Developing Awareness

Thankfully, more and more people are learning about the benefits of quieting the mind through meditation. There are different ways to meditate and it is helpful to practice an approach that resonates within.  Classes are taught in such techniques as concentration, compassion, mindfulness, lovingkindness, transcendental, guided visualization, heart-centered, and others.  Different approaches require different brain skills.  Practicing every day benefits our mind, body, and spirit.

What jogs my blog today is the importance of extending this awareness to others. I have become more aware of how often people (myself included, sadly), go through the day multitasking.  I think about this a lot and have written about it before.

Now, I am focused on how many people are looking down at their mobile devices while walking, sometimes bumping into people or barely missing them!

Is there an unconscious expectation that it is the responsibility of OTHER people to be careful that they don’t bump into us?  Do we expect THEM to weave around us because we have face-planted into our mobile device screen?

When we are in the position of being so focused on our mobile device that we cannot be “conscious” of others, we are living in our own bubble.  Instead of an increased awareness and a compassionate connection to those around us (often made through eye contact) we experience the opposite:  a lack of awareness of others.

So as we sit and meditate and clear our minds, perhaps we can remember that we are a piece of a larger whole. Our energy is connected to others.

Let’s begin with ourselves and then recognize that we are “a part” of a larger world, not “apart” from it.