go. As if we were laying in a field watching the clouds pass by. It helps to create some distance, some separations, some separations, from your thoughts. Basically, understanding and recognizing that from moment to moment, your thoughts are just an automatic function of your body being alive. It can help us to realize that while we have thoughts, we are not our thoughts, and we're not defined by them. So go ahead and find a comfortable, seated position. If you can sit and meditate in the same place every time, that's great.

But you don't have to. The only thing you shouldn't do is meditate in bed. And once you're there, roll your shoulders up and back and let them relax. Find a nice resting position for your hands. And take a deep breath in. And as you exhale, gently let your eyes close. Take a moment just for a few deep breaths. At your own pace.

at least two or three with conscious focus. And there's no need to rush or use any force. Just be nice and gentle. Starting from the top of your head, take a scan down your body. And simply notice the sensations in each area. You don't need to judge or attach a label or a meaning or a cause to any of those sensations.

We're just scanning from head to toe and wherever you feel something just take note that your body has the sensation there and that's it. Once you complete that scan, you can let your mind begin to drift to a field. It's a beautiful day outside. The sun is shining

and the air is nice and warm. You found a perfect spot in this field where you can sit back and watch the clouds go by. So that's what you decide to do. And each time a thought comes to your mind, you see it as a cloud in the sky. It came from somewhere and it's going somewhere. But you're not sure where exactly. So you just watch as these clouds, these thoughts, come into view and then disappear from view.

Being comfortable that you can't control them. And if at any time you get distracted by a certain thought, a certain cloud, know that that's perfectly fine. You can just let it carry on passing by. And soon enough, it will be replaced by another. If your attention has wandered, you can just bring it back to watching those clouds. Now, let go of your observation and just take a deep breath in, and then let it all go. Begin to bring yourself back into the present.

Maybe you notice any sounds that you can hear, or you feel the chair behind you or beneath you. you, and you can gently wiggle your fingers and toes. And when you're ready, open your eyes. Use this opportunity to pause and collect yourself. So that detached observer technique you can see is quite simple. We're watching our thoughts as though they're clouds passing by. And it doesn't have to be clouds. That's just a metaphor. You could pretend you're watching your thoughts play out on a television screen too. Clouds are just nice because they're inanimate. I recommend you do this technique for at least a couple days in a row

because it's really the repetition of this practice over time that brings a lot of help and insight. For example, you might notice one day that your clouds are pretty chill. But the next, there might be a thunderstorm raging. and that's really useful information to have about your thoughts, your brain, how you're dealing with life at this moment. So I hope you find that technique helpful. And that's all for today, my friends. I really appreciate you tuning in.

If you're enjoying the podcast, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with one of your friends. And of course, send me your feedback at wake meuppodcast.com. I'll talk to you tomorrow. And until then, I hope you have a wonderful day.