Unclutching is the direct practice of disengaging from the continuous chain of thoughts and resting in the gap between them — the pure awareness that is always present. It is a a very powerful and practical concept from modern Advaita and yogic teachings taught by Supreme Pontiff of Hinduism, Bhagawan Sri Nithyananda Paramashivam.

Let’s explore this deeply:

What’s unclutching like:

“Taking your foot off the mental clutch”
So the engine (mind) stops spinning on its own, and you fall back into stillness.

The Mechanism of Clutching

Usually, your experience looks like this:

• One thought arises: “I need to finish this project.”
• Another thought follows: “What if I fail?”
• Another: “That reminds me of what happened last week…”
• …and on it goes.

Each thought clutches onto the previous one and creates a chain of mental activity.

You become entangled and forget that you’re the witness of the chain — not the chain itself.

Unclutching Practice (in essence):

When a thought arises, simply don’t clutch to it.
Don’t suppress it. Don’t follow it. Just let it float and pass.
Then rest in the gap that remains.

Repeat this each time a thought appears.

Eventually, you’ll notice:

• Thoughts lose momentum
• Gaps between them become longer
• Awareness begins to shine by itself
• You drop into a state of pure being, even if briefly

What’s the experience like?

• It’s not sleep
• It’s not thinking
• It’s not dull

It’s a state of:

• Alert, luminous presence
• Thought-free but fully aware
• Light, vast, and open — like being nobody, nowhere, in peace

Unclutching and Sleep

If you practice unclutching regularly:

• Your habit of clinging to thoughts weakens
• You naturally begin to carry awareness into dream and sleep states
• You may notice a moment during sleep where you’re aware that nothing is happening — this is the seed of turiya, the fourth state

Over time, unclutching can lead to awareness during sleep, because you’re breaking identification with both thoughts and the idea of “I slept.”

How to Practice Unclutching — Step-by-Step:

1. Sit quietly — no phone, no distractions
2. Notice thoughts as they arise
3. When a thought comes, don’t resist, but don’t follow it
4. Just say mentally: “I am unclutching…”
5. Rest in the space between thoughts
6. Each time a thought pulls you in, gently unclutch again

You don’t need to “control” the mind — just disengage from riding the train.

Integration into Daily Life

• When walking: notice thoughts, unclutch
• While working: pause between tasks, unclutch
• Before sleep: lie down and mentally unclutch from each identity, role, worry

Advanced Realization

The ultimate insight from unclutching is:

You were never the thoughts. You are the sky, not the clouds.
Even in deep sleep, this awareness remains — free, still, eternal.

In Summary

Clutching	Unclutching
Identification with thoughts	Observing thoughts as passing clouds
Creates suffering and identity	Leads to peace and self-realization
Keeps you bound to waking/dreaming	Opens the door to conscious sleep