What is mindfulness is the topic of this article. Understanding the principle of mindfulness and implementing it in life, you can significantly improve the conditions of life.

Mindfulness is the key to all doors. This has already been said many times. In this article, I would like to dwell on the topic of awareness in more detail.

From the great teachers of the past such as Jesus, Kabir, Nanak, Buddha, Muhammad to modern teachers such as Karl, Renz, Ethart Tolle, the Dalai Lama, Osho, they all taught only one thing - awareness.

Each awareness called it in its own way, Jesus called it awakening, so he said more than once, stay awake, be vigilant, but people did not understand him, they thought being awake meant not sleeping in bed, but they did not understand that even if they are not in bed - it does not mean that they are awake. You can sleep on the go.

Ethart Tolle called awareness the presence or power of the now.

Osho called awareness – witnessing. Whatever you call it, it doesn't change.

Awareness is the ability of a person to be here and now, to feel the world more, and not to think about it, the ability to see the illusions of the mind and not fall into them. To understand that thoughts are just thoughts and thoughts in the head have nothing to do with the real reality.

Mindfulness is the understanding that thoughts are illusory, and they carry only a shadow of the past or future, and the real
the reality is where the human body is, that is, the real reality surrounds the body here and now.

Mindfulness helps you see your inner world

Thanks to awareness, a person begins to get acquainted with his inner world, before that only the outer world existed for him, now the inner dimension opens up.

A person who becomes conscious becomes less and less reactive. It is harder to control him, he no longer reacts to the same stimuli in the same way, he has the opportunity to freely choose how to respond to a particular stimulus. Such a person becomes more and more spontaneous and unpredictable.

For example, if an unconscious person is shouted at, then, depending on the habit, he can either shout back, or, being afraid of shouting, avoid conflicts. An unconscious person always reacts, for example, to shouts in the same way, and a conscious person can choose to shout to him, that is, to go into conflict, or to avoid conflict, and this depends on the situation. A conscious person increases the efficiency of communication with people and resistance to stress.

It is important to understand that there are three main aspects of the inner world to be aware of:

• body;
• soul.

body awareness

The very initial stage of awareness begins with the body. At this stage, a person learns to feel his body, to be able to direct his consciousness into the body, to feel how energy flows in the body. There is a skill of listening to the internal organs, the beat of the heart.

A person begins to care better and , i.e. your body. At first, it is difficult for a person to meditate on the body, thoughts often carry away, a person constantly jumps from awareness to unconsciousness, often falls asleep during meditation.

Over time, a new level appears when a person realizes that he does not fall asleep, thoughts still come to mind, but do not carry him away, and consciousness remains in the body more and more often. Then a person begins to direct consciousness into the body already on the street, wherever he is. When interacting with people.

The most difficult thing, perhaps, is to be aware of your body, move and talk at the same time.

Awareness of thoughts

awareness of thoughts or followed by, this is perhaps the second level of awareness - this is when a person already sees his thoughts and understands that thoughts are just thoughts and they have nothing to do with reality.

A person can even laugh at the thoughts that come to his head, because he has an understanding that he is not thoughts and that thoughts often come from outside, and are not always born in his head.

Life is not as serious as the mind makes it out to be!!!

A person who is aware of his thoughts lives by this principle. Such a person does not get lost in his thoughts, does not follow them, this person is already the master of his mind, and does not allow his thoughts to lead him into illusions, but consciously directs his attention to the now moment that surrounds his body.

Soul awareness

Soul awareness is the third level and can be dealt with only after the first two stages of awareness have been passed.

In fact, all three stages of awareness of the three parts of a person - the body, mind, and soul are very interconnected and complement each other, and they were separated for a better understanding and assimilation of the material.

Awareness of the soul occurs due to the awareness of emotions and feelings, moods, at this stage a person can clearly distinguish emotions from feelings and be aware of his mood and manage it.

Emotions follow thoughts, whether they are positive or negative thoughts.

And feelings come from the soul, not from thoughts. Thoughts can come to mind after feelings, that is, emotions are a consequence of thoughts, and feelings are always their source.

Feelings - this is a deeper level, most often come from the chest. And emotions are felt in the abdomen, but you should not take this for truth, each person is different and all this is individual.

It is important to understand that this article on mindfulness is not mindfulness - it is just a guide to it, but if you are reading this, you are closer to awareness or awakening than ever before.

