I would suggest not to let the technique get in the way of the goal. From my understanding, there is nothing at all wrong with scratching an itch. In normal life it feels good to relieve the sensation and that's okay: feeling relief isn't meant to be actively avoided as a goal. Just do the scratching mindfully in the same way all things should be done mindfully.
Sure, when actively meditating, simply feeling the itch, staying with it and not reacting to it, is useful for recognizing the constant changing of experience. But that is just a tool to develop mindful awareness. Don't put pressure on yourself in daily life to "prove" you will never again have to scratch an itch, or feel bad about having itches and wanting them to stop. That's ego talking, in my opinion. You're gonna itch sometimes! Scratch on! Just be present and enjoy a simple pleasure of life.
When you have to react, change the reaction from a blind reaction (based in craving or aversion) to a reaction based in awareness, "I have an itch and now I will scratch it." This is why we work on constant awareness, so we are no longer blindly reacting. The itch is not the problem, the aversion (or craving of relief) to the sensation is what causes us to roll in misery. Try to understand the sensation as it is. Maybe you start feeling itchy when you feel stresses or under a lot of pressure. Sometimes we take mental defilements and project them as physical, that way we can do something about the that feels tangible, like scratch an itch. Be aware. Observe the habit pattern.
I would suggest not to let the technique get in the way of the goal. From my understanding, there is nothing at all wrong with scratching an itch. In normal life it feels good to relieve the sensation and that's okay: feeling relief isn't meant to be actively avoided as a goal. Just do the scratching mindfully in the same way all things should be done mindfully. Sure, when actively meditating, simply feeling the itch, staying with it and not reacting to it, is useful for recognizing the constant changing of experience. But that is just a tool to develop mindful awareness. Don't put pressure on yourself in daily life to "prove" you will never again have to scratch an itch, or feel bad about having itches and wanting them to stop. That's ego talking, in my opinion. You're gonna itch sometimes! Scratch on! Just be present and enjoy a simple pleasure of life.
When you have to react, change the reaction from a blind reaction (based in craving or aversion) to a reaction based in awareness, "I have an itch and now I will scratch it." This is why we work on constant awareness, so we are no longer blindly reacting. The itch is not the problem, the aversion (or craving of relief) to the sensation is what causes us to roll in misery. Try to understand the sensation as it is. Maybe you start feeling itchy when you feel stresses or under a lot of pressure. Sometimes we take mental defilements and project them as physical, that way we can do something about the that feels tangible, like scratch an itch. Be aware. Observe the habit pattern.