What does it mean to Awaken?

Awakening is not a destination, is not a place we reach emotionally, psychologically or physically speaking. Awakening is an inner self realization, it's a shift in consciousness, taking place always in the present, where we begin to experience life without the vail of our own ego, without the filter of our own conditioning. It's a direct relationship with the present moment, where everything is always new.

When awakening begins to happen, we start to realize, that we are not our conditioning, our beliefs, our ideas, our past, our achievements, our status, our careers, our education, our culture, our self image, our ego. We realize we are not our mind, which is where all of this takes place. Our mind is perfect as it is, it contains all the knowledge that we've gained through time in order for us to survive in the world, but we are much more than knowledge.

So, what are we at the end of the day? If we are not any of those things, that often define us, then what are we? This question immediately takes us to the unknown, which can be scary, because the mind doesn't have the capacity to understand the unknown, therefore in order to feel secure and at peace, it remains loyal to its own conditioning, to what it knows. Life on the other hand is completely unknow, uncertain, unpredictable, mysterious, and we are not separate from life, we are one with life, yet we experience ourselves as separate while being asleep, or in other words, while being identified with our mind.

This realization that we are infinitely more than what our minds could ever imagine, requires a certain level of awareness, of inner space, of inner stillness, in order to be able to observe how our mind actually works. The first step is to realize that there are two things happening within us at all times: our mind activity (thoughts, ideas, beliefs, inner dialogue, etc.) and at the same time there's something else taking place, which is awareness of this mind activity. If we pay close attention, we'll notice that we can see the thoughts that come in and out of our minds, we can see the inner dialogue that takes place within us. Therefore, we can say that awareness, is being able to see from a place that it is beyond the mind, where there's no filter, judgement, or interpretation of any kind, just awareness of what is, in that given moment.

We already are what we are looking for, which is consciousness, but because we look for it through the mind, we can never find it. Therefore the key is not to find anything, but instead become aware and alert of the one looking, the one seeking, the one questioning, the one trying to find the way out, which is always the mind. In every person lives the possibility to go through this shift, meaning a shift from being asleep to awakening, which in most cases is a gradual process. This shift changes the way we relate to our own mind, to our conditioning, to our beliefs, to our self image, because we recognize all of it as false, meaning not our true self.

The more asleep we are, the more identified we are with our mind, meaning the more we believe to be our mind and its content (thoughts, beliefs, self image, inner dialogue, ideas of how life should be, etc.). Therefore by default, the more stressful and challenging life becomes, because it's always subject to it's own conditioning, which is known, rigid and limited. The mind in itself is perfect as it is, however, in the absence of awareness, it becomes all we know, and therefore our entire sense of self and worth emotionally depends from it, and that in itself is the cause of all suffering.

The more we awaken, the less identified we are with our mind (thoughts, beliefs, self image, etc.). Therefore, the more open and lighthearted we become. Our mind, of course, continues to exist with all its conditioning, but we no longer derive our sense of identity from it, our sense of self from it, our sense of worth from it. Therefore, by default we no longer emotionally depend from it, and that in itself is extremely liberating, it' freedom. This realization that begins to manifest when entering the unknown, liberates us from our own limitations, allowing us to flow in the present, allowing us to be gentle to ourselves as we navigate through change, as we let go of the old and embrace the new, as we open ourselves up to endless possibilities without fear of the outcome, stress or guilt constantly dominating our lives in one way or another. It allows us to unfold with life, as we return home.

From here, life becomes a mirror of our state of consciousness, constantly showing us the areas of life that need our attention. We realize there's nothing on the outside that can makes us whole, that can makes us feel complete, therefore every trigger, challenge, discomfort, agony, becomes an opportunity to look within and transcend. It is our resistance to the reality of life, that keeps us from evolving, and it can only transcend in the light of consciousness.

It's all part of one integrated process, where one cannot exist without the other, meaning we recognize our true self, which is formless (consciousness) through form (mind, body, etc.).

Increasing awareness is a one on one personalized coaching session for those individuals who are either on this path or want to learn more about it and deepened their level of awareness. Each session is an hour long.