How to develop awareness? 8 simple techniques

Let everything arise from your awareness.
And the miracle of mindfulness is that without saying anything, without doing anything, it simply dissolves everything that is ugly in you, turning it into beauty Bhagwan Rajneesh

A conversation about awareness is a conversation about you, because there is only awareness in the world, and it is at the center of the human being. The rest just obscures our visibility. Therefore, in order to return to the center, to understanding our true essence, some effort will be required in the form of exercises aimed at awakening consciousness.

What is awareness? What does it mean to be aware?

Mindfulness is a person’s ability to mentally and physically experience the present moment . And this means:

Concentrate on the activity or creation of something. Understand the degree of importance of the matter, do not switch from primary to secondary.
Feel your body and understand its needs: hunger, discomfort, pain, fatigue, etc.
Consciously experience emotions . Understand when you are annoyed, when you are “on edge,” when you are depressed, etc. This point also includes the ability not to judge yourself for the lack of “necessary” and “appropriate” emotions.
Do not make value judgments. Understanding yourself as a unique individual among many other unique people eliminates the desire to “label”, give unsolicited advice and make comments.
Don't lose confidence in your beliefs due to criticism. This point follows from the previous one. Some tactless people take the position that their point of view is the only correct one, and those who do not correspond to it are fools / have no taste / morals / do not have enough experience, etc. If you are a conscious person, then you a priori cannot perceive Such attacks are close to the heart. You understand - a thought in a stranger's head is just an intangible idea of how you should look through the prism of their life experience.

It doesn't sound that complicated, but in real life very few people apply these rules to themselves. Remember how many times you simply “passed out” during a boring lecture? How many times have you started looking at your phone at a meeting with friends when an interesting dialogue didn’t go well? How often have you caught yourself thinking that you haven’t eaten even a drop of poppy dew all day, just because you were so carried away by something? Or answer yourself honestly: how often at work, instead of doing really important things, do you read news on the Internet or play online games? If all this is more than familiar to you, then it’s time to turn your attention to increasing your awareness and getting rid of the habit of procrastination.

Procrastination is a psychological state in which a person tends to put off all important things until later or replace them with less energy-consuming tasks. Thus, he creates for himself artificial conditions of “pressing deadlines” in which he experiences a mixture of pressure, stress, shame and disappointment.

Mindfulness in everyday life greatly changes the way you look at standard things and situations. You learn to act in conditions of partial uncertainty, being aware of your desires and capabilities: physical, moral, material.

Imagine that you are watching a film in which the main character acts completely illogically and thoughtlessly under the influence of emotions or lack of composure. You are annoyed: “How can this be, it’s obvious that you can’t do that! Now, if you had acted differently, everything would have been different!” So, self-awareness is when you are a direct participant in events and an outside observer at the same time. You are completely in the moment, while understanding who you are, where and how you feel.

Extreme attentiveness and non-judgmental perception will help you achieve your goal.

A little experience in mindfulness

To begin, feel awareness right in this moment. Look at your right hand and try to feel everything you feel in your fingertips, in the phalanges, in your palms. Feel the blood pulsating in your hand; if possible, try to feel subtle vibrations, as if slightly pressing on your fingers and palm. Spend 3-5 minutes on this activity, and only then continue reading.

For the past few minutes you have been practicing awareness of your hand. Remember how before this you simply read, but did not pay any attention to the hand - you did not notice it, as if it were not there. But now you have fully experienced it. And a similar technique can be used anywhere and anytime: when you are walking in the park, driving to work, washing dishes, typing on the computer. The subject of awareness can be the wind and the rustling of leaves, raindrops on glass, hand movements, the sound of hitting keys, etc.

Actually, in 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 look, listen, feel, touch as carefully as possible. At the same time, you don’t need to analyze anything, because as soon as you start doing this, thoughts will immediately begin to swarm in your head. This is called internal dialogue, and it interferes with concentration and awareness.

This practice presupposes a proper attitude towards the very fact of attention and presence in the notorious moment “here and now”. Mindfulness can be compared to a flashlight that everyone has, but no one turns on. But when we press the button and become aware of what is happening, the light of this flashlight illuminates certain areas of darkness and shows the direction to move.

We would like to warn you 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 and 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 occupy an honorable place in their numerous works.

Now is the time to move from the short mindfulness practice we gave you to get a little experience into a thorough one. The exercises and techniques presented below will help you better understand how to gain awareness and develop this quality in yourself. And if you practice 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 things that you have not seen before.

Mindfulness in Psychology, Philosophy, Religion and Martial Arts

Based on the above, awareness is a concept that is close in essence to mindfulness and concentration. But what distinguishes one from the other ? The answer is simple - the level of mental and spiritual development . Even animals are characterized by concentration. For example, predators can stalk their prey for hours, concentrating all their efforts on achieving a simple and understandable goal - satisfying hunger. Service dogs are trained from puppyhood to be alert and can actually recognize familiar smells, commands and gestures.

Animals perform certain actions under the influence of their natural instincts. Human consciousness, like his very existence, is more multifaceted. Let's figure out how self-awareness is interpreted in different teachings.

In psychology

Psychologists are unanimous in their opinion: the central and peripheral nervous systems serve as a kind of filter that sifts out the conscious from the unconscious. If it were not there, then the part of the brain that is responsible for the ability to cognition simply would not have time to digest and sort information received from the outside.

With some mental disorders and after the use of psychotropic substances, the natural filter between consciousness and unconsciousness is turned off. It may seem to a person that he has realized the essence of all existence (has received expanded consciousness).

In philosophy

“I think, therefore I am” - this famous saying belongs to the French philosopher Rene Descartes. It was he who first spoke about how important the practice of mindfulness is for a person . The philosopher stated that he experienced a kind of awakening and awareness of his every action, thought and feeling.

In religion

The concept of a mindful lifestyle is most inherent in Buddhism. The development of awareness there is interpreted as spiritual growth and enlightenment . And as you know, an enlightened person is deprived of typical worldly experiences, suffering and dissatisfaction, which are generated due to the discrepancy between reality and the world of illusions.

The role of mindfulness in Buddhism is extremely important

In martial arts

Understanding and being aware of yourself in the present moment is an important skill that is taught in martial arts. The ability to listen to your body and at the same time monitor the actions of your opponent allows you to win and maintain physical health.

The Role of Mindfulness in Martial Arts

In the Chinese martial art of Yiliquan, mindfulness is the basis of everything. For training, various physical exercises aimed at balance and relaxing meditation are used.

Awareness is the key to fulfilling all desires

I'm sure now you understand what mindfulness is and why it is vital.

Listen to the advice of the legendary Osho: practice mindfulness, meditate, become awakened, increase your energy - and you will receive a universal key to the fulfillment of all your desires.

Believe me, nothing slows down the materialization of your plans more than clutter in your head and an “automatic” state.

Think about how often and what specific actions you perform automatically. Write your answers in the comments.

Fight the waking dream, choose to wake up and become aware, truly enjoying life.

Mindfulness is the key to your happiness, success and prosperity.

Levels of consciousness according to David Hawkins

Awareness of one's emotions and emotional energy state helps a person take responsibility for everything that happens in his life.

David R Hawkins

David Hawkins is a kinesiologist, psychiatrist and consciousness researcher. He drew a map on which he marked out the levels, each of which corresponds to a dominant emotion, energy level and perception of life, which is reflected in the state of the individual and his behavior.

The higher we rise on the scale, the correspondingly we increase the amount of vital energy, and the perception of life changes for the better. The lower we go on the emotional scale, the lower our energy and the more negative our emotions.

Below is David Hawkins' scale of consciousness in order from lowest to highest:

Shame (disgrace) is a deep disappointment in oneself, the people around you and life in general due to a global failure to meet expectations. This is the level of people in deep depression bordering on suicide. Inside a person there is shame that he does not fit into the world around him. Often the feeling of hatred is directed towards oneself.
Guilt - a person repeatedly returns his thoughts to the past, experiencing those moments where he was guilty of someone, said something wrong or did not act as he should. The level of self-torture is so great that a person still sometimes has thoughts of suicide.
Apathy - a person believes that he has neither the strength nor the ability to change anything, so he is inactive. He believes that all rich and successful people were simply lucky or got something thanks to connections. Many dependents and homeless people are stuck at this level.
Grief is a feeling of irreparable loss and longing. People who have experienced divorce, the breakup of an old friendship, or even the death of a loved one fall into this level. Grief is a level higher than apathy, so a person gradually begins to get rid of stupor through some kind of activity. We recommend material with methods of getting rid of resentment.
Fear - in most cases, it is the fear of leaving your comfort zone, even if it has nothing to do with the concept of comfort. This could be a relationship built on selfishness, misunderstanding and violence, an unloved job, or uncomfortable living conditions. Such a person is extremely unsure of himself - he needs help and approval from others.
Wish. “Got into all kinds of troubles” - this phrase perfectly characterizes a person stuck at the level of desires. Consumption and abuse (alcohol, cigarettes, drugs), frequent change of sexual partners. The predominance of the material (passion for money, power, fame, approval, etc.) over the spiritual.
Anger. The feeling is directed at the person himself, due to the fact that he cannot fully satisfy his needs. He envies more successful people, and if the outcome is good, this encourages him to work hard on himself.

In “suppressive” relationships (in the family, at work...) you can often see a couple where one is filled with anger and the other with fear.

Pride - A person begins to feel good. But this is a false feeling, since it depends on the external environment (money, prestige...) and therefore it is very vulnerable. It is pride that can lead to sectarianism, religious fanaticism, Nazism, and racism. A person’s behavior is aimed at self-denial in the name of a general idea, and attacks, or even slight doubts about his foundations, are perceived as an insult to the individual, so it is better not to even start arguing with him. Self-esteem is shaky, as it depends entirely on the external environment and surroundings

Courage is the first level of true willpower. A person realizes that life is full of difficulties and trials, and this does not frighten him, but rather, on the contrary, awakens excitement in him. This stage is characterized by an unbearable thirst for a change of environment - changes help to feel the flow of life. There is a desire for personal growth, be it education, career or creativity. There is a clear understanding of the cause-and-effect relationship between the events of the past and present, without value judgment and blame.
Neutrality . “Allow yourself to be yourself, as you are, and others to be different” is the motto of all people who have risen to the level of neutrality. They don’t have to prove anything or chase a certain social bar for success. They have their own formed vision of the world, which they do not impose on others. They prefer to work autonomously, adhering to a comfortable pace sufficient for self-sufficiency. This is the level of entrepreneurs, freelancers and sometimes downshifters.
Readiness is the highest level of neutrality. The person still feels safe, calm and comfortable. At the same time, he understands that if he were a little more organized, his level of income would be higher. At this stage, thoughts about time management and self-discipline appear. Such people are outstanding leaders, entrepreneurs, or reliable “cogs” in a large working mechanism.
Acceptance - a person is not afraid to “come down to Earth” and face the truth. He knows that if something is wrong, it can be fixed or changed altogether. You just need to make an effort. A person begins to accept responsibility for his role in this life and in the world. If he understands that in some area of life not everything is in order (career, family, health, relationships..) he sets a goal and achieves it. Often this level motivates people to change jobs, create their own business, etc. They prefer to associate with outstanding and inspiring personalities. They weed out ill-wishers and people from their social circle whose communication spoils their mood and lowers their self-esteem.
Intelligence - a filter appears that sifts out all emotions of lower levels from the rational. The human mind is pure and aimed at logical work with data. This is the level of development of doctors, scientists, physicists, programmers, etc. A person at this stage says to himself: “So, I’m now at point “A.” To get to point “B” I need to spend so much effort. I can do this in a certain amount of time.” Discipline and activity at this level helps people use their minds to their full potential and discover their innate abilities.
Love is not “love” in our ordinary understanding, since it is not the emotion of “love.” This unconditional love, when you come to understand your connection with everything that exists and surrounds you in this world. This is the level when, thanks to self-awareness, comes understanding and acceptance of the many differences between people and their views on life. At this stage there is no place for condemnation and censure . And also a person does not take attacks and insults from others personally, realizing that this is only someone’s point of view that does not coincide with his own. Anyone who has reached this stage is characterized by strong empathy and psychological intuition: he can, and most importantly, wants to help others. He knows that every person on this planet deserves to be understood and listened to.

Hawkins claims that according to statistics, only one person in 250 reaches the stage of love.

Joy is the level of advanced spiritual teachers. At this level, life is governed by intuition and coincidence. People's consciousness does not need goals and detailed plans. Expanded consciousness allows you to operate with higher concepts.
Peace (Harmony) – spiritual enlightenment, insight, reconciliation. The level of yogis, ascetics, spiritual mentors. As Hawkins himself assures, only one person in 10 million can reach this level.
Enlightenment is the highest level of awareness that can be achieved. On it, a person can be considered practically a deity, with highly developed intuition, sensitivity and all-acceptance.

In fact, it is quite easy to climb the Hawkins scale and manage your level of happiness; you just need to approach this issue consciously and instill in yourself a new useful habit of managing your emotional state, yourself, in order to live in harmony and a state of total happiness.

Methods

Non-judgmental judgments

Track every thought you have that contains criticism, evaluation, condemnation, and so on. Let's say you're walking down the street and see a woman in ridiculous clothes, then instead of indulging in thoughts about how you could choose your wardrobe and combine things like that, come up with, say, 5 compliments addressed to her. Or reasons to look like that.

Perhaps she is such a creative person that others will pick up her idea and also be happy to dress like that.

Or maybe they called her in the morning and told her the sad news, and there was absolutely no time to think about what clothes to choose. The main thing is not to rush out of the house naked in a panic.

Having learned to think non-judgmentally, it will be easier for you to accept not only the world around you as it is, but also yourself. And this will add completely different colors to life, enliven it and make it more rich.

Expansion of consciousness

You shouldn’t divide the world only into “good” and “bad,” if only because between these two concepts there is room for a wide range of emotions and states. How we think depends on how we live.

For example, you can get annoyed with your spouse every time because of laziness, which will spoil your relationship with him, disrupt intimacy, and so on. Or you can look at this trait of his from the other side, let’s say that he knows how to rest and relax.

And that at least occasionally one should take an example from him. To also enjoy the weekend, and not grab your head, demanding the impossible from yourself. Then, indulging in thoughts about how difficult it is to live in this world, and how unfair the world is.

So make a list of the things you don't like about yourself, your colleagues, your friends, and in general. And then figure out how to transform the negative into a positive. That is, in each point, find something good, useful that may be useful to you.

Let’s say, not slow, but paying attention to every detail, not aggressive, but able to defend one’s boundaries...

You can learn how to change your way of thinking by clicking here. Still, stereotypes “live” in each of us, significantly poisoning our existence, especially if they are completely illogical and not constructive.

Take the same example with laziness. Living under the motto - it’s a shame to be lazy, a person becomes a workaholic until he completely collapses from exhaustion and depression.

Presence in reality

In order to learn to be in a calm, peaceful state, when you are aware of almost all the processes that occur in the body, thoughts and the surrounding reality, you will have to temporarily abandon electronic means of communication.

Even television should be banned. You need to turn everything off for 36 hours; in extreme cases, 24 hours may do. Plan a similar experiment for the weekend, especially if your work involves taking calls, searching for information on the Internet, and so on.

Bodily sensations

Throughout the day, listen to the sensations you experience. Just try to notice them not when the intensity goes off scale, but at the stage of their inception.

Then, over time, you will be able to immediately determine that you are dissatisfied with something, without bringing yourself to a state of rage. By promptly removing the source of irritation or realizing it. You will have more space for other, more pleasant feelings.

Let's say, right now, pay attention to how you sit? Are your feet comfortable? What sensations arise in the back, neck, arms? How does the skin react to clothes? Does it restrict movement?

Meditation

To enter a meditative state, a person needs to concentrate on his breathing, posture, and thoughts. In general, do what mindfulness implies.

Meditations are available for different levels of preparation. That is, if you have never practiced before, do not be upset.

There are a lot of techniques that are quite easy to master on your own. Some of them are described in detail in this article. If you don’t want to study all alone, sign up for a group.

Believe me, with the help of yoga you will improve your health, become calmer and more balanced. You will also achieve success in such an important process of self-development and self-improvement.

How to work on awareness? Effective and Simple Mindfulness Exercises

Mindfulness training does not require special conditions or tools - you can practice almost anywhere. Let's look at the most popular methods and exercises.

Many practitioners suggest paying attention to your breathing more often, and it actually works!

