Knowledge, awareness and consciousness. Awareness is a step towards a harmonious life

Awareness

Consciousness acts as a term difficult to determine, since the word is used and understood in a wide range of directions. Consciousness can include thoughts, sensations, perceptions, moods, imagination and self-awareness. At different times, it can act as a type of mental state, as a way of perceiving, as a way of relationships with others. It can be described as a point of view, as I, or as what Thomas Nagel called the existence of "something that is like" the existence of this something. Many philosophers see consciousness as the most important thing in the world. On the other hand, many scholars tend to view this word as too vague in meaning to use it.

The problem of what consciousness is and what its scope is, and what is the meaning of the existence of this term, is the subject of study of the philosophy of consciousness, psychology, neurobiology, disciplines that study the problems of artificial intelligence. Problems of practical consideration include the following questions: how can one determine the presence of consciousness in people who are very sick or in a coma; whether non-human consciousness can exist and how it can be measured; at what point does the consciousness of people arise; can computers reach conscious states, etc.

In a general sense, consciousness at times also means a state of wakefulness and a response to the outside world as opposed to states of sleep or coma.

Other attempts to determine consciousness

Philosophical Theories of Consciousness

Dualism

The dualism of soul and body is the point of view according to which consciousness (spirit) and matter (physical body) are two independent, complementary to each other and equal in substance value. As a rule, it is based on general philosophical dualism. The founders are Plato and Descartes.

Logical behaviorism

Idealism

Materialism

Functionalism

Bipartite theory

A two-pronged theory is the theory that the psychic and the physical are two properties of some underlying reality of things, which in essence is neither mental nor physical. The two-pronged theory, therefore, rejects dualism, idealism, and materialism as representations of the existence of psychic or physical substances. Similar views are characteristic, for example, for Benedict Spinoza, Bertrand Russell and Peter Strawson.

Phenomenological theory

Emergent theory

Hinduism

To the definition of the term

Term consciousness is one of the most difficult for an exact formal definition. The parameters and criteria are very controversial by which one can judge whether a particular creature has what is implied in a particular definition. For example, does a newborn or a puppy playing with its own tail have consciousness (in the sense of being aware of its body, anticipating the consequences of its movements)? With the development of the animal, there is a study of patterns characteristic of his body. Adult dogs no longer chase their tail.

The question remains open whether the possibility of predicting only one’s own should be included in the signs of consciousness, or is it necessary to predict both one’s own and one’s own actions.

Notes

References

Consciousness (Psychological Dictionary)
Consciousness on the resource National Psychological Encyclopedia
Lauren Graham. Chapter V. Physiology and Psychology: The Problem of Defining the Concept of “Consciousness” // Natural Science, Philosophy, and the Science of Human Behavior in the Soviet Union

Literature

Andreeva L. Ecstatic ceremonies in the practices of some Russian faiths or altered forms of consciousness // Social Sciences and the Present. 2005. No. 3.
Delhi M.M. Ontology of consciousness: historical and philosophical aspect // Collection on the 60th anniversary of Professor K. A. Sergeev. - St. Petersburg: St. Petersburg Philosophical Society, 2002. - S. 312-315. - (The Thinkers, Issue 12).
Knigin A. N. Philosophical problems of consciousness. - Tomsk: Publishing House of Tomsk University, 1999. - 338 p.
Levy-Bruhl L. Primitive Thinking // Supernatural in Primitive Thinking. M .: 1994.
Molchanov V.I. Time and consciousness. Critique of Phenomenological Philosophy: Monograph. - M .: Higher. school, 1998 - 144 s
Penrose R. Shadows of the Mind. In search of a science of consciousness. M .: Izhevsk, 2005.
Spirova E. M. Idols of consciousness on the path to understanding // Knowledge. Understanding. Skill. - 2006. - No. 1. - S. 48-53.
Shentsev M.V. Information model of memory. SPb .: 2005.
Tart ch. T. States of Consciousness. N.Y .: 1975.

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Synonyms:

Today let's talk about awareness. This is perhaps the key concept in spiritual development. Whatever practice we offer an effective path for spiritual growth we take, it all comes down to increasing awareness. In fact, different practices differ only in methods.What is awareness? This word has several meanings.

Mindfulness - this is the ability to observe, without needing thoughts at this moment. A person is structured in such a way that he automatically labels and designates in his mind everything that he sees around and “mixes” all this in his thoughts. In the future, you will understand that you can follow your thoughts and feelings as an observer without judgment, any interpretation.

