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Introduction Awareness is fundamental to all human activity
It is the basis of all our mental states and processes, creativity, perception, knowledge and culture
It is the portal between consciousness and the world around us
It’s the key to greater inner peace, happiness and self-mastery
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The different faces of Awareness At a very basic level, you are aware of everything you do
Most of our perceptual awareness happens on a subconscious level
This type of awareness however is not very thick and focused
There is another level where your awareness is more focused
The conscious and ‘super-conscious’ level where you are in a state of ‘flow’ with the activity of your focus
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…The different faces of Awareness This type of awareness is linked with a certain coherence in brain wave patterns In our day to day mental tasks, our mind is somehow ‘fragmented’ and our brain wave patterns are incoherent. Individuals who have trained their mind through practices such as meditation, have the ability to consciously redirect their awareness to higher levels of consciousness and ‘defragment’ their mind to a more coherent unity
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Being Aware of your Awareness
…(How to develop your awareness) 1. Take time to notice what it feels like to be aware. Stop for a moment to be aware of your awareness. Don’t classify it or judge it, just notice it. How does it feel? 2. Now find any object (could be your own body or feelings) and be aware of it for more than 30 seconds without distraction. Is it any different from being aware for just a fleeting moment? Does your awareness solidify with time? 3. Are you at all aware of your internal sensations? Try to be aware of your current state of mind – is it relaxation, boredom, curiosity, impatience? What about your feelings? Your energy levels? Is your awareness more inclined towards internal or external stimuli? 4. How about your awareness of the present moment? The awareness of external and internal sensations that unfold moment by moment in the present. Can your awareness hold on to your present ongoing sensations without drifting off in thought or imagination in the past or future?
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Being Aware of your Awareness
…(How to develop your awareness) 5. When you observe your environment, does your awareness shift from one object to the next hastily and erratically? Or is it more gentle and observant of each item? Try to move your awareness from one thing to the next and speed it up then slow it down. How does the difference feel? 6. Try also noticing the difference between expanding and narrowing your awareness of your environment. I find it easy to do this on my body before meditation. I focus my awareness on just my breathing first. Then after some time I expand it outwards to include the other bodily sensations such as my hand, feet, head, etc. I also expand it towards my internal feelings and states of mind then narrow it down step by step to my breathing again. 7. Another thing I do when doing mindfulness meditation is shifting my awareness across sensory modalities. From seeing to hearing to touching to tasting (not always), to smelling, and ultimately internal sensations. This and the previous exercise are the most useful steps in developing and expanding your awareness.
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The End Presentation by Gilbert Ross
www.soulhiker.com Thank You