Be aware of routine

Try to concentrate and experience those trivial everyday activities that you usually do on autopilot . For example, focus on washing dishes. Feel how warm the water pleasantly warms your hands, how easily the sponge glides across the plate, how comfortable your feet are in soft, indoor slippers. Listen to the sounds around you: the ticking of a clock, the singing of birds outside the window, or the sound of rain.

Try not to be distracted by TV, music or smartphone. At first, everything around you will seem boring, but soon you will get used to it and you won’t notice how what was a burden for you has become an interesting meditative activity with many nuances.

Allow yourself to “go inside” sometimes

How to live consciously if you don’t want to be aware of what’s happening around you? For example, you are standing in line at a supermarket. In front of you, an elderly woman is grumbling, demanding to open a second cash register or call the administrator, a little further you can see a child sobbing angrily and rolling on the floor, for whom they did not buy sweets. Just let it happen . Accept that the situation would not have changed if it were not you, but someone else standing here. Acknowledge your feelings , even if they are destructive, and try to take a break from them: focus on your own breathing, taking deep and meaningful breaths and slow exhalations. This will allow you to be more loyal in any situation.

Do some spring cleaning in your head

At first it is very difficult to control the course of consciousness - random memories, images, reflections pop into your head. Imagine that there is a whole huge library in your skull, and your irrepressible thoughts are books that need to be arranged on shelves, depending on their topic. Anxious thoughts and shameful memories can be represented as old waste paper that you sort into large garbage bags and throw away.

Bring yourself back to Earth

Sometimes it can be very difficult to do the same routine work for a long time, especially if the soul requires creativity and variety. Notice what thoughts distract you - perhaps you are recreating failed dialogues in your head, trying to find a wittier and more cutting line? Or do you fantasize about relaxing on a wild beach? Next, you need to catch yourself at the moment when the mind moves from the real to the fantasy world and say: “This is not real. I am here and now to make my life better” and return to your activities with a sense of the importance of what is happening.

Name your emotions

How to develop awareness if you are a very emotional and unstable person? Give your emotions names! If you feel how your thoughts are gradually taking on a negative, irritating connotation and you feel uneasy (your hands are shaking, your palms are sweating), mentally say: “Hello anxiety, it’s you again, I recognize you.” It is the awareness and acceptance of the entire palette of feelings, even negative ones, that contributes to calm . Suppressing emotions only contributes to their growth.

Wear an Amulet of Mindfulness

If you are constantly distracted, carry a small object with you that will remind you to get ready . This could be an elastic band on your wrist, or a pocket mirror.

Try using a timer

How to become aware if you are constantly stressed because you don’t have time to do anything? Try setting yourself time limits! For example, if you need to complete routine but simple paperwork, turn on the timer on your phone for 20 minutes and spend all this time focused and without distractions, get on with your work. Knowing that you will spend just one small period of time on this is very motivating and inspiring.

Do you need to be aware and why?

The state of mindfulness looks very attractive, but before you begin to develop it, everyone must decide for themselves whether they have the courage to lead a conscious life. This presupposes a sober view of things, a complete rejection of self-deception, a clear understanding of one’s actions and actions, and responsibility for all their consequences.

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

Are you ready to pay this price? If yes, read on.

What will awareness give you?

We can talk about this endlessly, but we will try to give the most convincing arguments (by the way, read our article “Mindfulness and its benefits”).

So, a conscious person becomes more responsible, and not only in relation to his loved one, but also in relation to those around him. He begins to think about his words, actions and reactions, and make them such that they do not harm absolutely anyone, thereby turning a chaotic existence into a harmonious life.

Being aware, a person solves many life issues much more effectively and copes with problems and difficulties, adequately and impartially analyzing all their aspects. In addition, mindfulness gives you the ability not to be afraid of failures and troubles, but to enjoy life, paying attention to its seemingly most insignificant manifestations, such as a breath of wind, the first snow, summer rain or sunrise.

Of course, relationships with loved ones become something very important and valuable. Ordinary people turn out to be 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 conclusions and not distorted by internal states, and effectively plan your actions.

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

For example, a person, unconsciously obeying his habits and beliefs, instinctively perceives people with distrust and aggressiveness. There may be a negative experience behind his back, or someone may have inspired him that people cannot 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, someone feels offended when they make fun of him, someone curses life when obstacles come his way, etc.