Awareness - this is the role of the observer. Thoughts create interpretations, feelings create emotions, events are created by thoughts in the mind - but all this can be observed in the form of pure awareness.

AWARENESS has several levels of understanding. This word is connected with knowledge itself: O - unification, CO - connection, and as a result we get that O-CO-KNOWLEDGE is united knowledge connected in place.

So the concept AWARENESS means that we know and understand why and how everything happens around us and not only around us, but also inside us. And the more things that happen outside and inside us, correlating them with each other, we understand, the wider our awareness, the more aspects of our life we \u200b\u200bunderstand, the deeper we penetrate the essence of the various spheres of our being.

It should also be noted that AWARENESS - this is a way of interacting with reality, in which we observe our mental and physical activities. We simply observe our thoughts, feelings, sensations and actions in the process of everyday life, not evaluating them and not dividing them into right and wrong, thereby we see the whole picture.

“The significant problems facing us cannot be resolved at the same level of thinking at which we created them.”

Consciousness there is a part of the human soul through which we perceive the world.Awareness - this is understanding. Mindfulness - the degree of understanding of the nature of things and the processes of their interaction.

When a person is aware, then he:

- understands the true reasons for his actions, and therefore is free to choose what to do;

- foresees the consequences of their actions, characterized by a developed sense of responsibility;

- able to understand its true nature of the problem and"dissolve" her, applying the most appropriate action to resolve the problem;

- More deeply feels the beauty. Everything that the mind considers to be painted in one color, with sufficient awareness, as under the rays of the sun acquires thousands of shades! Of course, it’s easier to use your logic and say - it is white, it is dark blue, it is light blue. But what if you turn off logic and turn on consciousness? What will you see then?

Ways and methods of gaining awareness.

The key to awareness is attention and the way you direct it. By encouraging attention in everything, each time you become an increasingly conscious person.

Osho, the three main stages of the development of awareness sets awareness through observation of the body, after that, desires and emotions, and only after this sphere of thought. Then these three layers form the ultimate awareness.

Gurdjieff, describing his path of development of awareness, said that the first step was to realize the process of walking. This is what most of us have the joy of doing every day. Watch how you walk, and then each of your steps in life, from simple to complex, will develop the ability to understand the world.

Being in the moment "Here and now" gives the most effective state for reaction to external events. Lack of« internal dialogue » releases additional energy for the impulse of action. In martial arts and yoga, teachers set their main goal to teach students to act from this state, and then to live in it. The action from this state occurs holistically and as efficiently as possible, without delay.

Truth raises awareness, a lie lowers it. Every time you accept the truth, encourage the truth, tell the truth - you increase your awareness.

Accelerated time requires from us even more awareness than before. The ego still wants to regain its power and will pull back and substitute the steps. And therefore, it is very important to increase your level of consciousness, purify and heal it, be able to observe yourself and your reactions in order to develop, create your reality, build harmonious relationships and live a happy and joyful life.

According to the materials of the sites:
http://www.psychologos.ru, http://naturalworld.ru, http: //rodovid.mi/blog

In this article we will talk about what awareness is. It is important not only to understand what awareness is, but also to live consciously.

Awareness is the key to all doors

Starting with the great teachers of the past, such as Jesus, Kabir, Nanak, Buddha, Muhammad, and ending with modern teachers, such as Karl Renz, Ethart Tolle, the Dalai Lama, Osho, we can say that all these teachers taught only one thing - awareness.

Each teacher called mindfulness in his own way. Jesus called it awakening, so he said more than once: watch, be alert, but people did not understand it, they thought, stay awake means not to sleep in bed, but they did not understand that even if they are not in bed, it is not means they are awake. You can sleep on the go.

Ethart Tolle called mindfulness the presence, or power of the moment now.
Osho called mindfulness witnessing. Whatever you call it, the essence does not change.

Awareness is a person’s ability to be here and now, to feel the world more, and not to think it, the ability not to be led by the illusions of the mind. Understanding that thoughts are just thoughts and have nothing to do with the real reality of thought in the head.

Awareness is the understanding that thoughts are illusory and they carry only the shadow of the past or future, and the real reality is where the human body is, that is, the real reality surrounds the body here and now.

Awareness Helps See Your Inner World

Thanks to awareness, a person begins to get acquainted with his inner world, before that only the external world existed for him, now the internal dimension opens.

