G.I. Gurdjieff gave exercises for developing awareness to his students so that they became more and more awakened. Because - according to all enlightened Masters - all people sleep. I have heard and read many times... That a person has enormous potential, but does not use it to its fullest extent. This can be compared to the fact that a person lives in a closet, having a luxurious palace at his disposal, because he does not suspect that he has this palace. And the reason for this is the human mind.
A person who is accustomed to living with his mind and not with his heart constantly lies to himself and the people around him. And the point is not even that this is an aspect of morality or decency. The fact is that the mind itself is designed in such a way as to seek and find benefits in any situation. This is how he acts, using cunning, deception, hypocrisy as tools to achieve his goal.
But this is precisely what prevents a person from getting closer to himself in order to see the luxurious palace that his own mind hides from him. Moreover, a person completely identifies himself with the mind, thinking that the mind is the person himself. At the moment, man is body-mind because he has completely identified himself with it.
This means that a person tries in every way, unconsciously of course, to remain in self-deception. And only a few try to get out of this self-deception. For this, the development of awareness is necessary. After reading the article to the end, you will learn about 4 exercises for developing awareness that George Gurdjieff recommended to his students.
G.I. Gurdjieff exercises for developing awareness - pre-history...
Student G.I. Gurdjieff, P. Ouspensky in his book “The Fourth Way,” based on his research, says that a person lies more than he does anything else. And you can be convinced of this if you begin to more carefully observe yourself and the people around you. But it is much more useful to observe yourself, to remember yourself more often, which allows you to penetrate deeper into yourself. Gurdjieff called this Self-Observation and Self-Remembering.
At the end of the article, 4 G.I. exercises will be described. Gurdjieff, aimed at self-awareness - “Remembering Yourself”.
But before moving on to exercises for developing awareness... I would like to remind those who are not very familiar with the teachings of G.I. Gurdjieff, the essence of his “Fourth Way”.
What is the main vector of development?
The main vector of development of the “Fourth Way”, as, indeed, of all the teachings of enlightened Masters, is the development of Consciousness. But, according to G.I. Gurdjieff - this vector of development can only turn on when you understand and accept that you are unconscious, that you are a machine.
Until you understand that you are a robot, a machine or a mechanical puppet... Until you understand that all your actions are mechanical... You cannot begin the path to the Self or the study of the Self through self-remembering and self-observation.
You must also understand that you do not know Yourself at all, you do not know this mechanical machine. And you don't know how it works.
Understanding that you are a machine and that you know nothing about yourself is the beginning of self-knowledge or self-study.
What right questions will help on the path to Self-Awareness?
With some effort, a person can awaken himself. And in order to start this process, a person must ask himself... How to be more conscious? How to constantly remember yourself?
What obstacles await you?
There are many obstacles on the path to objective consciousness. And those who strive to develop Consciousness in themselves must identify these obstacles. But not only identify them, but, if possible, overcome them as soon as possible or remove them altogether.
All these obstacles, no matter how sad it may sound, are within ourselves. These obstacles include:
- Fear
- Deceit
- Laziness
- Inertia
- Criticality
- Negation
This is just a small part of what you can discover in yourself through self-observation.
One of the most effective and efficient practices on the path to self-awakening is self-observation and self-remembering.
Mindfulness, or awakening consciousness
Mindfulness, the awakening of consciousness by noticing minimal changes in the physical, emotional and mental planes, is practiced in psychology. But the very concept of mindfulness was not an invention of psychological science at all, but is a borrowed concept that originates from the practices of ancient philosophical teachings.
Psychology skillfully applies this concept to create positive changes in the psycho-emotional state of a person and, therefore, uses it as an applied method for correcting the psyche, forgetting that awareness can and in fact is valuable in itself. It is a thing in itself, but not in the sense of its unknowability, but in the fact that it is valuable in itself, regardless of whether we know about its existence or not. She is.
If we accept awareness as an integral fact of existence, then we let it into our lives, enlivening and filling the world around us with meaning. If we do not recognize the concept of awareness, it nevertheless does not cease to exist in reality, but at the same time our life flows in an unconscious way, by inertia. A person is more than a set of physiological and mental functions. He experiences the world through awareness. The more aware he is, the more everything becomes open to him. It is good that people are increasingly thinking about this and developing their ability to understand through various methods and techniques.
How is self-remembering different from introspection?
Self-remembering is your constant attempts, your directed efforts to be aware of yourself in the present moment “Here and Now”. This is your feeling - I Am! Your sense of I-Amity, your sense of Self.
And introspection is when you try to observe yourself from the outside. This is when you observe your actions, your functioning. Watch everything you do, and also observe your thoughts, emotions and changes in your moods.
The objects of your observations can be your desires, feelings, sensations, etc.
What to expect when starting practice?
When starting to get to know yourself, or practice the above-mentioned disciplines, you should not expect quick results. But you won’t be able to help but notice internal changes.
At first you may have little distinction between self-observation and self-remembering. At first it may seem to you that these are one and the same. Also, at first you will be late all the time... You will be aware of what you did or how you showed up as an afterthought. That is, after it has already happened.
But when you start being aware of things the very moment they happen... That will be progress - it will be self-remembering.
When we are more conscious, then our higher centers begin to work.
How do you know that you need to learn to eat mindfully?
This question worries many people who, in principle, do not suffer from excess weight, but feel some discomfort related to nutrition.
For example, with a constant feeling of emotional depression, dull skin color, heaviness in the body as a whole, laziness, fatigue, people think about whether they are eating right. Anyone who is surprised to find that he ate his entire dinner while reading a book or watching a movie also begins to think about mindful eating.