Awareness is directed towards awareness or perception

This is the fourth stage, which already happens to a person by itself, after he has already passed the three previous stages. At this stage, awareness is directed to perception, the person is already asking himself who perceives all this, who I am, at this stage the person remembers Who He Really Is.

How is mindfulness related to our quality of life and personal development?

We will discuss this and much more in this article.

Attention

Let's start with attention. The topic of attention itself is broad, deep and deserves a separate article.

Now let's take a look at the first approximation of the concept of awareness.

Attention- this is a selective orientation of perception, a property of various mental processes.

That object or process, on which the focus of attention has stopped, is most vividly, clearly and completely imprinted in our psyche. The direction of the focus of attention varies depending on a variety of personality characteristics, emotions, feelings and interests.

Attention can be deliberately controlled. Perhaps this is what is most important to us.

I like to associate attention with a flashlight. We can direct the beam of our flashlight exactly where it should be. In fairness, I note that most often the ray rushes around randomly, snatching out some emotions, feelings, thoughts, sensations, memories of the past or experiences about the future.

Another association. Have you ever watched dogs? It happens that a dog runs from one smell to another, sometimes shied away, sometimes gets carried away. It moves along an absolutely unpredictable trajectory. Dogs are able to run like this for hours, without a specific goal and direction. How does this relate to attention? The beam from our flashlight-attention reminds me of the behavior of dogs walking in search of new smells :)

Often a person performs actions under the influence of emotions and feelings, without giving himself an account of the possible consequences. Busy from morning till night with things that lead nowhere. Life passes without a definite purpose and direction.

The flow of information that modern man encounters reinforces the hodgepodge of thoughts swarming in our heads. Often, even having determined the direction of our life, we are led astray by external circumstances and internal contradictions.

What is mindfulness?

Now it is fashionable to engage in various meditations. There is nothing wrong with this. Meditation is a great thing, but on some subconscious level, I never wanted to do it. Couldn't figure out why? When I figured out what meditation is, did I find the answer to this question?

Meditation is awareness, only in artificial and sterile conditions. So why waste such a fleeting life on meditation? You can practice mindfulness in real life without wasting time.

mindfulness is a clear and complete understanding of the current moment. Continuous attention directed to thoughts, emotions, feelings, bodily sensations, motives and their causes. A clear understanding of what, why and how is happening.

The tools of awareness are attention and observation. We have already dealt with attention and now a few words about observation.

“I” is not my thoughts and not my feelings or emotions. We can observe our thoughts and emotions. Observation in this case is not an assessment or analysis, but simply a fixation of attention and evidence of what attention is directed to.

Why is awareness needed?

Personally, mindfulness interests me for two reasons: firstly, it is the foundation and an absolute necessity for personal development, and secondly, it is one of the fundamental principles of coaching.

Our most important freedom is the freedom of choice. Thanks to the freedom of choice, we have the opportunity to go our own way towards our goals. We have the opportunity to determine our attitude to many things, to form a worldview.

Freedom of choice determines the emotional and mental reaction to what is happening. At any moment, anything, we can evaluate as Victory or Defeat. It is at the moment of deciding what this or that event means to us and how to react to it that our freedom manifests itself and this is how we build our life. Without awareness, this would not be possible.

Eastern martial arts masters instruct students to fight in the Zanshin state, i.e. in strict awareness. As they practice, gain experience and improve their skills, they live in the state of Zanshin. Of course, if you tirelessly practice and develop this quality.

Professional athletes in the west are also in a similar state during competitions and training. Whether it's pole vaulting, football or boxing. For example, a boxer in the ring needs to be aware at every moment of how tired he is, to feel the time until the end of the round, to see the opponent's actions, to respond to the referee's instructions, to choose tactics, change strategy and much more, and all this in high dynamics.

An entrepreneur or manager is in an equally turbulent flow of events. He needs to clearly plan time, feel subordinates, establish emotional contact with partners in negotiations, keep a million and a small cart of information in his head, navigate with lightning speed in the constantly changing space of external and internal circumstances. It has been proven that ordinary employees usually have less awareness than top managers or entrepreneurs who are responsible for the company or a significant part of it.

A housewife, especially in a large family, in truth should have almost all the qualities of a first-class manager. Even more than that: she manages accounting and logistics, organizes children, and this is much more difficult than adult uncles and aunts, negotiates with doctors and teachers, plans a million things, etc. All these worries can be an unbearable burden, or they can be a pleasure. It all depends on the degree of awareness.

Self-awareness frees us from social patterns and bad habits; in relation to others - leads to harmony of feelings and emotions; in relation to the entire surrounding reality, it frees from all kinds of erroneous judgments that lead many people to suffering and dissatisfaction with life.