A man who becomes less and less reactive. It is harder to manage, it no longer responds to the same stimuli equally, it has the opportunity to freely choose how to react to a particular stimulus. Such a person becomes more and more spontaneous and unpredictable.

For example, if someone shouts at an unconscious person, then, depending on his habit, he can either shout in response, or, fearing shouts, avoid conflicts. An unconscious person always reacts, for example, to shouts the same way, and a conscious person can choose to shout at him, that is, go into conflict, or avoid a conflict, and this depends on the situation. A conscious person increases the efficiency of communication with people and resistance to stress.

It is important to understand that there are three main aspects of the inner world for awareness:

body;
soul.

Body awareness

The very initial stage of awareness begins with the body. At this stage, a person learns to feel his body, to be able to direct his consciousness into the body, to feel how energy flows in the body. Appears the skill of listening to internal organs, heartbeat, etc.

A person begins to care better and love himself, that is, his body. At first it is difficult for a person to meditate on the body, thoughts often carry him away, a person constantly jumps from awareness to unconsciousness, often falls asleep during meditation.

Over time, a new level appears when a person realizes that he is not falling asleep, thoughts still come to mind, but do not carry him away, and consciousness remains in the body more and more often. Then a person begins to direct consciousness into the body already on the street, wherever he is, when communicating with people.
Perhaps the hardest thing is to be aware of your body, to move and talk at the same time.

Mind awareness

Awareness of thoughts or observation of them, this is perhaps the second level of awareness - this is when a person already sees his thoughts and understands that thoughts are thoughts and they have nothing to do with reality.

A person can even laugh at those thoughts that come to his head, since he has an understanding that he is not thoughts and that thoughts often come from outside, and not always are born in his head.

Life is not as serious as the mind draws it !!!

A person who is aware of his thoughts lives by this principle. Such a person does not lose his thoughts, does not follow them, this person is already the master of his mind and does not allow thoughts to lead him into illusions, but consciously directs his attention to the moment now that surrounds his body.

Soul awareness

Soul awareness is the third level, and it can be dealt with only after the first two stages of awareness have been completed.

In fact, all three stages of awareness of the three aspects of man - body, mind, and soul - are very interconnected and complement each other, and they were separated for better understanding and assimilation of the material.

Awareness of the soul occurs due to the awareness of emotions and feelings, moods, at this stage a person can clearly distinguish emotions from feelings and be aware of their mood and manage it.
Emotions come after thoughts, no matter what thoughts, positive or negative.
And feelings come from the soul, not from thoughts. Thoughts can come to mind after feelings, that is, emotions are the result of thoughts, and feelings are always their source.

Feelings are a deeper level, most often coming from the chest. And emotions are felt in the abdomen, but do not take this for truth, all this individually.
It’s important to understand that this article about awareness is not awareness — it is just a direction to it, but if you read it, then you are close to awareness or awakening like never before.
Awareness is directed to awareness or perception

This is the fourth stage, which already happens to a person on his own, after when he has already gone through the previous three stages. At this stage, awareness is directed to perception, a person is already asking himself who is taking it all, who I am, at this stage the person remembers who He is in reality.

Conclusions on the topic of awareness:

mindfulness helps a person to finally discover the inner dimension in addition to the outside world;
awareness gives a person freedom of choice, the ability to react as a person chooses to a particular stimulus;
awareness occurs in three stages: awareness of the body, mind and soul, all these stages are interconnected and complement each other;
awareness at different times was called by different people in different ways: awakening, witnessing, presence, being here and now, awake, alert, and so on; all these words have one and the same essence - a person rises to a new stage of evolutionary spiritual growth.

The consequence of a conscious lifestyle is unconditional love, joy, a more fulfilling and vibrant life.

Any of us can live, feeling every moment, deeply understanding every word uttered and aware of each of our actions and actions of other people. Any of us can live, enjoying the very pleasure that wise men, philosophers, spiritual teachers, and even psychologists so often talk about. But not everyone can brag of this skill, because the majority, even thinking about such things, still continues to live “on the machine”, by inertia. This is akin to how a small boat is wound from side to side of the waves of the raging ocean and gusts of a gale of wind.

However, this is far from evil rock and not the inevitable destiny prepared for man. If desired, and with a certain perseverance, he can make a difference - get rid of restrictions, prejudices and fears, learn to boldly and adequately evaluate himself, others and what is happening around him, draw conclusions from all this and improve his life. Perhaps this is due to awareness.

