Learned Mindfulness

Chapter 1

Consciousness and Awareness

East and West

Abstract

Consciousness is a state of being aware. The experience of sensations, perceptions, feelings, and conceptions includes self-awareness mentally—in consciousness. The way humans receive and react to experience outside and inside themselves embeds self-awareness, a communicative ability. Self-awareness involves paying attention to oneself and consciously knowing one's attitudes and dispositions. In Western psychology, terms such as “ego,” “self,” “sense of identity,” and “I” describe the way individuals experience themselves in their social context. Meditation and mindfulness practices have complex historical origins in Eastern cultures. Buddhism, Hinduism, and Yoga discuss these ...