Awareness is Everything

So, expanding awareness involves seeing more than just what we are looking for. There is more than meets the eye. Not only do we miss a lot visually, but we bring our own filters and past experiences to play in how we interpret what we see.

There is an openness required to seeing in new and surprising ways.

Often, the word awareness is used in terms of becoming more knowledgeable about something, for example, breast cancer awareness, AIDS awareness, autism awareness, etc. If we don't have a direct relationship or experience with someone experiencing these disorders or illnesses, we don't know how we can help. So, awareness is also about increasing knowledge.

Do you see yourself as dependent on others? If so, you have not fully grown up, according to A.H. Almaas. In his book, Diamond Heart, Book One, he says,

"You see yourself as dependent on others for love, approval, recognition, support, nourishment, contact, pleasure. There is a difference between emotional dependency and love. You have the capacity to love, support, protect, and nourish yourself. And once you realize this, you are able to love."

I believe that being self-aware is the first step and key to becoming more aware in general. By standing back and observing ourselves without judgment, we begin to understand the truth about ourselves, why we do the things we do, and what our primary motivations are.

The best way I have found to begin to do this is through meditation. It teaches us how to take that watchful stance and through regular practice, we are then able to do the same as we go about our day. By better understanding ourselves, we are then able to better understand others.

The best book to read, in my opinion, if you want to explore this topic of awareness, is the one by Anthony de Mello below.

Dr. Dan Siegel shares, in this Kripalu interview, methods for increasing awareness and how they affect the brain.

"Mindful awareness can be enhanced through traditional practices of mindfulness meditation, yoga, tai chi, qigong, and centering prayer.

These practices create a state in which the individual experiences a widening of awareness that encompasses a sense of attention to one's own intention, an immersion in the rich sensations of the body and the breath, and an awareness of the mind itself - an awareness of awareness.

This self-observation comes with the capacity to experience the mind's activities with objectivity, i.e. a thought or feeling becomes sensed as just that, a thought or feeling, rather than the totality of the person's identity in the moment.

The three foundational elements of mindfulness - objectivity, openness, and observation - create a tripod that stabilizes the mind's attentional lens."

Through mindful awareness, you actually rewire your brain. Read the entire article, Science of the Mindful Brain, by Dr. Dan Siegel.