What is mindfulness?

Before we talk about why and how to gain awareness, it is worth clarifying what it is. From a psychological point of view, awareness is a state in which a person monitors his current experiences, focusing on the present moment and not being distracted by thoughts about the past or future. It represents the ability of consciousness to introspection (internal observation) of its activity. This means that individual experiences are perceived by the person directly and as they are. In most cases, awareness is directed to internal states, for example, to intuition or sensory perception of events occurring in the external world.

A lot of interesting things are said about awareness and philosophy. For example, Rene Descartes, who was one of the first to study consciousness from a scientific point of view, formulated the famous formula "I think, therefore, exist." And by thinking, he understood everything that a person does consciously - through self-observation. From this we can draw a simple conclusion: a man exists, i.e. lives only when it realizes itself and everything that happens around.

In addition, religions (for example, Buddhism) and many also speak of awareness. The development of this ability in one form or another is dedicated to the work of such famous people as Osho, Carlos Castaneda, Jeddah Krishnamurti, Victor Pelevin, Sri Aurobindo, Porfiry Ivanov, Peter Uspensky. Many amazing books have been written on this subject from world-famous authors (Mark Williams, Danny Penman, Michael Chaskalson, Laurence Levasser, Richard Moss, Eckhart Tolle and others).

Thus, the topic of awareness excites a huge number of people, and not only those who have devoted themselves to spiritual pursuits, but also those who simply want to develop and improve their lives, achieve goals and grow personally, better understand themselves and the people with whom they communicate . But let's talk in more detail about whether it is necessary to develop it at all and what it gives. You can start with this video.

Do I need to be aware and why?

The state of awareness looks very attractive, but before starting to develop it, everyone must decide for himself whether he has the courage to lead a conscious life. This implies a sober view of things, a complete rejection of self-deception, a clear understanding of their actions and deeds, and responsibility for all their consequences.

To become a person who has all these qualities inherent, you need to be truly brave. And only if a person is ready to take off “pink glasses” and see the true world and his true self in it, we can talk about the development of awareness. Otherwise, nothing will come of it, and he will return to such pleasant illusions and self-deception.

Are you ready to pay that price? If so, read on.

What will give you awareness?

So, a conscious person becomes more responsible, and not only in relation to his beloved, but also in relation to others. He begins to ponder his words, deeds and reactions, and make them so that they do not harm absolutely anyone, thereby turning a chaotic existence into a harmonious life.

Being aware, a person much more efficiently solves many vital issues and copes with problems and difficulties, adequately and impartially analyzing all their aspects. In addition, awareness gives ability and trouble, but enjoy life, paying attention to its seemingly most insignificant manifestations, such as a blow of wind, first snow, summer rain or sunrise.

Of course, relations with loved ones become something very important and valuable. Habitual people are dear to the heart, and feelings that have lost their former passion flare up with renewed vigor, revealing many new facets. But let's not dive into the lyrics.

The development of awareness is the key to understanding what is happening around and inside us, the path to recognizing false strategies and beliefs, a tool for identifying unconscious mental reactions, the ability to make more sober and not distorted by internal states conclusions, effectively plan your actions.

Most people either do not suspect or do not attach importance to the fact that their behavior is caused by mental reactions based on the views, concepts, beliefs and attitudes formed in the process of life. They become a prism or even a curved mirror through which we look at life, the world and other people. But, unfortunately, we do not see what is actually there, but a projection distorted by our perception.

For example, a person, unconsciously obeying his habits and beliefs, instinctively perceives people incredulously and aggressively. Behind him there may be a negative experience, or even someone suggested to him that people should not be trusted. This is the distorted mirror through which he sees and evaluates even good people. Similar and modified situations can be observed in other areas of life: someone gets angry when they interrupt him, when they make fun of him, someone curses life, when there are obstacles in his way, etc.

The well-known behaviorist formula “stimulus-reaction” works here, when the human psyche mechanically responds to external stimuli. And such emotional impulses, automatic reactions and reactive actions make up our life. It’s not surprising that “negatives”, “whiners”, “mean guys” and incredulous people who are tired of life and do not believe in anything good and bright meet every now and then.

Putting ourselves in a position of dependence on momentary emotions and reactions, we begin to live like robots or unconscious organisms. We lose the ability to adequately perceive phenomena and events, are guided by ineffective behavioral strategies and patterns, are unable to analyze even our own actions and reactions, we become slaves to emotions and habits.

