MINDFULNESS AND THE THREE LEVELS OF EXPERIENCE
Contained within every moment of our lives are three levels or domains of experience. We can actually distinguish many more nuanced levels, but for our purposes, three will suffice: sensation, emotions, and thoughts. Generally, each of these three levels correlates with a particular part of our nervous systems.
Sensation is the first level, and the one that operates the most quickly in us. The smells of my daughter fixing sauteed eggplant sandwiches downstairs for lunch, the sound of the rain falling outside my window as I write, the sensation of a warm dog belly on my toes, the feeling of my weight pressing down in my chair, the pulsing of my heartbeat in my throat. When I am mindful, I am ...