Mindfulness – the 8-element Wheel of Awareness

The word Mindfulness is usually translated into Portuguese as full attention. We define mindfulness as the psychological state of attention to the present moment or as a disposition or trait that persists over time. We also talk about Mindfulness practices, practices that aim to develop the state and the trait.

An interesting question to be answered is: mindfulness to what? After all, if we are attentive, we are attentive to something, right?

The Wheel of Awareness – The Wheel of Awareness

The Doctor. Dan Siegel, a professor at the UCLA School of Medicine, devised The Wheel of Awareness to didactically answer the above question.

It is common for Mindfulness practices to begin with what we call grounding. Landing means landing here and now and turning your attention to the environment. To do so, it makes it easier if we start noticing the sounds around us, the lighting if we keep our eyes slightly open, the temperature of the room.

According to Siegel, in this case we are attentive to our five senses. In the practice of raisins, we notice the taste. On landing, we pay attention to what we can hear, see, touch (body contact with the seat, with clothing) and perhaps what we can smell.

The sixth sense – the inside of the body

With the deepening of the skill of attention, we now return to the interior of the body. In the practice of breathing, we begin to focus on the entry and exit of air (in the nostrils, chest or abdomen). In bodyscan, we scan sensations throughout the body.

The seventh sense – mental activities

In any mindfulness practice, it’s almost instantaneous to realize that our mind doesn’t stop. Whether we are tasting a raisin, grounding our attention to the present moment, paying attention to the breath or the body, thoughts and emotions are often present here and there.

We must always remember that Mindfulness practices are not intended to keep the mind blank because, after all, it is natural that thoughts arise from time to time.

The difference from what we normally do in everyday life is that, when practicing Mindfulness, we will notice that our attention has deviated from the focus and moved away to thoughts about the future or the past or has become stuck in pleasant or unpleasant emotions or judgments.

There are practices, let’s say more advanced ones, that allow us to observe our thoughts carefully as well. Interestingly, not infrequently, when we want to pay attention to our thoughts, they cease.

If we define mindfulness as “awareness of present experience, with openness and acceptance (Germer), we will see that even thoughts about the past or future happen in the present🇧🇷 So, too, we can be aware of thoughts that come and go with mindfulness.

The Eighth Sense – Interconnection

And, finally, Siegel brings us to the Mindfulness Wheel the eighth sense, which is to be attentive to others. This skill can be developed in informal practices by becoming fully present in conversation, and especially can be worked on in compassionate practices.

Compassion is defined by Goetz and collaborators as “the feeling that arises when witnessing the suffering of another and that implies a desire to help”.

About the Wheel

Siegel explains that the center of the wheel represents the experience of being aware (of being aware), while the circumference represents the object of awareness. We can then see the relationship between these two points as we train ourselves to be aware of the present moment.

Learn more about Mindfulness – Felipe de Souza

Questions, suggestions, comments, please write below.

References:

Dr’s website Siegel – Resources – The Weel of Awareness

Related