#394 Biofeedback - Monitoring our Consciousness

     We know how it feels when we're bright and alert - there's a distinct fresh, vibrant physical / mental / emotional feel associated with it. We can therefore recognize when our consciousness is optimal AND ALSO when it's suboptimal eg when we're drowsy, or falling asleep. It's useful to detect a downward fluctuation in consciousness as early as possible eg while driving, performing surgery, landing an airplane, writing an exam, speaking with someone, studying, etc. It's also beneficial to recognize when our level of consciousness is excessive ie after too much caffeine, anxious, stressed, striving, hypervigilant, catastrophizing etc. So we can monitor the level of our consciousness, and with practice, adjust it when need be (like a rheostat) to the optimal level.
     We also know how it feels when we're calm, attentive, wise, kind, behaving in a civilized manner. We feel relaxed, open-minded and open-hearted. We know the feel of the quality of our consciousness. Our prefrontal cortex is fully functioning, and our judgments and behaviour are congruent with our core values, long-term goals, and in concert with the best interests of humanity & nature. This feels good and profoundly right.
     And we can all, more frequently & easily than we realize, lapse into fear-based reactivity, into autopilot (brain stem takes over from the prefrontal cortex). We know we're on autopilot, because "the lights are on, but nobody's home." We feel "driven" - as if we're running after or away from something, there may be lots of adrenalin or a trance-like dullness - we feel closed-minded and closed-hearted. It's all about short-term gain for "me, myself & I" - no consideration for others or even our own long-term interests. This quality of consciousness feels all wrong. We've experienced this many times before & know that it causes only suffering. We can let this go, open our minds & hearts, re-engage our prefrontal cortex, and get back on track.
     So we can & should monitor both the level and the quality of our consciousness. We alone can, and must, manage our own consciousness for the benefit of all.

In Kentville, Nova Scotia

 

#285 How my Heart Feels - Heavy or Open?

     Feeling "heavy-hearted" (closed- or hard-hearted or armored) is a common, lousy, oppressive feeling. All attention and worry is turned inwards. It's all about my story, poor me, what's going to become of me? Round and round the worried, anxious mind goes, what's going to become of me? Heavy, tight, claustrophobic, sickening, tiresome sensations, constant noisy self-talk, with a sense of being stuck, urgent flight or urgent chasing.
     Feeling "light-hearted" and "open-hearted" is less common, but we're all familiar with it. It's a care-free, happy feeling of everything somehow being the way it should be. The sense of self ("me, myself & I") is barely noticeable, the focus of attention is on everything else. A sense of stillness & peaceful silence dominate. It's partially the presence of one's chest being relaxed, open, radiating warmth, but perhaps more the relief from not feeling constriction, tightness and heaviness. Interestingly, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) understands disease as constriction & blockage; and health as the free, unobstructed flow of energy. TCM and osteopathic treatment aim to release blockages, permitting the free flow of vital energy (qi).
     Mindfulness training also loosens & untangles our tight knots, by helping us accept our inner child's reactivity, and increase our skill in returning to our wise "observer-self" - our wise grandparent subpersonality, sitting on the bank of the river of our life, calmly, lovingly, seeing the big picture, allowing us to think, speak and act from this wise, mature perspective. 

     See also: http://mindfulnessforeveryone.blogspot.ca/2013/03/301-open-heart-energized-closed-heart.html

Photo: Steve McCurry   http://stevemccurry.com