This meditation is designed to help you recognize the two primary "filters" of the mind—the pull of wanting and the push of rejecting—so that you can rest in the natural awareness that exists beneath them.

Arriving and Settling

Find a posture that feels both stable and easeful. Allow your eyes to close gently or keep a soft, unfocused gaze on the floor in front of you. Take three slow, deep breaths. With each exhale, feel your shoulders drop and your jaw soften.

Establish the primary instruction for this practice: Relax constantly, and be aware.

Recognizing Desire (Lobha)

Bring your attention to the feeling of "wanting." In the mind, this is lobha—the pull toward something pleasant, the urge for more, the leaning forward into the next moment.

• Notice if there is a subtle "grasping" in your mind or body right now.
• It might be a desire for a specific sensation, a certain thought, or even the desire for this meditation to go well.
• Feel the energetic quality of desire. It is often restless, a bit tight, and never quite satisfied with this moment as it is.
• Practice: Instead of following the desire, simply label it: "Wanting, wanting." See it as a cloud passing through the sky of your mind.

Recognizing Aversion (Dosa)

Now, shift your awareness to the feeling of "pushing away." This is dosa—aversion, irritation, or even subtle boredom. It is the "no" we say to the present moment.

• Notice if there is any resistance in you. Perhaps a physical discomfort, a distracting sound, or a feeling of "I don't like this."
• Feel the contraction of aversion. It often feels like a tightening in the chest or a subtle pulling back.
• Practice: Instead of fighting the discomfort, simply label it: "Resisting, resisting." Watch the energy of the "no" without becoming it.

The Middle Path: Releasing the Push and Pull

Imagine your mind is like a hand. Lobha is the hand tightly gripping. Dosa is the hand pushing something away.

Now, simply open the hand.

Let go of the effort to get anything. Let go of the effort to get rid of anything. If a thought comes, let it come. If it stays, let it stay. If it goes, let it go. You are no longer the "wanter" or the "rejecter." You are simply the space in which these movements happen.

Resting in Pure Awareness

As the pulling and pushing subside, what is left?

There is a natural, effortless knowing. You don't have to "do" awareness; it is already here. It is like the sky—it doesn't try to hold the clouds, and it doesn't try to blow them away. It is just wide, open, and still.

Relax constantly, and be aware.

If you find yourself leaning into a thought (Desire) or judging a sensation (Aversion), simply notice the movement, relax the tension, and return to the stillness of being.

Ending the Practice

Stay in this open awareness for a few more moments. Notice that peace is not the absence of thoughts or sounds, but the absence of struggle with them.

When you are ready, gently wiggle your fingers and toes, and carry this relaxed awareness into the rest of your day.