This state of awe and gratitude, this joy for life, is an inner sense of vitality and a relational sense of connection to the larger world around us. Social neuroscientist Mary Helen Immordino-Yang has also found that these attentional states are associated with neural firing in primitive brain stem regions associated with the most basic life processes. Neuropsychiatric researcher Judson Brewer and colleagues also found similar electrical patterns during a range of meditative practices that are called “effortless awareness”-a state of being aware of whatever arises as it arises. Gamma waves-which, for most of us, occur briefly and in one spot of the brain-are elevated all across their brains, corresponding to the sense of vastness and spaciousness they feel. If I expect things to go a certain way, they usually don’t.Īccording to journalist Daniel Goleman and neuroscientist Richard Davidson, the brains of longtime mindfulness practitioners look different when they are practicing open awareness meditation. ![]() Sometimes a shift doesn’t even seem to happen and I am stuck on the rim, thinking of things I hope would happen, or being swept up by memories of past hub-in-hub practices and wishing those would occur again. Each time I do my regular Wheel practice myself, this hub-in-hub step feels subtly different. ![]() To be clear, some participants have great difficulty with this step and don’t offer any descriptions, or simply say that their minds wandered, they felt confused, or they simply focused on the breath. What is going on here? Why would these statements, though not expressed by all, be offered from such a disparate group of people from around the world? As I captured in a systematic survey, these descriptions share very similar themes of love, joy, and wide-open timelessness. Recently, I offered the Wheel practice to three thousand people in one room, and hundreds raised their hands when asked if they felt a sense of expansiveness or a loss of time. One person said he felt so much love that he couldn’t share that experience for fear his professional colleagues in the seminar would consider him weak. One participant even handed me a note it said she couldn’t openly state what happened in that step, which she experienced as “an amazing sense of expansiveness and peace, a feeling of wholeness I’ve never had before,” because she thought others would think she was bragging. Here are some of the phrases that have been used to try to express what awareness of awareness feels like for them: “As wide as the sky.” “As deep as the ocean.” “Complete peace.” “Joy.” “Tranquility.” “Safety.” “Connection to the world.” “God.” “Love.” “At home in the universe.” “Timelessness.” “Expansive.” “Infinity.”Īnd the pattern keeps on emerging as people dive into the practice. Others in that same group, and in workshops around the world, have come to say similar things. His expression glowed, and he said, “It was incredibly peaceful. I gently suggested that he stop comparing it to other experiences, and instead simply describe the feeling. In one workshop, for example, a participant called this awareness-of-awareness experience “really odd.” When I asked what “odd” felt like, he said, “I mean, it was really weird.” So I asked him what “weird” felt like, and he said, “Just really strange.” Some find it confusing, disorienting, difficult to hold on to. Some people find that being aware of awareness is quite new. While open awareness is one of the most advanced contemplative techniques, my research and clinical experience suggest that it has the potential to offer us more freedom, peace, and well-being in our lives. In my new book Aware, I offer a complete guide to the Wheel of Awareness and what may be happening in the brain when you practice it. Make sure you're getting enough sleep each night so that you can be fully present and engaged during the day.From the GGSC to your bookshelf: 30 science-backed tools for well-being. A lack of sleep can make it difficult to connect with your conscious mind. By focusing on your breath and quieting your mind, you can access deeper levels of awareness and insight. Meditation is another powerful tool for connecting with your conscious mind. Writing down your thoughts and feelings can help you process them and connect more deeply with your conscious mind. Turn off your phone, shut down your computer, and find a quiet space where you can focus on connecting with your thoughts and feelings. By learning to observe your thoughts without judgment, you can develop a greater sense of inner peace and calm. ![]() Being mindful helps you to develop greater awareness of your thoughts and emotions, and to cultivate a sense of detachment from them. So how can you connect more with this important aspect of yourself?
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |