I first read about the Gentle Observer in Colette Baron-Reid’s oracle deck, Wisdom of the Oracle.
It is the place of neutral observation that lives in each one of us. I like to say, “It lives in the invisible parts of who we are.” This part of you has the ability to watch without judgement. It doesn’t try to find the reasons or logic behind our experiences.
It does not have the ‘it is what it is’ logic. It holds a softer view that has a different kind of perspective.
We often have a very zoomed in view of our lives. Up close and personal! How can we not!! It is happening to us…in this moment. Pain, misery, experience, joy, laughter…all of those things are part of our experience.
What happens if we zoom out. Soften our gaze.
That is the ability of the gentle observer.
Look around you right now. What do you see?
Imagine that you are in an airplane…flying over your house. What do you see?
Earth from space looks nothing like our backyards and yet our backyards are part of that view from space. That zoomed out perspective shifts how we see things.
Imagine viewing your yoga practice from a zoomed out perspective.
What might your gentle observer see or say?
Then how would that make you feel?
It is not about denying what is happening up close…it is about shifting your perspective…zooming in and zooming out. Perhaps from there, your experience changes…maybe being gentler with yourself.