The well-known behaviorist formula “stimulus-response” works here, when the human psyche mechanically responds to external stimuli. And such emotional impulses, automatic reactions and reactive actions make up our lives. It’s no wonder that every now and then there are “negatives,” “whiners,” “evil people,” and distrustful people who are tired of life and don’t believe in anything good and bright.

By placing 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, and become slaves to emotions and habits.

Moreover, we can say with regret that a person who lives unconsciously will constantly repeat himself in his thoughts and actions, being deprived of the ability to change himself, situations and life in general. Acting stereotypically, as he is used to, he may come to the conclusion that life is 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 unfortunate prism, which distorts our view of the world. But this is not a reason to give up, because this prism can be changed - through the development of awareness in every thought, in every word, in every reaction, in every action. Then negativity and dullness will be replaced by positivity and bright colors, automatism will be replaced by tracking, mechanistic actions will be replaced by thoughtful steps, emotional and unconscious perception will be balanced and conscious. And we invite you to start making these changes with us.

How to become aware of yourself through meditation?

Another sure and quick way to become more mindful is to learn to meditate. The essence of meditation is turning inward by concentrating on your own breathing. .

There is an opinion that during meditation you should try hard not to think about anything, however, this is the path to nowhere. You don't have to fight your own thoughts; you just have to separate them from yourself and allow them to come and go naturally.

In the process, you must understand that feelings, thoughts and emotions are only temporary phenomena. They will leave your mind at the same speed as they entered it if you do not try to forcibly hold them back.

Visualization will also help here. Imagine your mind is a bus station. Large buses of thoughts arrive there every minute as well as leave. You just sit on the bench and watch it. You cannot influence the schedule, and even more so, you are not a bus driver - you are a separate person from this process. In this way, you will develop a conscious choice to react or not to react to emotions, allowing them to simply leave your mind .

Inner Meditation Experience

Meditation, due to its specificity, has become overgrown with many myths. Let's try to debunk them.

Is meditation a religious movement? – No, meditation is just a method of training the mind. Many people, regardless of their religion or lack thereof, practice meditation in their daily lives.
Do you need to sit in the lotus position to meditate? – This is not at all necessary. The main thing is to take a comfortable position in which your body is completely relaxed. You can lie on your back, sit on a chair, or even stand with your back against the wall.
Does meditation take a lot of time? – Experts recommend starting meditation with 15 minutes a day, gradually increasing the duration to an hour. A smooth transition will help you gradually get used to such an unusual process.
Is meditation yoga? – These are often related concepts, since yoga is largely a meditative process aimed at self-awareness. A short meditation can complete a set of asanas, thereby relaxing the muscles and relieving nervous tension.

As a result of research, it has been proven that meditation, with a regular approach, helps fight neurosis and attention deficit disorder.

How to learn to meditate? 5 steps for a beginner

The right attitude and preparation are the key to successful meditation. And meditation is the key to mindfulness. Therefore, the following 5 steps are required:

Find yourself a place to meditate . It is best if it is quiet and calm, away from everyday and city noise. You should feel calm and relaxed.
Find support points . The feet should be crossed in the lotus position, firmly on the floor or resting on the arm of the sofa. You can stretch your arms along your body, fold them on your chest or knees.
Sit up straight. So as not to feel pressure and back pain. Don't try to act like you did at school - this will cause unnecessary stress.
Lower your chin down. This way, your neck will be completely relaxed. You don't have to close your eyes, but if you feel it will help you relax, do it.
Feel the muscle relaxation. Scan your body from your heels to the top of your head, feeling tension release from your muscles, your body touching the seat, and your chest rising and falling as you breathe. Do not try to adjust your breathing in the right way - practice only conscious contemplation.

As you can see, there is nothing complicated in this process. If you feel awkward during meditation and feel like you're wasting your time, don't judge yourself for it. Give your mind and body time to adjust.

How to be a conscious person

There are many simple ways that you can use to increase your level of awareness. Let's look at some of them.

Practicing mindfulness in everyday life

Try to incorporate mindfulness into daily activities that you usually do on autopilot.

