Wakefulness - As A State of Awareness

As A State of Awareness

Wakefulness is described by the American physician and meditation teacher Jon Kabat-Zinn as a state of mindful awareness or mindfulness. By being fully awake in the present moment, Kabat-Zinn suggests that we can live more fully and with greater awareness and intent, which has the potential to give us an improved sense of peace, contentment and well-being. For lying down meditation practices (as opposed to sitting or walking meditation practices), Kabat-Zinn suggests that it may be helpful to begin by first splashing cold water on your face so that you are less likely to fall asleep. Instead, Kabat-Zinn describes the benefit of meditation as "falling awake." By being able to "fall awake," we learn to be more aware in the present moment no matter what else is happening.

Awakefulness has a special meaning within oriental schools of thought and associated esoteric teachings. These include the idea of antroposophy in which four modes of awareness are distinguished: wakefulness (conferring with dhyana), dream (conferring with dharani), sleep (conferring with pratyahara) and moment of death or absorption of spirit (conferring with samādhi). Each of these modes of awareness (citta) may be exercised (i.e. Yoga) in order to enhance wisdom (prajna) and enlightenment (buddhi). In Yoga these four modes of awareness, mental energies, are united with corresponding life forces (pranas.) The mental states of wakefulness, Dhyanas, are corresponding to the Asanas, the commonsensical understanding of Yoga exercises, but specifically refers to the corporeal conduct or seat of the wakefulness.