Welcome to Episode 13 in 12 Minutes to a More Mindful Life — a guided mindfulness series by Jerry Varghese, Certified Mindfulness Teacher (IMTA) and founder of Nihshreyasa, a holistic wellness studio based in Fort Kochi, Kerala, India.

In this session, we explore Open Monitoring Meditation — a form of mindfulness that invites you to rest in awareness itself. Instead of focusing on just one anchor, you open your attention to everything arising in the present moment: sounds, thoughts, sensations, emotions, breath. Nothing to chase. Nothing to resist. Just an open, receptive awareness — like a wide, clear sky.

Through this 12-minute practice, you’ll:

- Settle into the breath and body

- Rest in an open field of awareness

- Notice thoughts and emotions without getting pulled in

- Acknowledge what arises with gentleness

- Experience spaciousness, clarity, and quiet presence.

This episode also includes a Mindful Activity for your day: Everyday Awareness. Choose one simple daily activity — brushing your teeth, making tea, washing your hands — and do it with complete presence. Notice every sensation, movement, and sound as if it’s happening for the very first time. This is the heart of mindfulness: bringing full awareness to ordinary moments.

After the practice, take a moment to reflect:

• Did your awareness feel spacious or scattered?

• What was it like to observe thoughts without following them?

• Could you rest as the “sky” while letting the “clouds” drift by?

Open monitoring doesn’t try to clear the mind — it helps you remember that beneath all the movement, awareness itself is always steady and open.