You’re Already Awake: Break Free from Mind Drama & 'Know' Your True Self

You just need to stop believing you’re asleep.

"You are not becoming anything. You're simply forgetting less." – Dev

Let me start with a confession.

There are days I wake up with a knot in my stomach. The kind of knot that has nothing to do with last night’s biryani and everything to do with an invisible weight pressing on the soul.

And here’s the strange part: I’ve read the Gita, taught yogic philosophy, practiced silence, fasted, prayed, cried, loved, and unlearned.

Still, the knot returns.

But then I remember — the goal was never to escape the knot. It was to notice it. Sit beside it. Watch it soften on its own.

That’s what awakening really is.

It’s not a state. It’s not a destination. It’s a return. A gentle recognition that you’ve always been it. The witness. The 'Drashta'.

This article isn’t for the spiritually sorted. It’s for the messy meditators.

The ones who overthink during savasana.

The ones who feel like they’re “failing at awakening.” The ones who say, 'Meditation isn't for me. I've tried it.'

You’re not. You’re already there. You're already awake.

1. Awakening Isn’t a Peak — It’s a Practice

Somewhere along the way, the spiritual world began selling awakening like a mountaintop moment.

But what if it’s more like remembering your own name in a crowded room?

You're the one behind the thoughts. The observer of the emotion. The one watching the one trying to “fix” the one.

You don’t need a cosmic download. You need a pause.

Let’s try one now.

Pause.Just notice.One breath. In. Out.No need to change it. Just witness it.

Welcome back.

Now — what if we could live like that? Just one extra breath between stimulus and response. One extra moment of watching before reacting. That’s not spiritual laziness. That’s advanced consciousness.

2. The Mind Is Not a Monster — It’s a Mischievous Child

Alan Watts once said:

"The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, it becomes very destructive. To put it more clearly, it is not so much that you use your mind wrongly – you usually don’t use it at all. It uses you."

The mind isn't evil. It's just unsupervised.

Instead of trying to silence it like a dictator, try parenting it like a wise elder:

·       “Oh, you’re afraid again? That’s okay. I’m here.”

·       “You think we’re not enough? Cute. Let’s sit with that.”

What changes when we greet the mind with curiosity instead of control?

Here's a trick I use: when I notice my mind spiraling, I just say out loud — “There you are, old friend.” It interrupts the trance and lets me smile at the storm.

3. Pain Is a Performance — Stop Taking the Lead Role

Every story, every identity, every scar you’ve internalized is part of this cosmic drama — or Leela, as the Gita calls it.

The Ashtavakra Gita echoes:

द्रष्टा त्वं सक्स्यसि स्वयम्।“You are the witness. You yourself are the observer.”

Here’s a modern take: you’re not the glitch — you’re the coder.

So when shame knocks or jealousy flares, try this: mentally whisper “role playing” and take a step back.

Observe. Label the emotion. Let it breathe without becoming it.

This one shift alone? Life-changing.

4. Three Unexpected Doors to Presence

Let’s break the monotony of sit-down meditation. These are moving meditations — wrapped in the ordinary:

🌀 Curiosity Questions “What’s this trying to teach me?” “What am I afraid of losing right now?”

🔥 Rituals with Texture Run your fingers through cold water. Smell a piece of fruit before you eat it. Watch a candle until you forget what time it is.

💬 Language Alchemy Instead of: “I’m broken” → Try: “There’s a wound showing up.”

Why? Because language shapes perception. When you change the script, the actor transforms.

5. Ancient Vedas & Modern Minds — A Friendly Reunion

Fire ceremony for dissolving the ego mind and induce Surrender

The Rigveda reminds us:

मनसा भवः शुभाय।

“Let your mind incline toward what is good and auspicious.”

And now there are observations in neuroscience as well:

·       Naming a feeling reduces its grip.

·       Breath changes brainwaves.

·       Mindful awareness shrinks the fear center in the brain.

This isn't spiritual woo-woo. It's scientific. It's design.

You were built to evolve through watching — not fighting.

6. Neti-Neti: The Practice of Peeling the False

The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad doesn’t just tell us who we are. It tells us how to find out:

नेति नेति।“Not this. Not that.”

You strip away identity — gently, repeatedly.

“I’m not my success.” “I’m not my failure.” “I’m not even the one reacting right now.”

What remains when all the false layers fall off?

Stillness. Awareness. Home.

Try this in traffic. In conflict. In front of your bathroom mirror. It works.

7. Presence Is the Path — Curiosity Is the Fuel

When you stop needing answers and start loving the questions, something strange happens:

The chatter calms. The observer strengthens. The moment feels enough.

And presence becomes possible — not by force, but by invitation.

Ask:

·       “What if this is enough?”

·       “What if I’m not behind?”

·       “What if I already arrived?”

Then breathe. Watch. Receive.

8. You’re Not Becoming. You’re Returning.

The Chandogya Upanishad tells us:

तत्त्वमसि।“That thou art.”

You are already that. Not after 40 silent retreats. Not after perfecting your shadow work. Not after solving every past-life puzzle.

Now.

Even in this moment of reading. Even with the doubt still whispering.

Especially then.

9. Want to Go Deeper? Let Me Give You Something

As a thank you for showing up (and for scrolling this far), I want to offer you something deeper —

📘 Download Free eBook: Your 'Daily Sadhana' - Meet the Higher You in 7 Days

A 6-chapter workbook with:

·       Ancient practices made usable

·       Candle gazing (Trataka) to sharpen your mind

·       Neti-Neti journaling to dissolve false identity

·       A 7-day integration plan

It’s yours. Free. From me to you.

Because you’re not just a reader here. You’re a rememberer.

10. Final Breath (Let’s Take It Together)

Pause again.

Breathe in gently.Hold.Exhale… let the thought go.

The world will keep spinning. The mind will keep chatting. But you?

You’ll know who’s watching it all.

I see you.