Moreover, with regret it can be said that a person living unconsciously will constantly repeat in his thoughts and actions, being deprived of the ability to change himself, situation and life in general. Acting stereotypically - as he used to, he can come to the conclusion that life is a pain, and nothing can be changed. And even if he wants to change everything and begins to take drastic measures for these changes, behavioral automatism will still act over and over again, leading to the same result.

The reason for all this is our ill-fated prism, which distorts the view of the world. But this is not a reason to give up and a head down, because this prism can be changed - through the development of awareness in every thought, in every word, in every reaction, in every act. Then negativity and dullness will be replaced by positive and bright colors, automatism will be replaced by tracking, mechanistic actions by thoughtful steps, emotional and unconscious perception by balanced and conscious. And we suggest that you begin to implement these changes with us.

Little experience of mindfulness

To begin with, feel awareness right at that moment. Look at your right hand and try to feel everything that you feel at your fingertips, in the area of \u200b\u200bthe phalanges, in the palms of your hands. Feel the pulsating blood in your hand; if possible, try to feel subtle vibrations, as if slightly pressing on the fingers and palm. Allocate 3-5 minutes to this lesson, and only then continue reading.

The previous few minutes, you have been conscious of your hand. Remember how before that you simply read, and did not pay any attention to your hand - you did not notice it, as if it were not there. But now you have fully felt it. And a similar technique can be used anywhere, anytime: when you walk around the park, go to work, wash the dishes, type on the computer. The subject of awareness can be the wind and the rustling of leaves, raindrops on the glass, hand movements, the sound of knocking keys, etc.

Actually, the same way you need to be aware of your thoughts and actions, reactions and emotions, desires and urges to do something, both alone with yourself and when communicating with other people. You just need to carefully watch, listen, feel, touch. In this case, you do not need to analyze anything, because as soon as you start to do this, thoughts will instantly swarm in your head. This is called internal dialogue, and it serves as a hindrance and awareness.

This practice requires due regard to the very fact of attention and presence in the notorious moment "here and now." Awareness can be compared to a flashlight that everyone has, but which no one turns on. But when we press the button and begin to realize what is happening, the light of this flashlight illuminates certain areas of darkness and shows the direction for movement.

We want to warn that when you just start using your "flashlight", it will shine, as they say, barely, and you will need to make a lot of effort so that it does not go out. But as you practice, the “charge” will become more powerful, and your awareness will begin to spread to everything that surrounds you. We think that wise mentors such as Krishnamurti, Gurdjieff or Osho will agree with us on this - awareness and its development takes pride of place in their many works.

Now is the time to move from the short practice of awareness that we have given so that you get a little experience, to a solid practice. The exercises and techniques presented below will help you better understand how to gain awareness, and develop this quality in yourself. And if you study at least once a day, very soon it will become a natural part of your life, and you will begin to notice amazing changes in it and see what you have not seen before.

Mindfulness practice

We will not argue that it’s so easy to take and stand up by a conscious person by no means everyone (if there are such people at all). However, with the help of small steps, you will be able to rise to such a stage from where you can observe in pure form everything that you want.

Utmost care

Already these recommendations are enough to understand how to begin to develop and gain awareness. But we want to offer you a few more exercises for the development of awareness, each of which is aimed at a specific area: intuitive, mental and emotional.

Intuitive awareness development

The first exercise is very simple, although, based on the trends of our time, it is somewhat unusual. All you need is a day not to use a phone, tablet, TV and computer. Also, it’s better not to plan anything for this day.

All your actions must come from intuition. You need to pay attention to what the inner voice tells you to stay focused on the inner state as often and as long as possible, try to do everything with maximum concentration in order to realize the influence of familiar reactions and patterns.

The main task is to learn to trust intuitive feelings. It is not necessary to sit locked up in four walls. You can walk, go shopping, chat with someone, but the influence of external factors should be minimized. Exercise can be done once a week.

Mental Awareness

The second exercise will help you before any undertakings, learn to see different ways to achieve goals and options for self-realization, as well as get rid of perfectionism. The point is that you plan your future (even a trip for bread), relying not on past experience, but on goals and desires that are relevant to you now. Before starting any business, tell yourself that you are undertaking a fascinating experiment.

