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Incorporate Awareness or Witnessing into your meditation technique

Incorporate Awareness or Witnessing into your meditation technique

by | Apr 12, 2026 | Advaita, Aversion, Awareness, Body, Breath, Buddha, Doership, I, Meditation, Mind, Paths, Sakshi Bhav/Witness, Samadhi, Satipathana, Self, Sensations, Thoughts, Truth

Incorporate Awareness or Witnessing into your meditation technique Question: EktaJi, I attended S.N Goenka’s 10-day Vipassana retreat and felt like it promoted effort and also had a lack of emphasis on awareness of mental phenomena, focused more on physical...
What is NOT Sadhana?

What is NOT Sadhana?

by | Sep 28, 2025 | Adi Shankaracharya, Advaita, Body, Breath, Chanting, Courage, Death, Direct Path, Ego, Energy, God, Guru, Human, Ignorance, Intellect, Ishavasya Upanishad, Kabir, Memory, Mind, Nisargadatta Maharaj, Ramana Maharshi, Sakshi Bhav/Witness, Self, Soul, Upanishad, Worship

What is NOT Sadhana? Question: Dear Ektaji, What is the purpose of Sadhana? Is it to strengthen my witnessing stand?    Answer: There is only ONE sadhana dear – The sadhana of NOT betraying one’s own true Self, as discussed in the earlier verses of...
Devotion is the automatic last step on the path of Self-Inquiry

Devotion is the automatic last step on the path of Self-Inquiry

by | Jan 5, 2025 | Advaita, Attention-Seeking, Bhakti, Breath, Chanting, Consciousness, Devotion, Direct Path, Dispassion, Duality, Enlightenment, General Spiritual, God, Guru, Guru/Disciple, I, Illusion, Krishna, Love, Mind, Moksha, Samadhi, Self, Self- Realization, Senses, Silence, Truth, Vairagya, Worship

Devotion is the automatic last step on the path of Self-Inquiry Question: Namaste Ektaji, how does the leap from devotion to Self-realization take place for Meerabai, Tukaram, Gnyaneshwar, etc? There is no mention of self-inquiry, so how did they realize who they are?...
The soundless sound… Anhad Naad!

The soundless sound… Anhad Naad!

by | Jul 28, 2024 | Advaita, Awareness, Body, Brahman, Breath, Company/Association/Sangha, Consciousness, Direct Path, Drama, Gnyana, Home, I, Illusion, Knowledge, Life, Meditation, Mind, OM, Silence, Space-Time, Suffering, Temporary, Truth, Upanishad, Vibration

The soundless sound… Anhad Naad! Question: Thank you so much for the Brahman contemplation on Mandukya Upanishad, it has opened up an amazing open-eyed meditation for me – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scKepUN7nlM The 2nd Mandukya self-inquiry Aum...
How do we stop negative thoughts at unpleasant moments?

How do we stop negative thoughts at unpleasant moments?

by | Jul 10, 2024 | Awareness, Chanting, Karma, Kriya, Let go, Meditation, Mind, Pranayama, Raaga/Dvesha, Raaga/Dvesha, Sakshi Bhav/Witness, Sanchita, Self- Realization, Thoughts, Types of Karma, Vedic, Wisdom

How do we stop negative thoughts at unpleasant moments? Question: I agree and have experienced that daily regular sadhana, pranayama, meditation, chanting helps to bring awareness and stay focused. However, there are times when we go through unpleasant moments how do...
The waking dream is like the sky!

The waking dream is like the sky!

by | Apr 14, 2024 | Advaita, Awareness, Body, Breath, Consciousness, Direct Path, Dreams, Ego, I, Illusion, Independent Spirituality, Intellect, Memory, Mind, Sakshi Bhav/Witness, Sensations, Senses, Thoughts, Upanishad

The waking dream is like the sky! Question: Is my understanding correct? Mahadaakasha = body-mind complex/intellect/memory/ego – the dream character Chidaakasha: the witness consciousness. Paramaakasha: Pure consciousness/dreamer There is identification as the...
Is being a witness and being 100% aware the same?

