Become the Observer to Expand Awareness
Attention is a limited resource.
Billions of bits of data are available in every moment, but we have the ability to attend to a small fraction. Your brain is designed to present data to you that it believes is important to you. So if you believe you are unlovable, it shows examples of your unlovability. At the same time, it ignores examples of the love available in your life.
As the expression ‘paying attention’ suggests, you have a limited supply of cognitive currency. Rick Hanson, who wrote Buddha Brain, said “Attention is like a combination spotlight and vacuum cleaner: it illuminates what it rests upon and then sucks it into your brain – and your self.” He also made the statement “the mind is Teflon for positive experience and Velcro for negative experience.”
Barbara Fredrickson, a psychologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, found that paying attention to positive emotions literally expands your world. On the other hand, focusing on negative emotions shrinks it — a fact that has important implications for your daily experience.
Pay Attention to Attention gives benefits
The ability to manage your attention is a skill called Self-Regulation. This skill governs your ability to make decisions, plan, and function; it ultimately determines your well-being. What if you actually paid attention…to your attention? Or become the Observer? Rather than getting sucked into a self-defeating thought, we have the ability to recognize what’s happening and redirect the mind.
A new study out of Princeton University showed that students who constantly checked on their own levels of attention performed with fewer mistakes and were better at focusing. By checking on their attention, their skill level increased. This proved that our brains possess attentional plasticity — or the ability to improve focus when checked on.
As the great psychologist, William James, wrote over a century ago: “The education of attention would be the education par excellence.” Studies have shown that meditation improves attention regulation. Other studies indicate that improved self-regulation reduces stress and improves the immune system.
The Art of Ascension teaches you to become the Observer
In the Art of Ascension as taught by the Ishayas, we teach simple tools or “seed thoughts” to expand the mind. Because they are simple, they can be used anytime, anywhere, by anybody. You simply introduce these simple “seed thoughts” based on Praise, Gratitude, Love, and Compassion into your life. While doing so, your mind and perception becomes attuned to these upward spirals and charms the mind into wanting more. Just by utilizing the practice, your neurons are attracted to more praise, gratitude, love and compassion. In addition, you develop the skill of becoming the Observer.
As part of the practice of Ascension, you learn to observe your attention/become the observer without judgement. Our awareness is actually infinite. We know that what we focus on grows. So, if we become aware of our own awareness, expansion is the result. The more we use the practice of Ascension, the old boundaries and self-limitations begin to fall away. These simple tools can be used to reduce stress. In addition to that, they can be used to find unlimited freedom and unconditional love by attending to our attention and expanding awareness.
See also, this article that gives more information about what you put your attention on, “The Power of Choice”.
Also see: Training Attention to Attention