No need to perceive a new business as something that needs to be done at any cost. Repeat several times that you are just waiting for a new interesting experience, and there is no need to carry out this business right away in the best way. With this approach, you will become easier to relate to your work and responsibilities and learn not to give them undue importance. Accordingly, when doing things, it will become easier for you to concentrate and be aware.

Developing emotional awareness

The third exercise is aimed at changing your relationship with your self and your surrounding reality. It also develops the ability to accept and understand, to see the essence, and not minor details.

The task is this: make a decision that over the next week in response to any resentment and irritation, you will mentally send at least ten sincere kind words to their “initiator”. Record all your thoughts such as: “Again he is with his stupid jokes”, “What a ridiculous hat”, “She got tired to be late” or “Behave like sheep”, etc.

As soon as you notice such a thought, immediately think about your practice of awareness, and mentally react in a positive way: express compliments, look for the positive sides, find evidence of your own wrong. Having formed a positive thought, send it to the person who caused the negative. In addition to this, you can use another trick - to give this person a bouquet of flowers in his imagination to make him feel good.

These are just a few ways to gain awareness in life. It is not necessary to apply everything at once. It’s better to go towards the goal little by little, but constantly, observing your own characteristics and the changes taking place.

If you learn not just to “kill” the alarm clock in the morning with your hand, but to notice how beautiful it is on the street at such an early time and thank life for the new day; if you will not just answer calls, but listen to your voice and listen carefully to what you say and what they say to you; if you begin to not just close your eyes before going to bed, but remember your day in all its details and analyze what could have been done better, you will already set aside automatism, many fears and insecurities, although you may not even be aware of this.

Awareness starts from a small corner lit by the light of an old flashlight, but fueled by your desire and intentional practice, you yourself will begin to glow from the inside with an invisible light that will attract other people to you, success, good luck and good events. And in order to gain awareness, it was easier for you, we made a small selection of books on this topic:

Danny Penman, Mark Williams “Awareness. How to find harmony in our crazy world ”;
Charles Tarte “The practice of mindfulness in everyday life”;
Osho “Awareness today. How to do meditation. Part of your daily life? ”;
Eckhart Tolle “The Power of the Present”;
Laurence Levasser "50 exercises for developing the ability to live in the present."

And in conclusion, another wonderful exercise for the development of awareness from a culturologist, philosopher and famous lecturer Ilya Kurylenko. Practice mindfulness, friends, be attentive to yourself and the world around you, learn to see magic in ordinary things. We wish you happiness and amazing discoveries on your way!

Surely in your life there have been cases when, upon arrival at your destination in your car, you could remember only very little of what you saw during the trip. Or, opening a package of chips, literally a moment later, they suddenly noticed that all that was left in your hands was just an empty package.

This state of mind is often called autopilot, as if a person were awake. As a result of scientific research, it was found that about 47% of the time that people spend while awake is spent by most of us in autopilot mode, i.e. man does not live in reality, but in his thoughts in his head.

Living in this way, we often do not notice the large number of attractions that life gives us at every step, we do not perceive many sounds, smells, joyful moments that we could appreciate.

We do not listen to what our body tells us, and too often we use a mechanically uniform way of thinking, which becomes harmful both for ourselves and for others.

On autopilot, we tend to get stuck in a constant rush and excess activity, or engage in completely unnecessary things.

Our mind, unable to shut up for a second, is in constant motion, as a result of which we lose touch with reality and with our own body, rather soon plunging into obsessed thoughts about something that is usually associated with an already defunct past or not yet the coming future.

We become prone to anxiety, negative feelings, depression, and wasting energy.

And it was not without reason that scientists came to the conclusion that a wandering mind in its thoughts negatively affects the level of feeling of happiness and satisfaction with life.

The concept of awareness, as well as the practice of its development, goes back to ancient times, and is closely connected with such religions as Buddhism and Hinduism.

Mindfulness - this is the human ability to be fully present in the present moment, to be here and now, to realize where a person is, what he is doing and what he feels, instead of concentrating on his thoughts that go beyond the framework of surrounding reality.

Awareness is the opposite of a wandering mind, so it involves turning off the autopilot mode and taking on the manual control of the helm of our attention.

We observe the habit of our minds to paint pictures and write stories about what reality is. And when we begin to blindly believe our reason, we can easily become a victim of suffering if our expectations are not fulfilled.

Therefore, we take a step back and perceive reality as it really is, no more and no less.

We begin to understand that we are not our own thoughts or feelings, ceasing to identify ourselves with them and be guided by them.