There are many incentives to start eating mindfully. The need to develop this quality in oneself arises if:
- a person eats to fill his stomach;
- food intake is carried out according to the principle of “more and less”;
- there is no understanding of the benefits of using a particular product;
- eating occurs mechanically, without awareness of the fact of eating food;
- The diet does not take into account the real needs of the body.
For example, if a person does not exercise, then he needs less food than someone who is exposed to physical activity. Mental work requires certain products, and physical work requires others. If you don’t understand this, it’s time to learn to eat mindfully.
What is the advantage of practicing self-mindfulness?
Self-observation and self-remembering can be called in one word - self-awareness or simply awareness.
None of the people are aware of themselves, but they also do not understand that they are not aware of themselves. You are different from them in that you understand that you are not self-aware.
Observe people in their daily lives and you will see that these words are true. But you, realizing that you are not aware of yourself, knowing this, already have the opportunity to achieve Self-Awareness. Since with such understanding you can already work on yourself... And achieve this possible change - become Self-Aware.
What exactly is mindfulness?
The words “mindfulness” and “mindfulness” are easiest to explain with an example.
We have long adapted to doing many things automatically. It’s so convenient to cope with multiple tasks without getting tired. But our automatism is not always beneficial: we eat lunch on the go, communicate with friends just to show off, and do not listen to the essence of the conversation with loved ones. So days and months pass. And then we can’t even remember a single event during this time.
Mindfulness is the ability to intentionally slow down and focus on the moment. This skill allows you to recognize your automatic actions and change them if necessary.
Developing mindfulness gives us a fresh perspective on the world and the ability to make choices. For example, your colleague incorrectly filled out a table for an important project. A conscious approach to the situation will allow you to respond correctly to this: “Yes, she made a mistake and stalled our work. I can automatically get angry and quarrel, or I can figure it out, help fix everything and save us from such mistakes in the future. What will be more effective?
How to begin to become aware of yourself right now?
You can begin to become aware of Yourself in this moment right now. And you can start right from where you are now - literally and figuratively. A person should always start from where he is.
In order to be aware of Yourself in the present moment, you need to bring yourself together. To put it simply, you need to gather yourself into a “heap” so that you are in one place.
If your body is always here, then your mind is always wandering somewhere. He may be located thousands of kilometers from the body at the moment. And for some, millions of light years away.
Your task on the path to Self-Awareness is NOT to let go of your mind from your body.
The principle of Self-Remembering and Self-Observation is this... Keep your mind at the point where your body is. This means you must keep your mind exactly in the place where you are now. In Here and Now.
At first there will be rare moments of self-remembering, with long periods or intervals of self-forgetfulness. It will seem to you that progress is very slow or not at all.
But you should know... If you remember yourself once again, then self-memory is approaching you... Even if this happens very rarely.
Not remembering oneself is the usual state of a person, his life, his being. But knowing this, you have every chance of self-remembering; it becomes possible for you.
Purposes of a conscious life
Awareness of the state of things, the present moment and yourself in it, allows you to go beyond patterns, find time and resources for what is truly important, live your own life and feel the taste for it. This is attention to yourself and the ability to correctly prioritize based on your own feelings. Awareness helps you stop being deceived, including by your own unjustified expectations.
Awareness is needed for:
1. Success and personal effectiveness.
Mindfulness stimulates the growth of all parameters of a successful life. Negotiating, growing above yourself, moving towards a goal - all this will give better results with a conscious approach.
2. Enjoying everyday life.
Kon is one of the main conditions for real pleasure, vivid feelings, impressions and emotions. Mindfulness helps to be fully included in one activity.
3. Focus
– this leads to effective understanding of what has been read and studied, and increases memory capacity.
4. Heart health.
The ability to live consciously helps to normalize blood pressure and is a way to prevent heart and vascular diseases.
5. Healthy mind.
Mindfulness can reduce the rate of cellular aging and may be a way to prevent Alzheimer's disease.
6. Harmony in relationships
. Mindfulness allows you to pay attention to your emotions and also better understand the emotions of others. It eliminates excessive irritability, and this helps to create trusting, harmonious relationships, allows you to perceive your partner as he is, and a high degree of awareness allows you not to lead to conflicts, but to conduct an equal partnership dialogue.
7. Freedom from anxiety and fears.
Mindfulness can cope with phobias, panic attacks, and increased anxiety. With its help, you rid yourself of unjustified fears.
8. Happiness.
The results of conscious living are comparable to the effect of antidepressants. But at the same time, the first method has no addiction or side effects.
How to tune in to the impossible?
Self-remembering is work, not easy work. At first it will seem to you that it is impossible to constantly be aware of yourself or remember yourself. This is exactly what will happen at first.
You will often forget yourself. But it will be better for you to immediately tune in to impossible things... Try to do them, namely, be aware of yourself as soon as you remember it.
These things will not happen on their own. Only with your constant efforts will this be possible. And over time, you will begin to remember yourself more often. And self-observation will help you with this.
Just set the intention - to observe yourself, to be aware of yourself in all of your manifestations.
There is no universal textbook on how to do this. But your intention is to constantly remember yourself, observe yourself, and help you pave your way to Self-Awareness.
Self-awareness can only be achieved with practice. And self-remembering and self-observation and other exercises for developing awareness are these practices. In another way, they can be called alarm clocks that help you wake up from sleep.
How to usually train mindfulness
Meditation is usually associated with the development of awareness - sit in the lotus position (or any other, the main thing is that your back should not lean on anything), set a timer, close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing or sensations in the body.