Mindfulness allows you to constantly remember the main things. About why each of us is here, about purpose, mission, goals and life values. Determine your purpose and goals, and most importantly, do not turn off the path, under the pressure of external circumstances.

Awareness monitors our moral character and morality, not allowing us to fall below the level we have determined.

Embodiments of awareness.

Being aware of your body is perhaps the foundation for mindfulness practice and, in my opinion, it is worth starting with it. Mindfulness of one's own body is both the simplest and the most complex.

In everyday life, we do not hear the beating of our heart. But by directing the ray of our flashlight-attention, we can clearly feel its tremors. First, try to feel the heartbeat in the complete silence of your own home, then when at home the usual situation, then on a quiet street, and finally at rush hour in a crowded city. A very interesting exercise for those who have never practiced meditation. Try it!

We can also observe breathing, digestion, the movement of blood and other fluids in our body. You can start simple - be aware of your body while walking or running. Pay attention to each step, how the foot becomes, how the muscles tense up, how your spine absorbs, how the inhalation and exhalation takes place.

Such activities seem like a waste of time only at first glance. Such practices eventually lead to a decrease or complete stop of our internal monologue - a rattling thought stirrer. Gives a feeling of pleasure from a simple movement. Allows you to feel the body so deeply that a person knows for sure what food or any other effect on his body is good and what is bad.

Do you think yoga asanas or all the variety of styles of taijiquan (Wushu) were invented only for the health of the body? First of all, they were created for the development of consciousness, and only then for the body.

In our daily routine, it is not necessary to practice yoga or wushu. It can be any kind of training: fitness, exercises with and without weights, walking or running, cycling, rollerblading, tennis. Any physical exercise while focusing on the body will do.

If health does not allow, then you can be aware of your body while eating, remember the famous tea ceremony (and not be distracted by TV, magazine or music), walking, and even during any other movement or even without it :)

Being aware of your emotions is the next step.

Suppressing or otherwise dealing with emotions is dangerous! Emotion is a complex mental process in which the body releases hormones into the bloodstream and other serious changes. The suppression of emotions leads to psychosomatic illnesses, i.e. to both physical and mental health problems.

I encourage you to watch your emotions. At first, you can even get yourself a small notebook and write down what emotions you experienced during the day and in what quantity.

I emphasize once again that observation excludes evaluation and analysis, but only testifies: "Oh, I was just surprised, but now I'm upset ... ".

Detachment while observing emotions will take us to the next level.

Awareness of a relationship or feeling.

Any event or person causes in us an instant feeling of inner comfort or discomfort. This is a more subtle work of observing our inner feelings. This is the very voice of the soul, which is talked about so much and which few people hear.

The next step truly opens up tremendous opportunities for us. Here we will just use the freedom of choice. The process looks something like this: external stimulus - sensation - emotion - our response. Often, people act like a snail, which hides in a shell every time it is touched.

The practice of awareness of sensations and emotions allows you to rise just above the level of the cochlea. And now, at the level of sensations, we increasingly experience comfort. Then a positive emotion appears, and, accordingly, our reaction will be constructive and effective.

All this is simple, but in practice it is difficult, because there are much more negative emotions. This is due to the need to survive in an aggressive environment. The good news is that dinosaurs are now extinct and we can choose our environment.

Our sensations are often built on the basis of past experience and perception patterns imposed from outside. Therefore, by deliberately and consciously choosing positive reactions to negative stimuli, each time we strengthen the positive experience and form our own patterns of perception.

Awareness of thoughts

You can often hear sayings: “The head is like a box” (and there is a rumble and noise in it) or “Porridge in the head”. Unfortunately, it happens. Our mind is constantly occupied with a monologue that rushes at great speed, jumping from thought to thought, absolutely chaotically. We worry about things that haven’t happened yet, we reason and assume things that haven’t happened yet, we judge and evaluate other people, we develop fantasies according to various negative scenarios, we envy, we regret the past, we feel sorry for ourselves, etc. Moreover, most of this chatter is negatively colored, another part is absolutely useless in practical application, and only rarely do positive or constructive thoughts slip through.