Is being a witness and being 100% aware the same?

by | Feb 8, 2023 | Ashtavakra Gita, Awareness, Awareness, Body, Breath, Buddha, Dhyana, Doership, Equanimous, Flow with Life, I, Independent Spirituality, Intellect, Just Be, Krishna, Meditation, Mind, Mindfulness, No-Mind, Non-Doership, Patanjali Yogs Sutra, Present Moment, Purushartha, Purushartha, Sakshi Bhav/Witness, Self-Effort, Self-Effort, Senses, Silence, Spontaneous, Thoughts

Is being a witness and being 100% aware the same? Question 1: I was practicing 100% awareness for most of the day. But it seemed to me that as I was 100% aware, I was also totally aware of what I was experiencing through the senses – I was totally aware of what my...
Journey from external to internal

Journey from external to internal

by | Jul 3, 2022 | Awareness, Breath, Commitment, Courage, Faith, Flow with Life, Guru, Guru, Guru, Guru/Disciple, Independent Spirituality, Intellect, Knowledge, Let go, Life, Masters, Meditation, Meditation, Mind, Pranayama, Rumi, Samsara, Self, Self, Self-Effort, Truth, Wisdom

Journey from external to internal Question: Dear Ektaji, I have been with a spiritual organizaion for 15 yrs now, have done courses, seva, satsang(less of seva though :-), could be better) … However, one question that has never been understood is going within. Journey...
Is there something like “too much spiritual knowledge”?

Is there something like “too much spiritual knowledge”?

by | Aug 5, 2021 | Bhakti, Brahman, Consciousness, Devotion, Ego, Gnyana, Guru, Intellect, Knowledge, Knowledge, Kriya, Meditation, Meditation, Mind, Upanishad, Vedic, Wisdom

Is there something like “too much spiritual knowledge”? Question: All who worship what is not real knowledge, enter into blind darkness: those who delight in real knowledge, enter, as it were, into greater darkness. This is excerpt from Ishavasya...
Dealing with difficult people & situations

Dealing with difficult people & situations

by | Jun 29, 2021 | Aagami, Company/Association/Sangha, Emotions, Equanimous, General Spiritual, Karma, Kriya, Let go, Life, Physical, Prakriti, Pranayama, Problem/Struggle/Calamity, Raaga/Dvesha, Types of Karma

Dealing with difficult people & situations Question: Dear Ekta, I really don’t trust my business partner as he cheats on tax and my share of profits. I also realize that it must be karma, so I have to deal with this. At this moment I don’t have an alternative,...
Thoughts during meditation and sadness after!

Thoughts during meditation and sadness after!

by | Mar 14, 2021 | Awareness, Concepts, Dhyana, Energy, Guru, Knowledge, Kriya, Meditation, Meditation, Mind, Pranayama, Purushartha, Scriptures, Silence, Thoughts, Upanishad, Vedic

Thoughts during meditation and sadness after! Question: Dear Ekta didi, I have been doing my meditation but I just can’t get my mind to shut up! It constantly brings thoughts. I don’t resist them. But I am slightly concerned. I am in no way impatient, I will continue...
Preparation for a long Buddha retreat

Preparation for a long Buddha retreat

by | Sep 29, 2020 | Awareness, Body, Breath, Buddha, Buddha, Desire, Emotions, Feverishness, Gossip, Meditation, Raaga/Dvesha, Reaction, Satipathana, Sensations, Senses, Silence, Thoughts, Truth, Wisdom

Preparation for a long Buddha retreat Question: Didi, please would you advise on how to prepare for my upcoming 10-day long Buddha retreat? Answer: Irrespective of whether you are enrolled in the Satipatthana retreat or the Jhana retreat or the Metta retreat, everyone...
In sickness and in health!

In sickness and in health!

by | Mar 17, 2020 | Awareness, Body, Doership, Energy, Flow with Life, General Spiritual, Gratitude, Mind, Misery, Pleasure/Pain, Prana, Sakshi Bhav/Witness, Self, Self- Realization, Self-Effort, Suffering, Truth, Wisdom

In sickness and in health! Question:Ekta ji, during Vyadhi, even as small as a headache, the Prana takes a hit and is focused only on the body. Should one wait for the phase to finish, and take it as tapas to come back and settle in the Self, what do you...
Shivering during meditation, is it normal?

Shivering during meditation, is it normal?

by | Jan 13, 2020 | Awareness, Awareness, Body, Breath, Buddha, Fear, Impressions, Just Be, Meditation, Memory, Physical, Raaga/Dvesha, Raaga/Dvesha, Reaction, Sakshi Bhav/Witness, Satipathana, Sensations, Senses, Thoughts

Shivering during meditation, is it normal? Question: Yesterday, when I was meditating, I could only do three rounds of body observation but I felt I was aware the whole time and I felt for the first time I am doing it as you had explained, I was feeling all my body...