Does Self-reflective exercises really work to change your awareness?

Most of us like the idea of meditation, but we quickly get bored with the actual practice of meditation. Some wonder if this self-reflective exercise really works? Neuroscientific studies using brain scan have shown that these activities cause a shift in awareness. They do so by altering neuronal activities in specific areas in your brain, specifically the frontal lobes, which control cognition and communication, and the parietal lobes, which control perception and sensation. They also shrink the amygdala, which controls the brain’s fight or flight center. The end result is a reduction in anxiety and improved calm.  The more we practice it, the more natural it becomes, and we will gain greater conscious control over our emotions, feelings and thoughts. 

It may take a few sessions of practice to cause a shift in our awareness because brain circuitry is wired by conditioned thinking. To break this barrier, we have to make a conscious effort to cause a shift in awareness that brings clarity and insight into the nature of self and the world around us.

In our ordinary day-to-day life, we sometimes feel like the voice in our head is pulling us in all directions. We are afraid of confronting that voice. But if we do, with time, you will see that the voice that was pulling you in all directions also has the capacity to realign your life in the direction that is right for you. It may not be the direction that the earlier you want to be in, but the new direction may very well be the right path for you.

Once we have disrupted our everyday bubble of habitual consciousness, in which we engage in recycled thoughts and criticism, we may start seeing our life in a clearer light. By suspending our mind’s usual operation, we tap into the unused potential of our consciousness, from deeper knowing. With this exercise, we will discover a state of pure awareness (of the present). As we are immersed in this exercise, our routine mind will constantly try to intervene by bringing back thoughts of the past and anxieties about our future.

To embark on the path to a newer self is the dawn of real freedom. And such a freedom is the result of new thinking that must be prepared for, cultivated, and defended privately by each person.

Once we have disrupted our everyday bubble of habitual consciousness, in which we engage in recycled thoughts and criticism, we may start seeing our life in a clearer light.