What is mindfulness and how can you develop it?

Often, when we say that a person leads a conscious life, we thereby compliment him. Indeed, living consciously is not only useful, but also interesting. But how to achieve awareness and whether everyone can do it - you can find answers to these questions in the article.

Modern psychology interprets awareness as the principle of life, a skill in which a person constantly monitors his current states, experiences, sensations. He fixes the inner focus of attention on them. In fact, a person lives here and now, without being distracted by experiences of the past or anxiety and thoughts about the future. Awareness is not absolute, it is considered quite relative, because representatives of the animal world are also able to be aware of certain events, sometimes subconsciously.

The attention span of humans and animals is regulated by the nervous system. However, the latter diligently "suppresses" many impulses, otherwise the part of the brain, perceiving the data, simply would not be able to cope with their processing due to the large amount of information. If the system of this "suppression" is weakened, then a state of "expanded consciousness" arises, in which much more data enters the brain than usual. This concept is widely used by shamans and followers of some esoteric techniques and practices.

Some healing techniques are based on awareness. For example, it is used by gestalt therapists to treat certain mental disorders.Speaking about awareness, one should clearly see its differences from consciousness - the second “reminds” us of the rules of behavior, norms, duty, while awareness only helps to expand attention, focus on our inner state, and from this gradually move on to external interactions with the world ...

The concept is also used in philosophy. Rene Descartes was one of the first to study it. He called the state of awareness "scientific consciousness", and used the famous saying: "I think, therefore I am." Descartes defined the path of introspection as introspection. A little later, Descartes' achievements were used in experimental psychology.

Much has been written and said about how beautiful and rich a conscious life is, how important awareness is for self-development. But this does not make it clearer - confusion reigns in the minds of most people on this issue. If, for example, you ask why you need awareness at all, you can probably live without it, then the answer is obvious - you can, but life will be more difficult. Let's try to figure out why.

When a person practices mindfulness, he receives many benefits on three levels - psychological, bodily, and in everyday life. A clear record of their actions allows you to never forget where, for example, keys to an apartment, documents or a telephone directory are kept. But everyday pluses are just a pleasant bonus on the path of awareness, while the main processes develop at a deep level.

Through the acquisition of awareness, the world is accepted without criticism and negativity, as well as oneself in this world. It is also worth training mindfulness to improve one's health - a person begins to listen to his body and its signals, to monitor the purity of his thoughts. There is a clear and proven relationship between the purity of thoughts and the physical state, and therefore learning to be mindful means nothing more than moving to a new level of development.

Having gained awareness, a person learns to weed out positive thoughts and attitudes from negative ones that destroy him and his existence. It effectively resists the stresses of the modern world, depression, anxiety disorders. The order is restored in the head, which, undoubtedly, is the main thing. Regular exercises aimed at increasing the level of awareness can help a person become calmer and more confident. He quickly finds contact with the world around him, clearly understands his true needs, knows how to set goals for himself.

Specialists in the field of psychology and psychotherapy distinguish several levels of awareness, differing in depth (degree). The higher the level, the higher the degree of awareness is characteristic of a person. At each level, a new potential of choice opens up. Most often, the structure is depicted as a multi-level pyramid. It is understood that each of its levels has its own frequency energy potentials. Low levels can be compared to the basement of a building. If a person is here, then he looks at the boring and monotonous basement view, believing that the world is limited by this particular room. To see more, one has to climb higher.

And also living at the lower levels of awareness can be compared to continuous sleep. A person provides his biological existence, but does not use either his energy potential or the exceptional talents given by nature. Such people are more susceptible to manipulation, their consciousness and opinion are easily controlled by those who have climbed several floors higher. Supporters of esoteric teachings assure that those who live above are actively taking energy from the inhabitants of the lower levels of awareness, living in the "basement darkness". Their potential is limited only by that energy level, which is sufficient for banal survival.

What level you are at is not so difficult to determine. Experts have compiled the following classification.

