Gurdjieff
Gurdjieff
Gurdjieff
Gurdjieff is an intimate pathway into ones own mind, body, and spirit. It allows us to
harmonious lives.
Gurdjieff believed that because of our conditioning and education most of us live our
lives as unconscious automatons. Oblivious to our own real potential, our essence,
we are totally identified with our personality, our self-image, and with whatever
arises, says Gurdjieff, especially those impulses that support our self-image, we
believe we are masters of ourselves, seldom noticing our own inner fragmentation
and our lack of will and choice as a result of this fragmentation. We lose ourselves at
every moment in one or another aspect of our lives, out of touch with the remarkable
Whether or not one agrees with Gurdjieff, his approach to self-observation and
and provides an excellent starting point for anyone searching for a deeper
certain processes cannot take place in the full light of consciousness, self-
I first started trying to observe myself seriously in 1967 in a group under the direction
of some of the leaders of the Gurdjieff Foundation, especially Lord John Pentland,
discussion, listening, movement, manual labor, and craftwork, was to see ourselves
as we were, trying to witness, to be present to, whatever was taking place at the
moment. Using various methods handed down from Gurdjieff, we were to attempt to
talking, and so on, and to verify our own lack of inner unity. In attempting to observe
ourselveswhich often required going against the momentum of our habits in order
to see them more clearlywe were reminded to try not to judge or analyze what was
seen. According to Gurdjieff, judgment and analysis would simply draw us back into
the vicious cycle of identification with the contents of our awarenessespecially with
our own inner reactions to what we sawconsuming what little free attention might
which it often did in spite of our best intentions, we were to simply include it in our
possible, embrace the actual processes and energies of our bodies. Through our
when he said that it is only by grounding our awareness in the living sensation of our
bodies that the I Am, our real presence, can awaken. Though we were told that
a higher consciousness, we were also told that it begins with voluntarily putting
Gurdjieff makes clear that it is only when our ordinary attention is actively occupied
with experiencing the present moment that the higher energy of awareness can
appear, an awareness that relates us simultaneously to our inner and outer worlds.
observation, the starting point must be the overall sensation of the body. It is through
the various movements and energies of our own inner functions. Without the stability
of this sensation, our efforts at self-observation will quickly turn into identification with
One of the foundations of the Gurdjieff Work in recent years is what is called
sittings, a profound form of inner work that is passed down orally from teacher to
student. Though the various exercises that Gurdjieff passed on to his students are
not readily available to the general public, the basic approach has been described in
some detail in Jean Vaysses excellent book on Gurdjieffs teachings, called Toward
minutes at the beginning of each day with ones eyes closed and ones spine erect
but supple. As one begins to relax more and more into this very simple posture,
allowing ones attention to gradually occupy the whole of ones body, one will begin
that makes it possible to see, hear, and record our thoughts, feelings, intuitions,
postures, and so on, and how these various functions influence one another in this
Though it wasnt until many years after I left the Gurdjieff Foundation that I
understood and formulated much of what follows, it is helpful to realize from the very
works, they become quite clear in a deep, sustained work of self-observation. These
levels include the automatic sensation of aches and pains; the deeper sensation of
muscular tensions and contractions; the more subtle sensation of temperature and
movement: the uniform prickly sensation of ones skin; the living, breathing
sensation of ones internal organs, bones, tissues, and fluids; and the integrative
sensation of the bodys energy circuits, connecting all the organs and functions of
ones being.
Those who continue the work of conscious relaxation through a deepening contact
with their own bodies may eventually come to one more level of sensation: the
profound, all-encompassing sensation of space and silence that lies at the heart of
our somatic being. Though this was seldom discussed in the Gurdjieff work, it is,
only through the experience of sensation as both space and silence that our
awareness can embrace and welcome the whole of ourselves. It is this embrace, this
For many who undertake the inner work of self-observation, however, observation of
their bodies seldom goes beyond a mental projection of sensation. For others, it
involves only the sensation of their skin or their most superficial tensions. This is
the contradictions and confusions of our inner life, to the real forces, the animals,
as Gurdjieff has said, that move us. These forces include not only our deepest
aspirations and desires, but also the traumas, fears, anxieties, worries, and other
learning to open ourselves to ourselves in this way takes far more than the
application of exercises and techniques. It also takes great knowledge, sincerity, and
sensitivity. We have little direct awareness of the operations of our brain and nervous
system except as they are reflected in the tissues, structures, and movements of our
bodies. Whats more, in actual practice our attention, which is generally rather weak,
can seldom reach beneath the most superficial layers of tissues, organs, and
my work on myself and with others both within and outside the Gurdjieff Work, it is
clear to me that our bodies, especially our viscera, have gradually become storage
vaults for undigested experiences and impressions too charged or painful to confront.