The constant practice of observing thoughts and unflagging attention lead to a complete shutdown or weakening of the thought-mixer. After mastering the observation, you can move on to the analysis, evaluation and filtering of thoughts. Leave the positive and necessary, weed out the negative and false. Even at the level of observation, an incomparable feeling of peace and tranquility appears. When instead of a raging mess, ringing clarity reigns in my head. This is comparable to complete silence after several hours of drilling a concrete wall with a perforator by your neighbors :)

The main advantage of mindfulness is the ability to consciously direct our thoughts, to focus on a particular topic. You yourself understand how much a positive attitude of thoughts gives - the whole world around is in a hurry to do a good deed for you.

Awareness of thoughts leads not only to high efficiency of thinking, but also to intuitive insights that come from nowhere more and more often.

Awareness of the living world

Of course, the first thing is the people. Take my word for it, attentiveness to animals and even plants brings no less joy and benefit than communication with people.

People themselves are rarely aware of themselves, more often identify themselves with their thoughts, and call themselves according to the type of activity or social status. And we don't even notice the people around us. Even people close to us. We are always in a hurry, on the go we say something, we do something. It is regrettable, but we have to admit that often we use others for some purpose. And they, in turn, use us. What kind of harmony is there?

Awareness of surrounding people or animals is nothing more than a manifestation of attention to them. It means to understand and feel their mood, feelings, emotions, motives of actions. This is the basis of any relationship - both in the family and in business. Just think about the people around you, about their lives, interests, worries, health. Pay attention to passers-by, to strangers on the streets or in cafes. On their facial expressions, gestures, intonations. This is also part of the practice of observation.

When communicating with people, focus on their personality, on their needs and interests, and involuntarily they will do the same towards you. Don't trust me - try it!

Observation of animals and plants will also bring a lot into your life. We can endlessly learn unconditional love and devotion from dogs, independence from cats, hoarding from rodents, and so on. And a garden or kitchen garden, well-groomed with love, will give you not only a tasty and healthy harvest, but also positive energy.

Awareness of reality

The world around us is many and varied. It does not matter where you live, whether it is an apartment in a metropolis or a house in the countryside. We are all surrounded by many things and objects. All of them can remain faceless for us, or they can be soulful friends.

When I watch children play, I never cease to be amazed at their endless imagination and passion. They can spend hours fiddling with pebbles, twigs, sand, etc. This is the phone, and this is the car, and this is the bed. But as we age, we lose the power of imagination and the belief that the impossible is possible. This, by the way, is a minus in our creativity and efficiency in solving complex problems.

I am a supporter of functional simplicity - I do not like unnecessary things and objects. But those that are, for me, become friends and helpers, until they finally fail. Partly, therefore, they serve me faithfully for a long time. I enjoy using them and taking care of them.

All the reality around us - from the morning breeze to the trilling of cicadas at sunset - with due attention, can bestow pleasure on us. We are constantly busy and always in a hurry, we do not notice the bright colors of life - it exhausts and exhausts us.

Observations of the surrounding nature or the rhythm of the metropolis, attention to the whole space, gives us a feeling of peace and beauty. Allows you to experience the joy of simple things and activities. Taste the world, feel its aroma, examine all its colors, feel it with your hands, stomp it with your feet. Test yourself in the mountains, in the sea, in the steppe, in the meadow, in the park - feel the beauty and grace of life.

Awareness of reality in a global sense leads us to an understanding of the fundamental laws of our life.

For example, the realization that death is part of life. It should not be feared, but it must be remembered in order not to waste the time allotted to us on candy wrappers, but only on worthy deeds. It is easier for the conscious to determine the really worthwhile goals from the fake ones.

Another law is that there is no beginning and end, but only action, movement, change. Having accepted this, we no longer put off the new “start on Monday” habit, but start it right away. The same principle is the answer to the question: “Is it too late for me?” or “Is it too early for me? I'll do it when I retire." In fact, there is no "yesterday" and "tomorrow" for us. All that is given to us is only a present moment and it is necessary to use it as efficiently and better as possible.

You yourself can meet many insights and find those already open by deliberately practicing awareness of reality.

In conclusion, I note that mindfulness needs regular and round-the-clock practice. Use every convenient and inconvenient moment for this. Then mindfulness will become a part of your life.

Ecology of life. People: Mindfulness is the awakening of consciousness, continuous attentiveness in every moment of life

mindfulness is the awakening of consciousness, continuous attentiveness in every moment of life. When during the performance of any action there is no wandering in thoughts, and attention is directed to what is being done specifically at the moment.

Ordinary perception is like a semi-drowsy state in which, somewhere at the subconscious level, a “frame-by-frame” scanning of what is happening at the current moment takes place. Then, the information "accepted" in the form of images passes to more detailed processing already with the help of the thinking apparatus.

