Art Of Attention: Awakening
Awakening is a process of bringing your fullest attention to the moment; nothing more complex than that. But the moment we awaken, we glimpse an evolving, comforting balance within ourselves, and with that balance we can serve - in our families, our love, our work, and our world. This week I offer two ways to awaken and uncover the existing greatness we all tend to deny within ourselves - in order to heal and proceed gracefully in our lives.
First I'll mention our other option: to stay asleep, entangled in the jumble of usual reactions with no regard for what is possible.
Back to awakening. We become familiar with our own rough, reactive reality in the most mundane moments to get a taste of the situation at hand. [Keep in mind that reactive people aren't just aggressive; repression as a reaction makes us sick too.]
Secondly, once seen, instead of succumbing to reactivity, we become more active. By "active" I mean that we are actively making attentive, grounded behavioral choices that help us balance our destructive tendencies with our highest potentials. In the words of my fearless [John] Friend, "...awakening is the ever-expanding process of recognizing that our true nature is full and lacking nothing.
"Spiritual freedom or enlightenment is not a fixed state of being. Rather it is an ever-evolving process of unfolding our innate divine effulgence, goodness, and balance... a deepening into the perfection that already exists."
In my own experience, I've constructed many veils that cover this unfolding effulgence, and am asleep often. We all have the ability to make our outer lives seem radiant when inwardly there is enormous doubt and fear. The process of placing our attention on the doubt and fear - and learning what we need to see in order to bring balance to this life - is the process of awakening that brings us toward that evolution again and again.
The moment we embark upon this process, all the usual escape hatches [destructive, sabotaging behaviors] zoom to the forefront. These distractions reflect our own personal surfeit of unprocessed experiences and guilt, residing in our bodies for years, unchecked [often as chronic pain, fatigue, dullness, sadness, overactive intellect, name it]. Facing those manifestations is crucial; and brings us closer to everyone nearby.
There are two practices that help me remember what needs to be done. See it clearly; learn to act instead of re-act.
1 - Self observation, leading to self mastery, is the most neutral scientific observation of one's self in order to discover from which center [physical, emotional or mental] the current reactions are flowing. Translated: to see which part of your being is enslaved to some external circumstance right now. To do so, practice watching your tendencies with curiosity instead of dread or judgment; the slightest bit of agility with your attention is all you need to bring you back to what is really happening, and your heart becomes more nimble all the time. [Tangentially, an example for the parents: your child needs you to be unshakably calm. Through watching myself overreact with my child, I've learned that to be an attentive parent is just to offer the simplest, calm responsiveness - and that our calm is infectious every time. I write this so I will remember this.]
Your self-observation practice is 5 minutes per day, sitting and breathing and watching. Happy or sad, you sit. We generate indestructible strength when we stick to this tiny consistency each day.
If you wish, to consider for these 5 minutes: when you get distracted/amused, notice your thoughts [intellectual center]. Don't try to change or stop them, just notice them occurring inside your brain, as impulses with momentum of their own. They will only drop anchor when we allow them to; they will pass if we keep watching.
Notice also your inner feeling(s) [emotional and/or physical center]. Don't try to change anything there either, just see where you're holding tension in your body, what parts of you are not available versus where you're able to sense energy percolating and flowing.
2- The second practice that helps me awaken, yoga -makes us more sensitive to our own inherent potential balance, physically, and the stronger we are in our bodies, the more readily we're able to release unneeded charge from our lives. Know that a quality teacher will tap into your most personal potentialities without speaking overly personally or forcing their opinion on you in their teaching. Class should leave you inquisitive, comfortable and clear.
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Rather than allowing reactive feelings or thoughts to be the driving force of all our choices big or small, we acknowledge that the reactivity exists, until it softens, which it always will. These, our most useful gifts to the world: to awaken, accept ourselves and choose our course with elegance.
Follow Elena Brower on Twitter: www.twitter.com/VIRAYOGA
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If you're a fan of Deepak Chopra, you might want to check out his new iPhone app ; it’s a first of its kind iPhone application implementing a thorough program to remove stress from daily life.
nice! what is it called?
Elena,
I think that your suggestion to notice "where you're holding tension in your body, what parts of you are not available versus where you're able to sense energy percolating and flowing" is so valuable. I remember reading an article by Sally Kempton a few years ago in which she suggested observing powerful emotional reactions within yourself by exploring where you feel them in your body and looking at them to see if they have a color, a texture, a shape. The more we look, the more deeply aware we become of how & where they are lodged in our bodies, and slowly the power that the emotion has over us lessens, or is dissolved. It has been such a great practice for me. Thank you for your important invitation & reminder.
om susanna! thank you for bringing sally to us. a huge enhancement to what i'd hoped to convey but in such a clear, visual, visceral way... thank you girl. love.
Love it! The doubt and fear are part of the awakening. No need to judge or hate the doubt and fear because it's showing us the way. It's got purpose. Brilliant as always. Thanks for the reminder.
thank you thank you... the very fact that doubt and fear DO have purpose, that they are showing us something about ourselves --- and once seen, doubt and fear dissipate, at least for that moment (!)
Pt. 1
Some of the readers here have link the practice of mindfulness to your description on awaken. Both are part of the proper awakening process.
