How to observe thoughts without judgment during meditation?

Master the 3 modes of sensation without judgment. While closing your eyes, you might start seeing, feeling, and hearing.

• The Inner Seeing. These are flashes of images that we see in our minds. This could be a place, person, or thing.
• The Outer Feeling. These are the things that we feel physically like numbness in our feet or hands, heartburn, a burning stomach, headache, etc.
• The Inner Feeling. These are our internal feelings like anger, sadness, happiness, etc.
• The Outer Hearing. The things that we hear externally like a dog barking, birds chirping, or any sound that we hear from our surroundings.
• The Inner Hearing. These are the things that we hear in our minds. These are our self-talk. For example, you might hear yourself saying: I have to cook for lunch, I need to stop meditating, This is weird, etc.

So during your mindfulness meditation, these are the things that you might experience. The key here is not to engage in any of these sensations. All you need to do is just acknowledge that you hear, see, or feel. That’s it, don’t go further to knowing who, what, where, when, and how. Just acknowledge that you see an object.

Also, it is important to integrate

self-compassion

into this practice. Remember that it is normal to get swept away with our thoughts. You might end up thinking about the noise that you hear. That’s okay, don’t berate yourself, don’t judge yourself for wandering. Just go back to your anchor – your breathing.