Thus, a person loses contact with pure reality, which is replaced by his (karmically) conditioned thoughts. Awareness awakens the dormant consciousness.

The Purpose of Mindfulness Practice - divert attention from thoughts about what is happening to what is happening in the moment now. As one Zen master said of his practice, "When I eat, I eat; when I carry water, I carry water." This is an extremely important, one might say, key moment (and essence) of the practice that awakens and evolves our consciousness.

In fact, mindfulness and meditation are synonymous. . Meditation differs only in that during its implementation, you practice awareness in the most comfortable, "greenhouse" conditions. However, a person cannot spend years sitting with their eyes closed. Moreover, mindfulness in motion is a more advanced practice. And what's the point in being idle all your life? Even if the movements do not make sense, their absence also does not make any sense! Otherwise, life would not leave the state of unmanifested nirvana. Wisdom is in active, creative clarity.

Under what conditions is the practice of awakening awareness successful?

The whole point is to make your attention uninterrupted, not distracted by thoughts for a moment. Thanks to such continuous cheerfulness of consciousness, an incredible, subtle experience appears, as if you have awakened. At first it seems a miracle that this amazing freedom and fullness of the continuous moment of “now”, the feeling of being, has always been with you, and how strange that no one notices or talks about it.

The surrounding space and objects lose their sense of size, because all these experiences have only a mental coloring. Looking at familiar objects, it becomes obvious that their size is arbitrary. It is difficult to say whether objects are large or small, whether they are far or close, and this does not in the least complicate your movement, but on the contrary makes it more accurate, penetrating.

With further deepening of awareness, a feeling of eternity may appear, as if what is happening to you has always been, and the distances to objects may seem infinitely far away. The body begins to be perceived as if from the outside.

The speed of what is happening also loses its usual criteria, and even in simple movements and feelings, an incredibly fast flow of sensations is experienced. These experiences cannot be put into words. Nothing compares to direct experience. published

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Mindfulness is one of the most popular and little understood phenomena of philosophical, psychological and religious thought and practice. Thanks to which everyone interprets it as they can.

Theorists like to talk about awareness more, not noticing much that they get annoyed for any reason or play elephant flies.

Observations of practitioners in writing are rare because they are practitioners. They do, they don't say. But every well-known guru has his own apostles who speak the word, thanks to which we have the good fortune to get acquainted with the works on awareness by Osho, Gurdjieff, as well as various free expositions of awareness in Buddhism.

In addition to Buddhism, Western psychology and philosophy claim to discover this phenomenon.

Mindfulness is one of the basic concepts of Gestalt therapy along with ZiS - “here and now”.

In fact, awareness is the result of a rather successful crossing of Western and Eastern culture. Osho did not hide that he had read thousands of works by European philosophers, psychologists, psychiatrists, mystics, theosophists of different times. He was well acquainted with the work of Freud and all his students. And in turn, many of the Western psychologists and philosophers studied Eastern culture, Buddhism, Eastern practices and techniques, living in ashrams and learning meditation from Eastern teachers, who later became known in Europe as awakened ones.
Similar practices exist in different nations. Gradually gaining popularity, the ancient Slavic practice of awareness, a change in attitude towards oneself and the world is called "I am".

Classification of awareness
So, awareness is involvement, awakening from emotional, intellectual, spiritual hibernation, from automatisms and autopilot.

In addition to inclusion, mindfulness, vigilance, cheerfulness of consciousness, observation, deep self-awareness, self-management, taking responsibility for any of your emotions, feelings, thoughts, actions and inactions are called synonyms for awareness in various sources.

Classes of awareness are rather the stages of its development, because there is not much awareness. Full awareness turns the layman into a Buddha.

1. Awareness of your physical body at every moment of time, including all the physiological processes that take place in it: breathing, heartbeat, the work of the digestive and excretory systems.
2. Awareness of the etheric body - the body of emotions. Monitor the functioning of the endocrine system.
3. Awareness of the astral body - feelings and experiences.
4. Awareness of the mental body - the body of the mind. Mind current observation. Control and the ability to stop it or not become attached.
5. Synthesis of all previous types of awareness, that is, instantaneous awareness of oneself (fourth way according to Gurdjieff).
6. Awareness of the causal body, that is, the body of events, or awareness of other people.
7. Awareness of reality in its entirety is the ultimate Awakening.

