Consciousness

This past week I've been thinking about consciousness and what it means to become more conscious.  This was partly inspired by attending a Krishna Das concert in Los Angeles where we sat with a packed house of high energy and seemingly like-minded people with a common intention to listen, chant and go deeper inside ourselves.  This was one of those occasions where you could "feel the love" in the room and the energy that was emitted from such a collective is a powerful experience.

What does it mean to become conscious?  We can travel through our entire lives and remain completely unconscious about things such as how we breathe, the impact we make upon the planet or how our communication touches others.  So why do we need to raise our awareness?  Am I not aware enough just through my human experience of walking through my own life?

One of the main tenets of yoga philosophy is to become more connected to ourselves so that we can eventually see that we are not separate from everything else.  As long as we have the "us and them" mentality, we are separate and not in union with each other.  I see consciousness in many layers.  It's not as though I am either conscious or unconscious, aware or unaware.  As I work on raising my own consciousness I begin to uncover the layers that lead me deeper toward my authentic self.  I begin to see that if I say something that is hurtful or mean, if I act violently towards somebody else or toss a plastic bag out my car window as I'm tooling down the highway, I begin to notice that it's not an act against something or someone else, but an act against myself.  

My awareness grows when I begin to realize that what I say, how I act and how I treat this aching planet affects not only the outward flow of that act but is rebounded directly back to me and I am then put in a place of choice.  I can choose to ignore my impact or I can alter what I put out there and therefore receive back.  If I act in a loving, compassionate and peaceful way, that is what will come back to me.  When I see you acting the same way it will be reciprocated. The conscious connection to being radically present with ourselves is one of the main reasons we step into our yoga practice.  We come face-to-face with our thoughts when we step onto our yoga mats.  We are given quiet interludes as well as an opportunity to notice what thoughts arise.  The deeper we go the more subtle our connection to our physical selves becomes as well as what's happening in our breath.

How can I expect a peaceful world if I myself am not at peace?

How can I expect unconditional love from others if I am unable to love myself unconditionally?

When we catch ourselves acting in a way that we are trying to shift it is at that moment that our consciousness changes.  We come more into the present moment and from that place we can act in accordance with our highest intentions.

One way to bring our attention inward is to slow down and take a deep breath.  Another way is to gather with a bunch of like-minds seeking to raise their own vibration and perhaps belt out a few lines of a Sanskrit mantra.

Om shanti, shanti, shantihi to that!