This Is How You Can Increase Your Level of Consciousness.

Consciousness is measured by the degree to which you are aware of yourself and the world around you. While most people think they are self-aware, studies have shown that on 10-15% of people really are self-aware.

Increasing your consciousness, requires practice, time, and reflection. It will require you to know yourself (and know the world around you) on deeper levels then you may be currently aware of.

This article is not meant as one of those lame “self help” guides that provide “”29 tips”” of things that don’t actually help. This is meant as a guide with actionable advice that you can use and implement today.

There are levels to consciousness, and some people are more “conscious” or aware than others. If you’ve ever wondered, “Can I increase my consciousness?”, you’ll be glad to know the answer is yes. But it may take some work.

Speaking from personal experience, it has been difficult to let my ego down and face some of the realities of being more self-aware. But through acceptance, I have learned more about myself, and by understanding more about myself, I am able to have a better understanding and empathy towards others.

Not only is increasing consciousness possible, but if you want to evolve as a human, it is actually critical that you do so.

I am not an expert on consciousness, but I’ve been on a mission to understand more from those who are experts for years now.

let’s dive in.

How Do You Raise Your Consciousness Level ? (expectations)

Fortunately for us, our brains are built for change.

Experts agree that, “while people used to believe that the brain became fixed after a certain age, newer research has revealed that the brain never stops changing in response to learning.”

Setting expectations for increasing your level of awareness and thus consciousness is important. It’s not something where some “trick” will suddenly raise your consciousness.

It’s a slow and constant improvement over time.

Patience is key.

6 Ways You Can Increase Your Consciousness 

1. Increase Your Consciousness By Accepting Responsibility

The Dalai Lama (Tibetan Leader) once said something along the lines of – finding happiness comes after taking responsibility. And, taking complete ownership and responsibility over the full-state-of-your-life, is a common trait shared among some of the most successful minds in America.

I’m far from perfect, but when I started took take full responsibility for everything in my life (even things I didn’t think were my problem) I was able to see new opportunities from new perspectives.

More specifically, sometimes I fall into the mindset that “life is happening to me”. Where when I take full responsibility, I feel more able to “make life happen for me”.

2) Meditation Can Increase Consciousness

According to Harvard University, meditation practices are thousands of years old and modern research is still fairly new, but looking very promising.

Meditating is the continual practice of ‘deep focus’ and deep thinking to gain a deeper understanding.

Said another way, meditation is the act of maintaining deep focus and concentration, while preventing your mind from getting distracted by internal thoughts, “chatter”,  or external distractions.

People have been meditating for thousands of years, as shown on hieroglyphics and as written about in the Ancient Vedas Texts.

3) How Conscious Are You About Your Diet ?

Most people don’t think about this, but food is supposed to be more than just “taste and sustenance”. Your food provides vitamins, minerals, and the nutrition your body needs for fuel to survive.

Overeating, as well as sugary, greasy, and low nutrition foods provide nothing of value for your body to use in order to maintain a proper balance to maintain a strong immune system and general good health. And according to the American Academy of Family Physicians, Keeping your body in good health, keeps your mind in good health.

I guess National Geographic wasn’t lying when they said “you are what you eat”.

Overcoming the temptations to eat unhealthy isn’t easy. Especially now with with fast food and GrubHub at our fingertips. But overcoming temptation, builds inner strength.

And inner strength can be applied in all situations of your life.

Maintaining a fairly healthy diet is important, but being mindful of how much, and when you’re eating is also important.

Over 35% of Americans are overweight, so there a “large portion” (no pun intended) of people less conscious of their eating than they could be.

Having control over something as alluring as food is not that easy! But it will increase your will power.

4) Practice Mindfulness To Increase Awareness

Similar to (but not to be confused with) meditation… mindfulness is also an ancient practice.

According to John Hopkins University, mindfulness is a form of present-moment awareness — blocking yuor mind from distracting thoughts, just noticing what is happening inside our bodies, and in the world around us as it is happening.