Difficulties in Mastering Mindfulness

By the age of passion for such literature, a person is well aware of only one tool for understanding the world. This is the same mind, which is now very fashionable to scold for its imperfection, vanity, lack of independence. The mind that makes a person smart, increasing his heart rate. Not to be confused with intelligence. Reason makes a person wise and indifferent to the pagan dances of the Ego, as well as to someone else's HR. Mindfulness is closely related to awakening the mind and spreading its influence wherever possible.

From Ouspensky's conversations with Gurdjieff "In Search of the Miraculous":

“Have you ever thought that all people themselves are machines?
“Yes,” I replied, “from a strictly scientific point of view, all people are machines controlled by external influences. But the whole question is whether this scientific view can be accepted.
- Scientific or unscientific - for me it's all the same, objected Gurdjieff. - I want you to understand exactly what I'm saying. Look, all these people that you see - and he pointed to the street. “They are all just machines and nothing more.”

And this machine is invited to realize all the processes of all levels occurring in it, and to realize it through constant observation. And this is where the fun begins. Okay, the average layman absorbs food and excretes 3 times a day, but does he breathe? What about heart contractions? If you are aware of every physiological act, then falling into nirvana is quite real. Quite quickly, at least from hunger. You can no longer work and earn money. The same goes for other social roles.

In addition to the more or less studied instrument of the mind, the layman (and even then not everyone) is familiar with the process of control. So it is precisely the layman who begins mastering awareness by controlling with his mind the processes that are not intended by nature for volitional regulation.

Yes, yes, along with walking on coals and swallowing swords, fakirs-yogis are able to control breathing and stop and then start the heart. But even Gurdjieff himself, followed by Osho, who was well acquainted with his practices, did not dare to call these people Buddhas. They honestly and bluntly said that these were beggarly street clowns for the entertainment of a satiated public. And they can't do anything other than that. Slightly other machines without awareness.

As a result, the consequence of an arbitrary change in the rhythm of breathing is its serious failure, for example, apnea. A person begins to choke in his sleep, because the day and night rhythms no longer coincide. This leads to insomnia due to fear of suffocation. Chronic diseases are often exacerbated due to circulatory disorders.

The whole difficulty lies in not controlling these processes, but observing at the same time.

According to the mystics, inside each person there is a kind of Observer who only observes, without interfering in life in any way, that is, without evaluating the object of observation, without comparing, and accordingly without condemning. This is a passive, not an active process, it does not break anything. In some sources, the Observer is called a point of impartial attention. Mindfulness is a constant connection with this point.

Observation of any processes in the body from this point gives objective information about what is happening, that very knowledge and understanding of oneself, and hence other people, and hence the essence of interactions, called an event.

Establishing a constant channel of communication with your true self makes a person much more effective within their true desires and goals in life. That is, in theory, a person becomes whole, acquires an inner core, is not subject to influences and manipulations, does not suffer from reflection, because he controls emotions and the mind, becomes reasonable, calm, balanced. In the process or after that, he finds people corresponding to his condition, his life's work, his family. Happy end.

In practice, there are few such people. This is a piece of development, unique for everyone. For example, it is assumed that Gurdjieff himself, Osho managed to awaken, but those who were next to them remained ordinary people, and some even failed to do so.

Osho's practice of awakening awareness in a large group of people (up to 15,000) ended with the creation of a totalitarian sect with a closed territory, guards, torture, sexual violence, rampant drug addiction, slave labor, his icons on every corner and neck, the ascension of laudatory odes. In the end, he and the ashram were expelled from the United States, and other countries did not want to accept them. And the one who was called the living Buddha died of AIDS at 56 years old.

Surely there have been times in your life when, upon arriving at your destination in your car, you could only remember very little of what you saw during the trip. Or, having opened a bag of chips, literally after a moment you suddenly noticed that all that was left in your hands was just an empty bag.

This state of mind is often referred to as an autopilot, as if the person is awake asleep. As a result scientific research it was found that about 47% of the time that people spend in the waking state, most of us live in autopilot mode, i.e. a person does not live in reality, but in his thoughts in his head.

Living in this way, we often do not notice a large number of sights that life gives us at every step, we do not perceive many sounds, smells, joyful moments that we could appreciate.

We don't listen to what our body is telling us, and too often engage in a mechanically monotonous way of thinking that becomes harmful to ourselves and to those around us.

On autopilot, we tend to get bogged down in a constant rush and excessive activity, or to do completely unnecessary things.