The Buddha’s awakening is the awakening to the attachment to worldly desires like being surrounded by a sea of fire. This clear awakening is sustainable. It is done through the development of insight to the cause of Duka. By developing realization we have a clear understanding of the Buddha Dharma and become disconnect with worldly desires.
Realization is the key word described as knowing before knowing. What is known becomes knowledge. My favorite example is Archimedes and the Golden Crown where he is given by the king to determine the content of pure gold of the crown. He thought long and deep but cannot find the answer eventually while relaxing on a bath tub the answer came like a flood. He was so excited he forgot he was naked and run through the street shouting ‘Eureka!’ That moment of discovery is call realization. This is one of the ability of our mind to solve complex question; it is beyond logic; it is not wisdom or enlightenment. It is a clear understanding beyond thinking; like all the wires are connected and the bulb suddenly lights up.
Pt.2
Lay people attached to worldly affairs cannot attain to sustainable awakening. Perhaps a glimpse like a flash of lightning where for a moment seeing the danger of worldly desires. The key word here is seeing as in direct experience. It is not thinking. Perhaps one may reach the first stage of Sainthood (Sotapanna).
Zen is a very practical form of Buddhism that points to the mind as forerunner of all things. Check out khanti’s comment on Zen ;-
http://www
Hi Elena
Thank you for this wonderful lesson, There is so much awakening for me to do and yet I find myself procrastinating putting such good advice to use. I think I'm somewhat afraid to change and I'm sabotaging my own efforts. Ironically, I sense as I practice learning myself the fear will dissipate. So, I'll step off of my self-induced catch 22 merry-go-round and add awareness meditation to my calmness meditation. Actually, I'd like it if you'd let me know your opinion about adopting a specific routine for meditating at different times with different purposes.
I like to learn new tools that help me practice peace. I particularly like this metaphor, "They will only drop anchor when we allow them to; they will pass if we keep watching. " It is very similar to Ed and Deb's advice to allow thoughts to float by like clouds and decline to pick them up. Both help me return to relaxed meditation without frustrating myself because of my loss of focus.
warmest regards,
little brother
hi LB. best is likely to just stick to the 5 mins whenever you have the time. recently i've had to call upon the countless attempts i've made at these 5 mins; a moment of pure life-altering news that would've caused a big reaction was taken slowly, with breathing, and total presence because of my attempts to sit and just breathe for 5 mins.
it seems like nothing is happening sometimes, just watching-- then something really crazy happens and all those 5 minute pieces come together as unshakeable strength.
e
First off, I'd like to send some compassion to the reader who accepted that these concepts are hard to comprehend. I "get" Elena's thought process BIG TIME, but often I have to re-read her words and let them sit with me for a couple of days before I can respond.
I had the opportunity to see/hear Deepak Chopra this week (another one who makes you say, "wait..wha
As children, we are constantly pushed to expand our minds and cultivate intellect, with the premise that our souls and bodies will know what to do. As adults, it seems, that all that has a way of shifting completely around. It seems like a lot of effort.
Thanks for nourishing us, Elena. May you receive the same blessings a hundred-fold.
Thank you for the explanation.
thank YOU sweet rita. i also responded to "social construct" below; stating that my writing is a great example of an overactive intellect! i'm trying to keep it simpler each time... love
Thanks for sharing this enlightening post.
I love the subject of awakening especially when we bring it into the here and now. One powerful source that brings integrity or what I call coherency = awakening begins with sensation within the depths of our core. As messenger of the central nervous system, and bridge between autonomic and enteric systems the PSOAS plays a major role in awakening a field of coherency within and without.
do you have a website or more info? this resonates.
Elena,
Thank you for reminding us to take a direct yet accepting inventory of ourselves and that it is a hearty and "ever-evolving process" to move towards living more gracefully in the world. Or, as you once mentioned, to live more "purely."
J
..."direct yet accepting INVENTORY of ourselves.
AKA vipassana buddhist meditation AKA mindfulness
yes and yes!
Please forgive my inability to comprehend most of what the author wrote but I must ask: What is "overactive intellect"? Thanks.
my writing is a good example of an overactive intellect.
According to the Buddha, who is after all the master in these sorts of things :), the first step to awakening is awareness of our personal suffering as a chronic, human condition. It has certainly been the first step to my own awakening! next comes faith in the way of the Buddha, and a realization of the importance of mindfulness practice. Again, very true for me as well. Third, comes the incredible joy of having found the way out of misery, followed by many more steps. Mostly, it is about practicing being aware of the moment, with all it brings, using meditation as a way to strengthen one's awareness muscle. If you are truly interested in finding happiness, a great place to start, if you are so moved, is your local meditation center. I highly recommend insight meditation, but there are many other types. Of course, it also possible to awaken within other spiritual traditions, not just Buddhism. The main thing is to find a way that works for you, and a teacher in whom you can trust, and who has travelled a good part of the path. May you find happiness. (You can find me on Twitter @minddeep)
thank YOU
Lovely, thank you.
thank you for reading...
5 Minutes a day would be a start.
Good advise in general.
Remember the Buddha when asked who he was simply said, "I am awake"
thank you so much.
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