Instead of regretting the past or worrying about the future, we are in the present moment, dealing with what is happening here and now.

As we gain skills in managing emotions and our state of mind, we get the opportunity to use our minds as efficiently as possible, instead of being its slave.

It should also be emphasized that awareness is characterized by impartiality. We do not make value judgments, they say that the event is bad, but it is good, and even if we do so, we simply realize such thoughts and let them go.

We are not upset if we experience discomfort, or because we do not receive the desired emotions. We simply acknowledge and accept everything that happens.

We do not seek to control, suppress or stop our thoughts. Choosing the role of observer, we notice phenomena that spontaneously arise, passing through us and ceasing to exist.

Whether this experience is pleasant or painful, we treat it the same way. This is the calm of the mind.

What does it mean to be aware. A conscious approach example

Remember how you usually react when you face a problem.

At first, you are either scared or annoyed, starting to question and convince yourself: “What am I doing all this for?”, “I am not good at it”, “I won’t succeed”, “I will look stupid”.

Installations of this kind only distract your attention from the work on finding a solution to the problem. Sometimes you generally put off the problem in a long box and do nothing.

But how could it be otherwise if you reacted consciously, without judgment and an internal attitude to the situation itself and your own capabilities, guided only by curiosity aimed at solving the problem that arose.

What if you directly experienced the whole process as it developed and went through each of the stages - anxiety, idea, action, result, realizing and accepting every thought and sensation without having to dwell on it and indulge in reasoning.

If you act in such a systematic way, you will begin to notice your usual patterns of thinking that make you automatically react to events in negative and useless ways, driving you into stressful situations.

Realizing, and without reacting, you expand the prospect of your objective view of the situation and can develop the most effective solution.

The benefits of mindfulness

Awareness reduces anxiety, irritability, and exposure to stressful conditions.
It is an effective tool in the fight against depression.
It fills with mental and physical energy, helps to get rid of.
It is highly effective in managing chronic pain.
Improves memory and concentration.
Allows you to manage useless thoughts.
Develops your intellect, compassion and compassion, including in relation to yourself, and also improves you in the field of interpersonal relations.
Improves your (especially beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system) and enhances immunity.
Develops a clearer purposeful thinking that increases your effectiveness in professional and home affairs.
It enhances creativity and.
Enhances and improves the flexibility of your behavior.
Helps to get rid of bad habits and even lose weight.
Increases the level of happiness, prosperity and optimism.

Awareness can literally transform you from the inside out.

Developing awareness, you will find the most amazing and incredible surprise: what you always looked for somewhere “there” - a sense of harmony, contentment and integrity, was always in you.

In other words, the more conscious you are, the more happy and full life you can live.

How to be a conscious person

There are many simple ways, using which you can increase your level of awareness. Let's consider some of them.

1. The practice of mindfulness in everyday life

Try to engage mindfulness in the daily activities that you usually do on autopilot.

For example, focus on brushing your teeth, taking a shower, having breakfast, or going to work.

Be aware of everything that you see, hear what you touch, what smell and taste you feel. You may find that routine activities are actually much more interesting than you previously thought.

2. Do not forbid the mind to wander

Your mind is a natural wanderer resembling a baby crawling on the floor, and there is nothing criminal about it.

Awareness does not consist in deliberately preventing the emergence of thoughts, but rather in not prejudicing them as familiar mental events.

Imagine that you are standing at a bus station and watching how mental buses come and go, and you do not attempt to prohibit them from entering or leaving the bus station. This may seem like a daunting task at first, but later on you will succeed.

Just note that your mind has rushed into thoughts and quite calmly and very gently return it to reality, freeing you from discussions about the past and the future.

3. Aware, call your thoughts

To develop awareness of thoughts and feelings, it is useful not only to identify them, but also to call them to yourself.

For example, if you are worried, then you should understand that everything is completely wrong. It’s not you who are worried, but simply an idea called Alarm called you, in which case, greet her.

So say to yourself: “Hello, Anxiety, I recognized and recognized you.”

Oddly enough, not suppression, namely a clear and complete awareness of thoughts and sensations, helps to eliminate their occupational effects on your mind.

4. Practice mindfulness while waiting

In our life, filled with an endless stream of various events, waiting is an annoying source of dull disappointment, and it doesn’t matter if you wait in line at a store or in a traffic jam.

Although expectation is not a pleasant experience, it can be an opportunity to practice mindfulness.