Our mind, unable to be silent for a second, is in constant motion, as a result of which we lose touch with reality and with our own body, pretty soon plunging into obsessive thoughts about something that is usually associated with a past that does not exist or is not yet coming future.

We become prone to anxiety, negative feelings, depression and wasted energy.

And for good reason, scientists came to the conclusion that the mind wandering in its thoughts negatively affects the level of happiness and satisfaction with life.

The concept of mindfulness, as well as practices for its development, go back to ancient times, and are closely associated with religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism.

mindfulness is the human ability to be fully present in the present moment, to be here and now, to be aware of where a person is, what he is doing and what he feels, instead of concentrating on his thoughts that go beyond the surrounding reality.

Mindfulness is the opposite of a wandering mind, so it involves turning off autopilot mode and taking manual control of the helm of our attention.

We observe the habit of our mind to paint pictures and write stories about what reality is. And when we begin to blindly trust our reason, we can easily become a victim of suffering if our expectations are not met.

Therefore, we take a step back and perceive reality as it really is, no more and no less.

We begin to realize that we are not our own thoughts or feelings, ceasing to identify ourselves with them and be guided by them.

Instead of regretting the past or worrying about the future, we are in the present moment, dealing with what is happening here and now.

As we gain the skills to manage our emotions and our state of mind, we are able to use our mind to the maximum effect, instead of being a slave to it.

It should also be emphasized that awareness is characterized by impartiality. We do not make value judgments, saying that this event is bad, and this is good, and even if we do this, we are simply aware of such thoughts and let them go.

We don’t get upset if we experience unpleasant sensations, or because we don’t get the desired emotions. We simply realize and accept everything that happens.

We do not seek to control, suppress, or stop our thoughts. Having chosen the role of an observer, we notice phenomena that spontaneously arise, pass through us and cease to exist.

Whether this experience is pleasant or painful, we treat it the same way. This is the peace of mind.

What does it mean to be aware. An example of a conscious approach

Think about how you usually react when you face a problem.

At first, you are either frightened or annoyed, starting to question and convince yourself: “Why do I need all this?”, “I don’t understand this well”, “I won’t succeed”, “I will look stupid.”

Preferences of this kind only divert your attention from working on finding a solution to the problem. Sometimes you put the problem on the back burner altogether and do nothing.

And how could it be otherwise if you reacted consciously, without judgments and an internal attitude to the situation itself and your own capabilities, guided only by curiosity aimed at solving the problem that arose.

What if you directly experienced the whole process as it developed and went through each of the stages - anxiety, idea, action, result, realizing and accepting each thought and feeling without having to dwell on it and indulge in reasoning.

If you do this systematically, you will begin to notice your habitual thought patterns that cause you to automatically react to events in negative and unhelpful ways, driving you into stressful situations.

By being aware and yet not reacting, you expand your objective perspective on the situation and can develop the most effective solution.

The Benefits of Mindfulness

1. Mindfulness reduces anxiety, irritability, and exposure to stressful conditions.
2. It is an effective tool in the fight against depression.
3. Fills with mental and physical energy, helps to get rid of.
4. It is highly effective in managing chronic pain.
5. Improves memory and concentration.
6. Allows you to control useless thoughts.
7. Develops your intelligence, empathy and compassion, including in relation to yourself, and also improves you in the field of interpersonal relationships.
8. Improves your (especially beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system) and improves immunity.
9. Develops clearer, goal-oriented thinking that increases your efficiency in professional and household activities.
10. Helps to increase creativity and.
11. Increases and improves the flexibility of your behavior.
12. Helps to get rid of bad habits and even lose weight.
13. Increases the level of happiness, well-being and optimism.

Mindfulness can literally transform you from within.

As you develop awareness, you will discover the most amazing and incredible surprise: what you were always looking for somewhere “out there” - a sense of harmony, contentment and wholeness, was all the time in yourself.

In other words, the more aware you are, the happier and fuller life you will be able to live.

How to be a mindful person

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

1. Practicing Mindfulness in Daily Life

Try to bring awareness into the daily activities that you normally do on autopilot.

For example, focus 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 find that routine activities are actually a lot more interesting than you previously thought.

2. 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 not prejudicing them as habitual mental events.

Imagine that you are standing at the bus station and watching the thought buses come and go, and you make no attempt to prevent them from entering or leaving the bus station. At first it may seem like a daunting task, but later on you will succeed.

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

3. 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 at all like that. It is not you who is worried, but simply a thought called Anxiety has visited you, in which case welcome it.