• Victims. The lowest level (the same "basement"). A person reacts painfully to problems, looks for the guilty, seeks to blame them and the imperfection of the world. Often such people say that their life is hopeless. Basement levels rarely receive light. A person is often sick, faces setbacks, and his usual emotional background is negative.
• Wrestlers. This level can be compared to the first floor of a multi-storey building. A person reacts aggressively to problems, seeks to look for the guilty, but not only blames them, but also fights with them, sometimes deploying large-scale hostilities, is inclined to prove his innocence and swing his rights. Often he lives in a state of conflict not only with others, but also with himself.
• Seekers. A person of this level reacts with interest to emerging problems. It is important for him to find the cause of what happened, to understand what is happening. They are less likely to get sick, are virtuoso in finding solutions. But the situation is unstable, they are often provoked by people from the category of victims and fighters, and if a person succumbs to such manipulations and provocations, he again falls to low levels of awareness.
• Players. A person of this level perceives each problem as the next step. He quickly finds solutions, does not waste time and effort looking for reasons or digging in himself. Such people hardly get sick, they are more often in an elevated optimistic mood, they communicate well even with representatives of low levels, being able to defend themselves against them. But if the defense is "broken", then they risk for a short while in the ranks of victims or fighters.
• Creators. These are people who react to all troubles with enthusiasm. They watch over them, patiently survive as the problem develops. If it is not solved by itself, they take it and solve it easily on their own. They are healthy, more often than not happy, and if they descend to lower levels, it is solely for the sake of an adventure adventure.
• Sources. People who were able to reach the upper floors. They almost never have problems, complete harmony reigns everywhere. It is believed that there are practically no such people on the planet, but this level is the benchmark that everyone else is aiming at.

Before you start working on your own awareness, you need to learn more about its components. The most effective and efficient techniques used by modern specialists are based on them.

Usually we are not aware of it. From the moment of birth to death, we just breathe, which is a natural process. A person usually begins to concentrate on breathing only when some problems occur with him, for example, respiratory diseases arise. Psychologists advise not to wait for this moment.

Concentrating on the breath is the first path to awareness. Now, as you read this article, do you notice your breathing? If not, then it's time to try to fix your attention on the breath and on the text at the same time. Transfer this practice to all activities. You wash the dishes and notice the breath, negotiate with a client or partner - and do the same, that is, watch the breath. From this point on, we can assume that you have found a ladder along which you will climb to higher floors. But at the same time, you are only at the beginning of the path.

Having mastered conscious inhalation and exhalation, make it harder for yourself - learn to record your feelings in real time, noting feelings at one time or another. Try not to rate your feelings - they are neither good nor bad, they just are.

The emotional life will be the third area of ​​work. When performing actions, we not only breathe and feel, but also experience certain emotions - joy, sadness, anxiety. The challenge is to learn how to highlight positive and negative emotions. When you start to feel something unpleasant, you should learn to quickly capture this moment and stop in time, switching to more positive thoughts.

We have a constant stream of thoughts. We think about the mass of things and phenomena, while thoughts jump, move from one subject to another. More often than not, we are not even aware of all of them. On the path to awareness, a person learns to control his thoughts, manage them, direct them exclusively in a creative and positive direction.

Developing mindfulness means encouraging attention to whatever you are doing. Concentrate your attention consistently on breathing and walking, and only then move on to the next components - sensations. Engaging emotions and gaining control over thoughts will not work if you have not gone through the previous steps. The main skill will be the ability to practice the "here and now" rule in everyday life.

Not only Tibetan monks and followers of Taoism will be able to develop such skills. Anyone can achieve the absence of internal torment, dialogues and doubts. If you want, take action immediately. Keep a diary and note in it every day what progress is being observed. This will help to improve achievement, and will also help to increase your own concentration.

• Only truth. Any lie reduces awareness. This is the first and foremost rule. Every time you encourage the truth, speak it, act in accordance with the truth, your awareness grows.
• Watch. Train observation, do not confuse it with observation. You do not analyze or evaluate anything, but only see and fix for yourself a fait accompli. Look at the familiar as if you did it for the first time, forget about the observations of the past.
• Don't suppress yourself. Mindfulness does not mean that you begin to intensely consciously suppress your negative character traits and flaws. Trying to "drive" your greed, deceit and fears deeper, you only confuse everything even more. Sooner or later, repressed emotions come out in the form of aggression, mental disorder, sexual perversion and various manias. You need to actively work with the negative inside, and not hide it.