For example, focus your attention on how you brush your teeth, take a shower, eat breakfast, or go to work.

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

Don't let your mind wander

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

Mindfulness is not about deliberately preventing thoughts from arising, but rather about non-judgmentally viewing them as habitual mental events.

Imagine standing in a bus station and watching the thought buses come and go without making any attempt to stop them from entering or leaving the bus station. It may seem like a difficult task at first, but later you will succeed.

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

Being aware, name your thoughts

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

For example, if you are worried, then you should understand that everything is not like that at all. It is not you who are worried, but simply a thought called Anxiety that came to you, in which case, welcome it.

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

Oddly enough, it is not suppression, but rather a clear and complete awareness of thoughts and sensations that helps eliminate their occupying influence on your mind.

Practice mindfulness while waiting

In our busy lives, waiting is a frustrating source of frustration, whether you're waiting in line at the grocery store or in a traffic jam.

While waiting is not a pleasant experience, it can be an opportunity to practice mindfulness.

While waiting, bring your attention to your own breathing. Focus on the inhalation and exhalation, while allowing everything else to simply be, even if you feel impatient or irritable.

Create a reminder to be mindful.

Choose a prompt that you encounter on a regular basis to put your brain into mindfulness mode.

For example, you can define a door, a mirror, a mug of coffee or a cup of tea as such a reminder.

Take up meditation

Meditation is the best way to develop mindfulness in everyday life. Practicing meditation is like learning the language of mindfulness.

What does mindfulness practice do? Top 7 reasons to start training now

How to train mindfulness, and most importantly, why if you don’t see any prospects in it? Here are seven reasons why you should start working on yourself :

Success. A person who does his job with full dedication and meaningfulness cannot do it badly. This was confirmed by clinical studies at Harvard Medical School.
Vivid sensations . The dish tastes much better if you eat it in the kitchen rather than in front of the TV. Sex is more enjoyable if you think about sensations and your partner during the process, rather than about repairs. People are more welcoming if you listen to them rather than look at your phone. The main thing is to turn on at the right time.
Improved learning ability . Just two weeks of regular practice is enough to “increase” your memory capacity and speed up the memorization of material. Members of the UK Parliament actively use mindfulness training to improve their performance.
Normal blood pressure and healthy heart . Respect for one's own body and health motivates people to avoid stressful and unhealthy factors. Realizing the unity of your body and mind is the first big step towards giving up addictions.
Long life of sound mind . For most people leading a standard lifestyle, speech slows down with age, reactions and perception of reality worsen. It has been scientifically proven that meditation almost halves the rate of cellular aging. Therefore, if you want to feel the same at 60 as you did at 30, practice mindfulness.
Healthy love and social relationships . Mindfulness will allow you not only to process your own feelings, but also to read the emotions of other people. You will experience empathy, even if it was not characteristic of you before. In addition, you will stop comparing your partner with predecessors and idealizing his image, building unrealistic expectations regarding his person. You will understand and accept it with all its advantages and disadvantages.
Liberation from fears and phobias. Regular practice of self-awareness helps reduce activity in the prefrontal cortex and amygdala, which are responsible for unreasonable fears. So you will learn to distinguish your suspiciousness from situations where there is a real threat to life.

Working on self-awareness is a good tool for managing your own psyche. People who are fully aware of their own actions are much less likely to suffer from panic attacks, neuroses and depressive disorders.

Hopes

The most common way to enjoy life is by sucking on sweet hopes. Hopes are cherished, ecstatically built, grasped at as the only salvation. And they suffer mainly when something threatens these fragile chimeras.

Kill hope and what remains? Without it, they fall into hopelessness. As if there are only two options - either the success they hope for, or a complete paragraph.

Therefore, they rejoice not in the present, but in hopes for the best, and suffer not so much in real situations as from gloomy forecasts.

Even sadness for the past is a prediction of a life deprived of something important.

Take a closer look: you rejoice not at real victories and acquisitions, but at the attractive prospects for the future that open up at such moments. And you are upset not by losses and losses, but by gloomy forebodings of a future deterioration of the situation .

This is how they live not a real life, but an imagined life. Apparently the current moment, although it remains the only reality, is too short to be taken seriously. But the future seems vast... while the mind focuses on fears and hopes. There is no other future for us.

