He who knows others is wise. He who knows himself is enlightened.
~Lao Tzu
Here’s a brief Chopra meditation: Sit comfortably. Close your eyes. Focus on your breath. Ask yourself, “Who am I?” State the question a few times, then let it go. The answer will eventually come in your practice, without thought. Sit in silence before opening your eyes.
That basic question seems to connect to what truly matters as the mind wants to answer- “I am a daughter. I am a parent. I am a life coach.” These “insert label here” identities are the mind’s go-to sentence completions. They sound important but in the grand scheme of being, are they? Can the mind be relied on to accurately identify us? Do the mind’s puzzle-piece labels create a picture of the authentic self?
To answer that question, ask “Who is observing the questioner asking the question?” Who is the witness to the mind’s antics? The mind is filled with feelings, thoughts, memories, desires, repulsions, and fears. The mind changes often. It is a reactive GPS transmitting from satellites in an individual’s worldview orbit, developed and operated by their history and experiences. It reflects a personal map of sorts. It directs daily functioning, often on automatic pilot. Taking a step back to witness the mind in action though, it becomes clear that there is something more.
What is beyond the mind? What is that constant invisible force that silently informs our well-being? It’s consciousness. Call it pure awareness or unity consciousness, it exists beyond the mind. It is a space where all beings connect outside the limiting worldview of each individual mind, where wellness lives, accessible at any time to promote personal well-being. Unity consciousness is accessed in the space between thoughts during meditation. This space is part of each person’s pure potential, the antidote to disconnection and dis-ease. Once realized, it allows alignment with the truth that lives in that space. We become more compassionate, creative, peaceful, honest, and loving. As these truths seep into daily living, the connection opens. A fluid relationship develops where these values naturally influence daily life over time, in turn deepening the connection to pure awareness. This evolution elevates daily living to a consciously informed experience. Spiritual beings having a human experience becomes the norm versus the automatic pilot mind-driven life, devoid of witness consciousness. Once we step back and witness our thoughts as they come and go, it’s hard to go back to unconscious living.
So, is it possible to know when we are out of alignment, not allowing pure awareness to enter daily life? Yes, it is observable. Notice beliefs, inner critical dialogue/conflicted emotions, addictions, and stressed-out moments that are energy drainers. That begins the shift. Small “a” awareness is developed when the drains to well-being are noticed. These mini breaks are necessary to bridge and integrate conscious awareness into daily living. It’s what I call a “Bits and Bites” approach to well-being. Sitting once or twice a day to meditate is wonderful and necessary to begin to reprogram the nervous system and allow the body-mind to recalibrate to calm, even lengthening longevity. That’s the “Bite” part where a block of time is dedicated to meditate, accessing the space between thoughts by stopping, breathing, and tapping into big “A” awareness/pure consciousness. The “Bits” part is stopping throughout the day for a few minutes to observe in real time what is happening inside, stopping the drain by witnessing it and reconnecting to higher awareness. This can be practiced as often as needed throughout the day as a reminder that pure consciousness is our true nature and the automatic pilot of the mind is draining well-being in that moment. It allows a shift out of a reactive stress response into a clearer space to process what is going on in order to make proactive choices.
Here are two “Bits” that can create the shift:
1) In a moment of stressed-out reactivity, focus the mind on taking a few breaths. Those few breaths shift the nervous system into parasympathetic engagement, calming the system and allowing for proactive choices.
2) Going deeper, PAUSE:
Pause- take a break for a few minutes and breathe
Ask yourself, “What am I feeling?
Uncover the thought/belief connected to or just prior to the
feeling
Sit with it. Breathe, then ask, “Is it true? What’s the evidence?”
Explore the story you’re telling yourself and reframe it by asking
“What is another way to see this?”
Witness consciousness is developing awareness that we are more than the mind. “Bits” of awareness are as important as “Bites” of scheduled meditation because it allows us to find our center in the middle of real-life moments where triggers become portals to who we really are - part of the unified field of pure consciousness!
(Published in Creations Magazine Feb-Mar 2023 Issue)
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