The Ego
Session 7
The aim of this session is to clarify the relationship between mindfulness and the self. At the deepest level, mindfulness practice cultivates a different relationship with the self. The observing stance that becomes stronger after repeated and consistent mindfulness practice allows you to take a step back from all kinds of thoughts, including identity-related thoughts. Identity, which can be described as a rather static and thought-based story of “me”, makes room for a more dynamic sense of self, which can be described as an ever-present observer. This observer is aware of the stories about the self and it is thus by definition different from the stories themselves. In this session, several exercises allow you to experience the difference between the self as a story and the self as an observer.
“Knowing yourself is to be rooted in being, instead of lost in your mind.”
- Eckhart Tolle
Tools to practice in this session
See the workbook for instructions on:
Observing the ego exercise
From previous sessions, you should be familiar with:
Three-minute breathing space
Listen here to:
Additional Mindful Tools
The goal of this exercise is to help you recognise distorted thinking and reduce the negative impact of these thinking patterns.
The aim of this tool is to help you incorporate quiet time into everyday life, in order to become more aware of and familiar with your internal experiences.
The goal of this exercise is to help you become aware of the positive aspects of your daily life in a playful way.
The goal of this exercise is to help you develop interpersonal mindfulness skills by role-playing a mindful meeting.
The purpose of mindful walking is to develop awareness of each moment without having an end destination. By feeling our feet on the ground and noticing each muscle involved in each step, we begin to cultivate body awareness and focus.
The goal of this exercise is to help you become more aware of what you are feeling this very moment.
The goal of this exercise is to explore the concept of mindful listening by experiencing what it is like to listen to others in a mindful way and talk when others listen mindfully.
The goal of this exercise is for you to connect to a place of inner peace and calm. This exercise uses the metaphor of a hurricane to guide you to a state in which you become an observer.
The body scan teaches you how to recognise and experience physical sensations such as tension and restlessness in a controlled and focused way - one body part at a time.
The goal of this exercise is to demonstrate the illusion of multi-tasking and offer concrete guidelines to adopt a more mindful (single-tasking) approach to life.
The seated meditation is a method that teaches us how to draw one’s attention to a certain point - towards the breath, to detect when attention wanders, discover the nature and pattern of our thoughts, and to do so without judgement.
The goal of this exercise is to help you expand awareness from yourself (being aware of internal experiences) to your outer worlds (being aware of external experiences) so as to have a full and encompassing sense of connection and knowing.
The goal of this exercise is to improve individuals’ communication skills through practicing mindful, purposeful speaking.
The goal of loving-kindness meditation is to cultivate compassion to ourselves and others. Loving-kindness meditation has four “healing“ elements: intention, attention, emotion and connection.
If you require mental health crisis support, please contact your general practitioner or in Australia, call Lifeline 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636.