How to train mindfulness correctly? Short recommendations

You cannot become more aware in just one day or even in a week - this is a long process of rebirth, which requires giving up some habits and changing life priorities, therefore:

Stop being distracted . A person of low awareness is characterized by the inability to be unoccupied. He constantly needs to fill his free time with understandable entertainment - surfing the Internet while traveling on public transport, eating while watching his favorite TV series, drinking alcohol to make it easier to “find a common language”, virtual communication instead of real communication, etc. These are little things, but, as you know, all life consists of little things. Refusing or reducing the above-mentioned entertainment will allow you to significantly increase your awareness, and with it your quality of life.
Look for your equipment. If meditation is not suitable for you, listen to mantras, practice self-awareness exercises or breathing exercises. If you can’t do this at home, try working on yourself while sitting in line at the clinic, standing at the checkout, or while driving in a traffic jam.
Do not give up . If it seems to you that the exercises are not bringing results, give yourself a little more time. The human psyche is not a computer. It cannot be rebuilt with just a few actions. Be methodical and persistent.
Ask for help . If you understand that your emotions are getting the better of you and you cannot reach a new level of self-awareness on your own, ask for help. You can make an appointment with a psychotherapist or ask for advice from a yoga instructor or life coach.
Don't judge yourself. Purposeful people tend to attribute to themselves shortcomings that they do not have. Get rid of judgment and blame. Treat yourself patiently and carefully, like a child who needs to be taught something.

Try to get rid of judgment and blaming yourself

Dear Diary

Keep a diary. Describe the events of the day and the feelings and emotions that arose. Do not criticize what is written, do not evaluate it, do not choose words - let it be written as it is written. Be honest, no one will read this.

To make it easier to get started, answer the following questions every day:

What good happened today?
How did I feel about this?
Why am I doing well today?
Who do I want to thank?
The main conclusion of the day.

Complete the list.

The Principle of Mindfulness in Coaching

The concept of mindfulness in professional coaching is closely related to the responsibility that a person takes on for his actions or inactions.
Developed awareness helps the client make the best choices when making decisions in different situations and different areas of life, in contrast to how he is used to doing it usually or under the influence of external circumstances, for example, someone said or advised.
Awareness helps a person understand how much he is moving towards his goals, whether he has enough energy and resources to achieve his goals. What skills, abilities and qualities does he lack for this? What should he change in his strategy for achieving the goal?
By making a conscious choice, a person takes 100% responsibility for the “authorship” of his plans, action or inaction and, accordingly, for the results obtained. This means that he does not blame circumstances, others, or himself for what he gets in life.
When a person is the author of his choices and decisions, which he makes consciously, he receives joy and pleasure from both the process itself and the result obtained. If these principles interest you, you too can become a coach from scratch.

Your actions and thoughts

Did you know that scientists have proven that almost 50% of a person’s waking time is in a state of “autopilot”, performing all actions automatically.

Every day, all your thoughts are occupied with something else - anything, just not the delights of the present moment.

Unbeknownst to yourself, you automatically woke up, brushed your teeth, had breakfast, got dressed and ran out of the house to run errands. The body is here, but where are your thoughts?

Ooh, your thoughts are busy:

Yesterday;
An event that is coming in the future;
The angry watchwoman who was rude to you a week ago;
Problems at work;
Conflict in the family.

In other words, you are anywhere - in the past and in the future, in problems and conflicts, in victories and defeats - but not in the present moment. This is what it is - a waking dream. Are you sleeping now.

The first thing you need to learn to return to a state of mindfulness is the ability to calm your mind, stop your thoughts and enjoy the world around you in the moment.

Osho writes:

Silence is the place in which one awakens, while the chaos of the mind plunges one into sleep. And if your mind is still asking questions, it means you are sleeping. Sitting silently, in silence, when the mind disappears, you can hear the birds chirping, and no work of the mind, complete silence... it is the birds singing, chirping and no work of the mind, inner silence, then awakening comes to you. It doesn't come from outside, it grows from within. Otherwise, remember - you are dreaming.

So, whenever your thoughts are disordered and make too much noise, there is no doubt that you are dreaming.

On the subject: The power of the moment now, or 7 important lessons from the book by Eckhart Tolle