It's inevitable that after analyzing the "mind" as a source of different states of consciousness for a whole term, that you wouldn't stop to think of how often it's experienced in your own ordinary lives. This has been bothering me for the whole term, realizing the different states of mental awareness I've experienced and exactly whether or not they mean anything at all. SO, I made a list of moments where I've noticed a change in my "state of mind":

ONE. the overlap between different states of sleep consciousness: you know that strange out of body feeling you get when you're aware that you're falling asleep but have not yet completely fallen asleep..

TWO. the 5 min of relaxation my yoga instructor puts us through at the end of each class: as your body is instructed to release all tension and physical exertion, you drift into a very meditative state where your mind just feels blank..

THREE. playing the piano: either playing a familiar piece of music or playing from memory, have you ever felt that you knew the song so well your mind feels unaware of the technical aspect of getting each note right.. and your fingers develop a mind of their own, the music just sounds, 8 bars pass and you know you played them yet you have no recollection of it..

FOUR. not far from the last point, reading a book: our minds are talented in that they multi-task on their own at times, mentally juggling more than one thing at a time. Sometimes I find myself having to re-read a paragraph or sentence because (although I've read the words) I hadn't retained any contextual evidence the first time through..

FIVE. losing count while running: it's been a routine of mine to plug in my headphones and count laps on my fingers when running, some days I'll set a goal of x laps and wind down when my fingers have reached that number. I'm not the type who uses running time to plan my day or sort through thoughts, instead it really is a way to clear my mind.. sometimes so much that I lose count..

Sleeping, yoga, music, reading, and running.. maybe it's the years of having practiced each that's made them repress an active consciousness in my brain. Maybe.

It's inevitable that after analyzing the "mind" as a source of different states of consciousness for a whole term, that you wouldn't stop to think of how often it's experienced in your own ordinary lives. This has been bothering me for the whole term, realizing the different states of mental awareness I've experienced and exactly whether or not they mean anything at all. SO, I made a list of moments where I've noticed a change in my "state of mind":

ONE. the overlap between different states of sleep consciousness: you know that strange out of body feeling you get when you're aware that you're falling asleep but have not yet completely fallen asleep..

TWO. the 5 min of relaxation my yoga instructor puts us through at the end of each class: as your body is instructed to release all tension and physical exertion, you drift into a very meditative state where your mind just feels blank..

THREE. playing the piano: either playing a familiar piece of music or playing from memory, have you ever felt that you knew the song so well your mind feels unaware of the technical aspect of getting each note right.. and your fingers develop a mind of their own, the music just sounds, 8 bars pass and you know you played them yet you have no recollection of it..

FOUR. not far from the last point, reading a book: our minds are talented in that they multi-task on their own at times, mentally juggling more than one thing at a time. Sometimes I find myself having to re-read a paragraph or sentence because (although I've read the words) I hadn't retained any contextual evidence the first time through..

FIVE. losing count while running: it's been a routine of mine to plug in my headphones and count laps on my fingers when running, some days I'll set a goal of x laps and wind down when my fingers have reached that number. I'm not the type who uses running time to plan my day or sort through thoughts, instead it really is a way to clear my mind.. sometimes so much that I lose count..

Sleeping, yoga, music, reading, and running.. maybe it's the years of having practiced each that's made them repress an active consciousness in my brain. Maybe.

Mimi: student, artist, foodie, member of shopaholics (not so) anonymous, music-junkie, occasional runner, coffee/tea lover, amateur photographer, and a yogi!

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