In the name of homeostasis and survival, our nervous system closed the doors to
these experiences through a kind of organic amnesia. But keeping the doors to the
kind of inner organic seeing and listening in which one starts with the sensation and
receptivity of ones eyes and earsincluding the impressions they receiveand
allows this sensation and receptivity to expand gradually throughout the entire body.
This expansion must include our voluntary muscles and skeleton, as well as our
heart, lungs, diaphragm, digestive organs, genitals, and other organs. For it is in
these locations that the deepest patterns of our energiesthe real springs of our
says consumes the energy we need for inner work) of our own individual barriers to
wholeness are most clearly reflected. Through sensing these manifestations, opening
them up, as it were, to the reach of our attention, we can begin to see and transform
both gentleness and compassion. It has taken many years for us to become what we
are today, and it is virtually impossible to either see or break through our barriers
advisable, cautions Gurdjieff, since getting rid of these barriers or buffers all at once
we actually are) that could easily throw our lives into chaos. What is required instead
is openness without force to what we can see at any moment, a deep inner
seems impossible to go any further in our awareness of a barrier, we can back off a
bit and allow our sensation of this barrier to deepen. When we bring our attention
back to a previous sensation of ease, the sympathetic nervous system can relax its
vice-like grip and some of our tensions can begin to dissolve seemingly on their own.
We can also try letting our attention move to parts of ourselves that are freer and
more relaxed. Then we simply allow that sensation of ease and comfort to expand
into the parts of our bodies that are more tense. As some of the more superficial
within ourselves and to sense the emotions and experiences associated with them.
Those of us who undertake this work of self-sensing in a serious way will eventually
see that the real key to both self-knowledge and self-transformation lies in our
feelings and emotions. Gurdjieff makes clear that our feelings and emotions are the
horses that drive the carriage of our body. And it is our feelings and emotions that
most clearly shape and reflect our relationship, our attitudes, to ourselves and the
world. As we continue the work of self-sensing, for example, we will see that certain
kinds of feelings open us, allowing our awareness to move freely throughout our
organism, while other kinds close us, locking awareness and impressions out. We
will also become convinced that the real observation and study of emotions is not a
As we are called from our own inner being toward a deepening of the work of self-
observation, we will begin to see, as Gurdjieff points out, just how difficult it is to
have never thoroughly digested. Fortunately, however, our body gives us a direct
entry into our emotional life. Though this is not discussed by Gurdjieff, at least not in
any writings I have seen, this entry, I have found, is our breathing. Our breathing not
only connects us with the outer world, but it also connects our body, mind, emotions,
and spirit, and will always show us, if we can be receptive to it, the various forces
acting at the moment. Our breathing can even help show us where the experiences
and impressions that we are unable to face are resonating in our bodies.
Gurdjieff warns us, quite rightly, that any attempt to manipulate or change our
breathing without sufficient knowledge of our organism can over time cause many
it in any way. To my knowledge, Gurdjieff does not discuss this in his writings, but
the actual practice of following the breath is an important part of the sittings as they
were handed down to us. The reasons for this are many, but two are paramount as
far as I can see: first, by following our breathing we actually stabilize and strengthen
our inner attention; second, our breathing as it takes place at any particular moment
reflects everything else that is occurring in and around the organism and thus
not just through my experiences in the Gurdjieff Work, but also in various other
traditions, one starts by simply follow the air going in and out of ones nose. Later
one can follow the actual movement of the air into and out of ones lungs. One can
also sense where ones breathing seems to take place in ones body. Does it take
place in the shoulders, the chest, or the lower abdomen? Do my shoulders go up
place evenly and harmoniously, or do they seem to pull in one direction or another?