There are many techniques, but each technique has its own advantages and disadvantages. Here are some effective techniques to help you raise your awareness.

The Nonjudgmental Observation Method (BON) is an effective technique that involves an inner observer in you. The bottom line is that you remain yourself, but you constantly observe yourself from the outside: your thoughts, actions, sensations, without giving any practical assessments. You don't judge or approve of yourself. You are neutral. All thoughts and emotions are considered carefully, but do it immediately, not allowing them to go to deeper subconscious levels.

It won't work right away. The inclination to evaluate everything will hinder for a long time. Training will help, in which you will record the assessment, but at the same time perceive it as an assessment and nothing more. The method involves several stages.

• Absence and presence "here and now". Try to keep a sense of where you are now - present, past or future.You drink coffee - it means that you only drink coffee and nothing more. Do not break away mentally from this pleasant activity. Observe how often you are not “here”. This may scare you at first - all too often you will be absent from the present tense. Understanding your absence will be the beginning of working on yourself.
• Returning yourself to the "now". Once you catch yourself in another absence, start practicing an exercise that will help bring yourself back. Give yourself a key phrase, such as "Come back" or "In a moment." For example, you are preparing breakfast. But catch yourself thinking that in your head you have already begun to prepare reports for the manager, although this is only to be done in 3 hours. But in fact, you are in the kitchen, so you should immediately give yourself the command to return and focus on the action that you are currently performing. Practice the exercise an unlimited number of times a day.
• Conscious observation. Having learned to observe yourself in a moment in time, move on to non-judgmental observation of your emotions and thoughts. Try to look at them, as well as at yourself, from the side - from the side or from above (but without evaluations). For example, you have an interview coming up, so you are worried because you are interested in getting a job. See yourself through the eyes of a movie viewer in which you play the lead. See how the hero experiences, how he seeks to please. Pay attention to the tension in the body.

The method can be practiced daily, some call it "Challenge 30 days". Of course, the process will not be limited to a month, the exercise will have to be performed later, but not to gain awareness, but to maintain life in it.

• Breathe. Whatever you do, watch your breath. Try to increase the monitoring time. Whether you are talking to someone or alone with yourself, practice mindful, flowing breaths in and out.
• Feel. Start by recording sensations throughout the day that occur in a specific muscle group, such as your fingertips or the cervical region. Keep track of them, how they change in different circumstances and situations. Gradually expand your area of ​​attention by simultaneously controlling two or more muscle groups. Gradually you will learn to “hear” your body, to understand what caused certain sensations that arise.
• Control your emotions. Every time an emotion arises, observe it. This will help to impartially see your true feelings and needs. Gradually, you will learn to calmly neutralize all negative and maintain constructive emotions (joy, tenderness, gratitude). Ask yourself more often during the day about what emotions prevail in you at the moment, why this is happening.
• Think. Try to track your internal dialogue with yourself, monologues, transitions from one thought to another more often without evaluations. As with emotions, ask yourself what you are currently thinking and why.

Only after having mastered the above basics (and this process takes several months), proceed to more specific training, aimed at certain aspects. It will be easier and easier for you to cope with these tasks. This block includes the development of a conscious approach to the following aspects:

• values ​​- define them and follow only them, without betraying yourself in any situations;
• reality - try to evaluate what is happening around you, soberly and without evaluations perceive what is happening;
• speeches - watch what you say yourself, as well as what others say, be an attentive listener;
• movements - do not rush in movements, be smooth and measured, do not strive for high speed;
• actions - consider them from different points, but do not give estimates, otherwise you will have to start the whole path from the very beginning;
• activities - do your job flawlessly and responsibly, no matter what you do (even a trifle must be done at a high level, expertly);
• life - control your goals and plans, personal time, eliminate unnecessary actions and people who waste time without effect from life.

Achieving a specific goal will be easier if you heed the advice of experts.

• Change your attitude towards the world and yourself in favor of a neutral one. Only it corresponds to the truth.
• Your behavior will change as you progress through the levels of awareness, but always gradually.
• Maintain motivation and respect your choices. Don't be afraid to start over.