Awareness: Why is it so Challenging to Cultivate?
Awareness is a word we hear often these days. In yoga class, we talk about awareness of the breath and the body. Some teachers also encourage awareness of thought or mental processes, as well as emotions. In Ayurveda, awareness is cited as the number one prerequisite for maintaining health. If we know that awareness is the essential starting point for a healthier body and mind and a richer experience of life, why is it still so hard to put this knowledge into action? Monkey Mind.
The Buddhist perspective attempts to answer this question by using a metaphor called Monkey Mind (or Mind Monkey). It describes the active nature of the human mind as being like the restless behaviour of a monkey. Just as the monkey lets go of one vine only to grasp onto the next, so our minds ceaselessly jump from thought to thought.
This constant state of distraction makes it extremely difficult to focus on our present-centred experience, including our breath, bodily sensation, emotions and what’s happening around us. Often we are not even aware of the thoughts that are distracting us; they are so varied and come and go so quickly that our mental experience is a non-stop, inner prattling on.
So, the question becomes: if it is incessant mental distraction that inhibits awareness, how can I be free of mental distractions?
Like any skill, becoming more aware of ourselves and the world around us requires practice. The first step is to find out how we can reduce the mental chatter that distracts us from present-centred awareness. But imagine trying to teach a monkey to sit still without plying it with food or another shiny reward. This is the challenge we face when trying to still the mind; or to uncover the already-still mind beneath the surface waves of incessant chatter.
The good news is, unlike the monkey, there is a reward for us in this practice. A still mind is a mind that is free, however briefly, from anxiety and myriad other unpleasant side effects of the untamed Monkey Mind.
So if awareness is the prerequisite for a healthier life, freer from anxiety - and a still mind is the prerequisite for awareness - are you ready, now, to make time to still your mind?
Stay tuned for Part 2 - Taming the Monkey Mind with Meditation - to learn more.