While waiting, direct your attention to your own breath. Focus on inhaling and exhaling, while letting everything else just be, even if you are impatient or irritated.

5. Come up with a reminder to be aware.

Choose a clue that you come across on a regular basis to put your brain into mindfulness mode.

For example, you might identify a door, a mirror, a coffee mug, or a cup of tea as a reminder.

6. Do meditation.

The best way to develop awareness in everyday life. The practice of meditation is how to learn the language of awareness.

Meditation

As a rule, meditation is to focus on your breathing while in a relaxed state. The concentration of attention on each inhale and exhale allows you to observe your thoughts, now and then arising in your mind, and stop fighting with them.

You realize that thoughts come and go on their own, that you are not your thoughts. You can note how they appear in your mind, it would seem from nowhere, and then disappear like a bursting soap bubble.

You come to a deep understanding that thoughts and feelings, including negative ones, are transient phenomena. Thus, you have a choice: is it worth it to somehow respond to them, or let them dissolve.

If negative thoughts hang over your head, you will learn not to perceive them as something personal, but rather treat them like black clouds in the autumn sky, watching them with friendly curiosity as they drift past.

Developing awareness as a result of meditation will allow you to capture negative thoughts before they negatively impact you, returning your life to your control.

Over time, awareness leads to long-term changes in mood, level of happiness and well-being.

Debunking the myths of meditation

Meditation is not religion, but awareness is just a method of training the mind.
Many people who practice meditation are themselves religious, but enough atheists and agnostics also use the practice of meditation in their lives.
When you meditate, you don’t have to sit cross-legged on the floor, but you can do so if you want. You can meditate while sitting on a chair, and also practice walking meditation.
Still, the first option is more preferable.
The practice of mindfulness does not take much time (30 minutes a day is enough, but you can increase the duration to 1 hour), although it requires a certain amount of patience and perseverance.
Many people quickly discover that meditation frees them from the pressure of time, so they have more opportunities to do other things effectively.
Meditation is not a complicated process, although at first you will experience some discomfort, as you did not do this before.
You do not strive for anything, you do not crave success and do not accept the risk of failure. You just sit and concentrate on your breath, realizing how your stomach rises and then falls.
Meditation will not stop the work of your mind and will not stand in the way of achieving your life goals.
But it will allow you to see the world with greater clarity, facilitating your adoption of more reasonable and balanced decisions, correcting for the better those things in your life that really require change.
Meditation will help you develop a deep awareness of the phenomena surrounding you, which will allow you to objectively evaluate your goals and find the best way to achieve them.

How to meditate

1. Identify a Meditation Site

Regardless of whether you are sitting on a chair, a meditation pillow, a park bench, or settled down against a wall, choose a place that is convenient for you and will not allow you to fit or hang.

2. Pay attention to your legs.

If you are sitting on a pillow on the floor, then cross your legs in front of you. If you decide to meditate on a chair, make sure your feet touch the floor.

3. Align your upper body

Trying to straighten your back, do not attempt to stretch it excessively, because the spine has a natural curvature. Allow the back to remain in a natural position. Your head and shoulders should be comfortable at the top of the vertebrae.

4. Place your shoulders parallel to the upper body

Then let your hands fall on the base of your feet.

5. Slightly lower your chin down

As a result, your gaze also rises behind the chin somewhat down. It is not necessary to close your eyes, but if you feel that you are more comfortable meditating with your eyes closed, you can close them. As you gain experience, you will most likely begin to close your eyes.

6. Body relaxation and concentration

Scan the body with your attention, and relax all its parts. Concentrate on your stomach and continue to monitor your breathing, watch your stomach rise and fall.

Do not try to draw in too much air, let the body do everything naturally, because only conscious contemplation is required of you. As a result, subtle breath will become familiar to you.

Your attention will inevitably be distracted from concentration on breathing. Do not worry and do not judge yourself, but simply return your attention to the right point. Attention runs away - attention returns.

In the process of meditation, do not try to achieve any goal. Do meditation for the sake of meditation itself.

At first, you can meditate for 5 minutes, after which you yourself will feel the need to increase the duration of meditation.

Conclusion

Awareness is energy that allows you to recognize the conditions of happiness that are already present in your life.

You do not need to wait ten years to experience happiness, because every moment of your daily life is filled with it.

Many of us are alive, but forget about it, but when you take a breath and realize your breath, you again touch the miracle of being alive in the full sense of the word. That is why awareness is a source of happiness and joy.