How to Tap into Your Awareness | Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche | TED Notes on Overcoming Panic Through Meditation This blog post summarizes key learnings from a video about overcoming panic through meditation, focusing on a three-step process. Step 1: Learning to Meditate and Live with Panic The Challenge of Beginning Meditation: The initial stages of meditation can be difficult. Laziness, panic, and the "monkey mind" (a restless, distracted mind) are common obstacles. The speaker describes their own experience of struggling with these challenges during a three-year retreat. The Retreat Experience: A multi-year retreat is presented as a way to confront these challenges head-on. However, even within this structured environment, the speaker experienced setbacks and ultimately left the retreat before completion. Living with Panic: The key takeaway from this step is learning to live with panic rather than trying to avoid it. This involves: Observing Panic: Treat panic as a sound or sensation to be observed rather than a threat. Using Sounds as an Anchor: Focusing on external sounds can help ground you during moments of panic. Step 2: Meditating Everywhere and Understanding Panic Expanding Meditation Practice: The second step involves expanding meditation beyond formal sitting practice, incorporating it into daily life. The Nature of Panic: Panic is described as a temporary phenomenon, not a solid, unchanging entity. It's compared to shaving foam – seemingly solid, but ultimately composed of fleeting bubbles. The Three Pillars: The speaker highlights three key elements for dealing with panic: Awareness: Observing panic without judgment. Self-Love/Compassion: Treating oneself with kindness and understanding. Acceptance: Accepting panic as a part of life. Transforming Panic: Through these three pillars, panic is transformed from an enemy into a teacher and even a friend. The speaker's experience shows how this shift in perspective can lead to the disappearance of panic. Step 3: Open Awareness Meditation and Letting Go The Street Experience: The speaker describes a period of wandering and self-imposed hardship, living on the streets with minimal resources. This experience pushed them to a deeper level of meditation. Open Awareness Meditation: This is described as a more advanced form of meditation where the focus is on pure awareness itself, without any object of focus (unlike focusing on breath or sounds). It's likened to the vastness of the sky. The Benefits of Open Awareness: This practice allows for a deeper connection with the present moment, freeing the mind from the constraints of thoughts and emotions. The speaker emphasizes that this is not about achieving something but about being present. Summary of Key Points Step Key Techniques Key Outcomes Step 1 Observing sounds, accepting panic Living with panic, using sounds as anchors Step 2 Meditating everywhere, awareness, self-love Understanding the nature of panic, transforming it Step 3 Open awareness meditation Freedom from thoughts and emotions, present moment awareness Key Takeaways: This journey emphasizes a gradual approach to overcoming panic through meditation. It highlights the importance of self-compassion, acceptance, and the shift from fighting panic to observing and understanding it. The final stage, open awareness meditation, represents a profound state of presence and freedom. The speaker's personal journey, including both successes and setbacks, provides a relatable and inspiring example of the transformative power of meditation.