What tensions do I feel? What does my breathing sound like? As I sense the
And at the more advanced levels of this work with breathing, one can even sense a
certain quality of energy that seems to enter with each breath, and one can follow
the movement of this energy in ones body. The purpose here is simply to observe
and self-knowledge, any effort to change our breathing can, as Gurdjieff warns,
Those working with following their breath in this way over a period of time will begin
just as important, they will begin, as I said earlier, to develop a stronger, more stable
attention, one that is not so quickly dissipated through emotional reactions. But the
key is to keep observing, using our breathing as a pathway into experiencing the
entire organism. One may observe, for example, as I have on numerous occasions,
how in moments of willfulness, of strong identification (as Gurdjieff would say) with
shoulders, ones muscles contract, and ones entire abdominal cavity is drawn
upward. Or one may see, as I have, how in moments of quiet receptivity the breath
centers itself silently behind the navel, the Hara or Lower Tan Tien, and the entire
opportunity to learn more about ourselves in the most direct way possible. Whats
more, it begins to alter our very being: the light of consciousness begins to penetrate
into the dark recesses of our being, relax our somatic structures and tissues, and
gradually allow the energy to flow more harmoniously and lawfully. Nevertheless, for
possible, most of us will eventually need the help not only of an outside teacher or
group such as one finds in the Gurdjieff work, but also of a somatic practitioner.
As Gurdjieff has made clear, authentic outside teachers or groups are needed to
bring the new ideas, perspectives, and special conditions necessary to help us free
ourselves from our own narrow attitudes and to observe ourselves in a more honest
way. Under the direction of a teacher or working with others who are seriously
exploring their own nature, we are bound to receive shocks that will help us wake up
more often from our own wishful thinking and to see ourselves more clearly. During
my own 18 years both as a student and group leader in the special conditions of the
Gurdjieff Work, I was able to observe sides of myself that were nearly impossible to
observe in the ordinary conditions of daily life. Though these observations, especially
those involving my lack of unity, my false sense of pride, and my deep sense of
insecurity, were seldom pleasant, they were absolutely necessary to my own growing
Even in the special conditions of the Gurdjieff Work, however, self-observation does
not always bring to light some of the deepest springs of our behavior and being.
Because of our extensive conditioning by family, friends, education, and society, and
the powerful interrelationships that exist between somatic structure, breathing, and
emotions, there are almost always deep contractions, tensions, and disharmonies in
our muscles, viscera, and nervous system that cannot be sensed except through a
deep, direct work with the body and breathing. In many cases, this will require a
skilled somatic practitioner, or a spiritual teacher who utilizes somatic work, who can
work with us individually to help us experience the ways in which our bodies are not
only reflecting but also maintaining powerful emotional attitudes that we are unable
to observe on our own, no matter how hard we try or how sensitive we are. In many
cases, this work cannot be done only through words, movement, and meditation. It
may also require the art and science of someone elses physical touch to awaken
and guide our deeper organic energy and awareness through the deep tensions,
In my own work of self-observation, I have greatly benefited not only from the
extraordinary conditions of the Gurdjieff Work (conditions that make it possible to see
ourselves more impartially), but also from intensive somatic exploration with several
in Chi Nei TsangI was able to experience in only a couple of years many of the
deep interrelationships between mind, body, and emotions that had eluded me for
many years. It is quite clear to me, however, that without my long training in self-
observation through the Gurdjieff work, without learning how to turn my attention
toward my own inner being in almost any circumstance of life, my experiences with
these teachers and practitioners would not have gone beyond some very important
present to ourselves from top to bottom and from outside to inside, needs the
support of special conditions and people that can help us return to our own real
home on this earthour bodiesand to occupy every floor and room in this home. It
is not enough to learn about our home by shining a powerful spotlight from the top
floor or our favorite room. What is needed is to open the door to every room,
including the basement, and to actually enter the rooms and illuminate them. This is
not easy, but it is possibleespecially for those who remember that it is only through
the living, breathing sensation of the whole of ourselves that we can live conscious,
working through our muscles and organs, is the sensation of life itself, and of the