I’ve engaged in awareness practices practically my whole life. It’s something that has been intentional and from these literal ‘sittings’ over time, I’ve developed a great deal of insight (inner sight) into my psychological make-up. I now understand my ‘conditioning’ – the people, events, culture, etc. that profoundly shaped me and how and where that all arose.

This inner clarity involves my ‘observing self,’ – the simple, basic ‘I’ that seems to be just awareness itself – witnessing the arising of the thoughts and feelings that comprise ‘who’ I think I am. I clearly observe there are elements of my conditioning, such as a commitment towards family, that I choose to accept and nourish.

Yet there are other beliefs, accompanied by powerful emotions, that I can clearly see carry me down thought and emotional pathways that are dead-ends, only leading to frustration and even despair. Of course, these are ingrained beliefs which, when I get triggered by stress, upsetting events, etc. (life!) will automatically get activated. But not quite. They no longer live in my life unopposed. In fact the opposite.

Once noticed, they’re not welcome in my mind and there are ways to compassionately weaken, lessen and release them. That’s an ongoing part of becoming a more conscious human being. It’s a marvelous thing, to see these aspects of myself, ones that previously almost completely influenced my life choices – what I think, feel and do – as separate from myself. It’s like I can hold them right in the palm of my hand and examine them. This act alone hugely diminishes their heretofore unchallenged dominance of my personality and consciousness. It’s a break-through.