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The Witness

The challenge is learning to accept reality as it is. In yoga, a key way to do this is through something called “witness consciousness”—being aware of your experience without reacting to it. Since craving and avoidance are what tend to cause suffering, this kind of awareness helps free us from being controlled by them.

There are six main qualities of this “witness” state.

1. "The witness does not choose for or against any aspect of reality"
Life should not be split into good and bad, right and wrong, high and low, or spiritual and not-spiritual. Try and experience life by noticing what’s happening without labeling it.
2. "The witness does not censor life"
The witness sees everything - all thoughts, feelings, and sensations. Without discriminating experience everything without shame or repression and observe without judgement.
‍3. "Witnessing is a whole-body experience"
We don't witness with the mind but with our entire being throughout all of the five "sheaths" (koshas).
‍4. "Witness consciousness is always present at least in its potential form in every human being at every moment"
The witness is innate in all of us, it doesn't;t need to be created only awakened and cultivated.
‍5. "The witness is the part of the already awake mind that is capable of standing completely still"
You can observe everything while still fully living it, even in serious mental and physical illness.
6."The witness goes everywhere"
Awareness isn’t limited—it’s present through everything you experience and stands outside time and space.

The six characteristics of the witness. Source: Yoga an the quester the true self by Stephen Cope
*Five koshas (sheaths): physical body, energy/breath, mind/emotions, witnessing awareness, and underlying contentment/bliss. Source: The Heart of Yoga by T. K. V. Desikachar