Going deeper into no thoughts and further beyond time

Acknowledging the fact that you have difficulty letting go of thoughts and that you are obsessed with time is the first step for going beyond thoughts and time.  The second step is developing the witness so you can self-observe.  Going beyond thoughts and time is a no brainer - pardon the pun, but, it is true, once you can observe the self, it takes no effort and it takes no thought.

To go deeper into no thoughts and further beyond time is not a case of dissociation from them but a conscious choice to be aware of them.  Thoughts, especially negative ones, usually bring about automatic responses such as wanting to separate the self from the thoughts or get them out of the mind.  Refusal to acknowledge thoughts, such as anger and hate, doesn't work, it makes them worse and produces emotional complications.  The same goes for time.  Once you are locked in the time continuum it's difficult to get out. Thinking everything is associated with time makes you a slave to time. The ability to observe past, present, and future, frees you from its constraints and allows you to see time for what it is - an illusion. 

When you experience a traumatic event such as a heated argument, a car wreck, death of a loved one or loss of a job; feelings of anxiety, depression, anger and hate can immediately take over any thoughts of peace and love you may have once had.  Usually responses to traumatic experiences are automatic and immediately lead toward labeling, judging, physical violence, mental and emotional outbursts and even complete dissociation with the event and people associated with it.  People who have been physically and sexually abused as children have been known to completely lock any memory of the trauma out of their minds. 

Instead of reacting automatically, the better choice is self-observation.  Self-observation is a conscious choice, not an automatic reaction.  It is being aware of thoughts, feelings, and emotions.   Self-observation allows you to be free of judgments and free to experience what is within your mind and body without being attached to thoughts and time.

So, how does one go about learning how to self-observe? The answer lies in traditional yoga.  By doing asanas (twists & bends) along with meditation you can learn to free yourself from unwanted thoughts and the constraints of time.  Getting in touch with your body, sensing your breathing and watching your thoughts while doing yoga teaches you about self-awareness.  And the more you do it, the better you get.

In the next post I will give you a yoga routine for freeing you from thoughts and time.