Witnessing 2

 This reminding process becomes non-verbal: After some time of doing such a practice, you will naturally find that the labeling process becomes non-verbal. It is very useful to literally say the words internally when you label the thoughts. However, the non-verbal labeling comes automatically as you increasingly become a witness to your thought process. During meditation, the thoughts can then easily come and drift away. (This means the mind is awake and alert, as well as clear, which is not meaning dull, lethargic, or in a trance.)

Label and go beyond the thoughts: Yoga science maps out many aspects of the mental process so that the student of yoga meditation can encounter, deal with, and eventually go beyond the entire thought process to the joy of the center of consciousness. We learn to label the thoughts, and then gradually learn to go beyond them.

(Some of the types of thoughts to witness are described below in this paper. Also, a summary page has been written, so that you can print this out as an aid to study and practice.)

Parts to the process of witnessing: Witnessing the thought process means to be able to: 1) observe the natural flow of the mind, and 2) notice the nature of the thought patterns, 3) while not being disturbed or distracted by this mental process. There is a simple formula to this process:

Witnessing = Observing + Non-Attachment

Weaken the grip of samskaras: When one can begin to witness the thought process, meditation can be used as a means to weaken (Yoga Sutra 2.4) the grip of the deep impressions called samskaras, the driving force of actions or karma. Then, the deeper aspects of meditation are accessible.

Training your own mind: It is important to remember that there is another aspect of labeling and witnessing that has to do with the direct training of your mind. This is the process of deciding and training your mind whether a given thought is Useful or Not Useful (This was mentioned above, and is covered later in the paper, after introducing all of the thought processes).