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

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

4. Practice Mindfulness While Waiting

In our life filled with an endless stream of various events, waiting is an annoying source of dreary frustration, whether you are waiting in line at the store or in a traffic jam.

Although waiting is not the most pleasant experience, it can be an opportunity to practice mindfulness.

While waiting, direct your attention to your own breathing. Focus on inhaling and exhaling while letting everything else just be, even if you feel impatient or irritated.

5. Come up with a reminder to be mindful

Choose a cue that you come across on a regular basis to put your brain in mindful mode.

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

6. Meditate

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

Meditation

As a rule, meditation consists in being in a relaxed state, focusing on your breathing. Focusing on each inhalation and exhalation allows you to observe your thoughts as they arise in your mind and stop fighting them.

You realize that thoughts come and go on their own, that you are not your thoughts. You can notice how they appear in your mind, seemingly out of nowhere, and then disappear like a bursting soap bubble.

You come to a deep understanding that thoughts and feelings, including negative ones, are transient phenomena. Thus, you have a choice: whether to somehow react to them, or let them dissolve.

If negative thoughts hang over your head, you will learn not to take them personally, but to treat them like black clouds in the autumn sky, watching them with friendly curiosity as they drift past.

Developing mindfulness as a result of meditation will allow you to catch negative thoughts before they have a negative impact on you, returning your life under your control.

Over time, mindfulness leads to long-term changes in mood, happiness, and well-being.

Debunking myths about meditation

1. Meditation is not a religion, but mindfulness is just a method of training the mind.
   Many people who practice meditation are themselves religious, but a fair number of atheists and agnostics also use the practice of meditation in their lives.
2. When you meditate, you don't have to sit cross-legged on the floor, but you can if you want to. You can meditate while sitting on a chair, and you can also practice walking meditation.
   Still, the first option is preferable.
3. The practice of mindfulness does not take much time (30 minutes a day is enough, but you can increase the duration to 1 hour), although it requires some patience and perseverance.
   Many people quickly find that meditation frees them from the pressures of time, so they are more able to do other things effectively.
4. Meditation is not a difficult process, although at first you will experience some discomfort, because this has not been done before.
   You don't aspire to anything, you don't crave success, and you don't take the risk of failure. You just sit and focus on your breath, being aware of your belly rising and then falling.
5. Meditation will not stop your mind from working or get in the way of achieving your life goals.
   But it will allow you to see the world with greater clarity, helping you to make smarter and more informed decisions, correcting for the better those things in your life that really need to be changed.
   Meditation will help you develop a deep awareness of the phenomena around you, which will allow you to objectively evaluate your goals and find the best way to achieve them.

How to Meditate

1. Find a Place to Meditate

Whether you're sitting on a chair, a meditation cushion, a park bench, or against a wall, choose a seat that's comfortable for you and won't let you tuck in or droop.

2. Pay attention to your feet

If you are sitting on a pillow on the floor, then cross your legs in front of you. If you decide to meditate in a chair, make sure your feet touch the floor.

3. Align your upper body

Trying to straighten your back, do not try to overstretch it, because the spine has a natural curvature. Let your back stay in a natural position. Your head and shoulders should be comfortable on top of your vertebrae.

4. Keep your shoulders parallel to your upper body.

Then let your hands fall on the bases of your feet.

5. Drop your chin down a little.

As a result, your gaze will also rush behind the chin a little down. It is not necessary to close your eyes, but if you feel more comfortable meditating with your eyes closed, you can close them. As you gain experience, you will most likely begin to close your eyes.

6. Relaxing the body and focusing attention

Scan the body with your attention, and relax all its parts. Concentrate on your belly and keep following your breath as your belly rises and falls.

Do not try to take in too much air, let the body do everything naturally, because all that is required of you is conscious contemplation. As a result, barely perceptible breathing will become habitual for you.

Your attention will inevitably be distracted from concentration on the breath. Do not worry and do not judge yourself, but simply return your attention to the right point. Attention escapes - attention returns.

In the process of meditation, do not try to achieve any goal. Practice meditation for the sake of meditation itself.

At first, you can meditate for 5 minutes, after which you yourself will feel the need to increase the duration of meditation.

Conclusion

Mindfulness is the energy that allows you to acknowledge the conditions of happiness that are already present in your life.

You don't have to wait ten years to experience happiness, because every moment of your daily life is filled with it.

Many of us are alive but forget about it, but when you take a breath and become aware of your breath, you again touch the miracle of being alive in the fullest sense of the word. That is why mindfulness is the source of happiness and joy.