About this practice
Day 16 introduces open awareness as the Pitta-specific approach to meditation that lasts beyond the arc. Where focal practices (mantra, breath, body scan) gather attention, open awareness widens it — and for Pitta constitutions whose attention naturally narrows and grips, this widening is profoundly relieving. The Vijnana Bhairava Tantra describes open awareness as one of the most direct paths to settled consciousness, particularly suited to practitioners whose focused attention has become its own problem.
The session opens with two minutes of cooling breath and two minutes of Vam mantra to set the cooling/softening context. Then guidance withdraws and open awareness begins. The instruction is minimal: do not focus on anything in particular. Allow attention to be wide — like sky rather than narrow like a beam. Sounds in the room, sensations in the body, thoughts arising — all are noticed without being grasped.
For Pitta constitutions, the first encounter with open awareness often feels disorienting. The mind, accustomed to having a clear object, protests the openness. The instruction is to allow the protest itself to be one of the things noticed in awareness, without responding to it. Over weeks of practice, the protest diminishes and a different mode of attention becomes available — wide, alert, unforced.
The practice closes with ten minutes of sustained open awareness. Most Pitta practitioners by Day 16 report something they had not expected: deep rest. The forced focus of normal Pitta attention had been more tiring than they realised. Open awareness delivers a rest that focal meditation cannot.
Benefits
- Introduces open awareness — the Pitta-specific mode of attention
- Counter-conditions the Pitta tendency to grip every detail
- Develops alert presence without the strain of forced focus
- Continues Week 3's reduction of structured technique
- Foundation for the trust practice on Day 17
- Suitable for Pitta constitutions whose focal meditation has plateaued
How to practice
- 1
Sit comfortably with spine upright. Close your eyes. Three settling breaths.
- 2
Two minutes of cooling breath (Sheetali or Sheetkari).
- 3
Two minutes of Vam mantra to engage softening.
- 4
Now release all focal practice. Open awareness begins. Allow attention to be wide.
- 5
Sounds in the room, sensations in the body, thoughts arising — noticed but not grasped. Each arises and passes.
- 6
Continue for ten minutes. Each time the mind tries to grip an object, recognise the grip and release.
- 7
Open your eyes when ready, retaining the wide quality of attention.
Practice tips
- Soft downward gaze (drishti) works well for open awareness — keeps attention available without focusing it.
- If the openness feels destabilising, briefly return to breath as anchor, then re-open.
- Practise outdoors when possible — open sky reinforces the practice.
- Pair regular practice with one minute of looking at the actual sky daily.
Frequently asked questions
Is this the same as mindfulness?
Related but different. Standard mindfulness often anchors on a single object (breath, body). Open awareness uses no anchor — attention is wide and alert simultaneously. For Pitta, open awareness usually lands more deeply than focal mindfulness.
What if my mind is too busy for openness?
Allow the busy-ness to be one of the things noticed in awareness. The trick is not to slow the mind but to be unmoved by its speed. Over weeks, the speed naturally decreases.
Can I do this with eyes open?
Yes — many practitioners find open awareness easier with soft open gaze, especially outdoors. The Zen tradition uses open-eyed open awareness almost exclusively.