Said a different way, the opposite of being mindful is being on “auto-pilot.”

Multiple research studies have shown that mindfulness & meditation can reduce stress, as well as symptoms of depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance and pain.

Practicing mindfulness is more difficult than it sounds. Try sitting still for 5 minutes without letting your mind wonder. 

I’m far from a master, but I definitely find mindfulness quite helpful when trying fall asleep. You can practice mindfulness at any place any time. All it requires of you is to be “present in the moment” and in control of your thoughts.

An example of mindfulness might loo like walking in the woods and becoming aware of your body, the way you lift your legs, the way the ground feels underneath your feet, how your body balances automatically, how your hands work in sync to maintain the balance, and so on.

Try being consciously aware of so many automatic functions at once. 

After about a few weeks to a month of repetition and daily mindfulness practice, you can dramatically increase your consciousness. New studies show that it takes about 20 hours of practice to become noticeably better at any skill.

5) Yoga Is Great For Your Body (and your mind)

“The purpose of yoga is to build strength, awareness and harmony in both the mind and body,”

This is according to Dr. Natalie Nevins, a board-certified osteopathic family physician and certified Kundalini Yoga instructor.

Like meditation and mindfulness, yoga is an ancient practice and was first discovered in the Ancient Indus Valley over 2,500 years ago.

Yoga, as described in the ancient Vedas Texts, is a set of exercises set to connect the mind and body to increase consciousness and awareness.

Practicing yoga stretches muscle-groups stimulating the natural flow of energy throughout your body. When practiced regularly, yoga increases flexibility, balance, and self awareness.

As a yoga beginner, I was skeptical to start, but after a few sessions I was hooked. Yoga helps me stretch my back and provides a noticeable drop is stress which puts me in a better overall mood.

6) Increase Your Conscious Awareness By Spending Time In Nature

As a civilization here in America, in general ,we’ve become gotten much more disconnected from the natural world than in generations past.

Nature moves at a different pace than metropolitan cities and suburban neighborhoods. A slower pace. A more relaxed pace. This is slower more natural pace-of-life is part of the allure to the relaxed atmosphere that allures tourists to vacations in tropical paradises.

In Costa-Rica the local saying is “pura-vida” which translates literally to ‘pure-life’. What is means is a laid back way of communicating no worries.

In Kenya the local Swahili saying is “Hakuna Matata” as many “Lion King” fans know, it means no worries.

Both sayings essentially mean the same thing, which is to relax and go-with-the-flow of nature.

From living in real jungles to living in concrete ones, many of us have essentially cut ourselves off from the calming effects of the natural pace and frequency of nature.

I can personally testify to the therapeutic benefits of being in nature even if just for a few minutes a day. Take a fw deep breaths and try and connect with the vibe of the natural world. Feel the flow of the wind, the sway of the trees, the slowness of which nature grows in time.

You’ll feel a heightened sense of awareness.

This happens because being in nature helps you connect with the natural flow of energy and the natural “rhythm” of nature’s pace.

Take a break from the “humdrum” of modern life. And if that’s not always possible, at least go for a short walk at your local park and take some deep breaths to reconnect.

Increasing Consciousness: Final Thoughts

Increasing awareness is important for both personal and professional growth and is key to evolving over time. While most people think they are self aware, studies have shown only 10-15% of people actually are.

Chances are if you’re not actively practicing at least 2 of the 6 ways outlined above it’s unlikely you’re as self-aware as you think you may be, and definitely not as consciously self-aware as you could be.

If you’ve googled this article and read this far, then you’re already in the right mindset and ahead of most people (that are standing still).

By taking full emotional responsibility and exercising your brain, as well as your body you’re setting yourself up for personal growth which can then lead to growth in all areas of your life.

Please let me know if you found this article enjoyable, helpful, or if I missed anything out.