The term ‘relaxed awareness’ has garnered quite some buzz lately. Technically, it’s a state in which you are both highly attentive (by using your mind’s power) and in a passive state, in which your mind and ideas are operating on autopilot while you pay the least attention to them. In this in-between state you are aware of what is happening – attentive and listening, while being relaxed at the same time – hence the term ‘relaxed awareness’. As Osho describes it – you can call it mindfulness, awareness, or you can call it a state of no-mind. The words seem to be contradicting each other, but they are indicative of this same state. Again, you will know this state during meditative state in which you just let go. I realized this to be a very important state, and realization of which can do wonders for anyone.

For instance, here I was travelling in the train to a 5-hour distant location. In my normal unconscious mode of travelling, I will let the mind rule passively. Thoughts would flow in, and I would simply allow them to evoke their corresponding emotions throughout the journey. This might not seem concerning as long as everything is smooth, especially when only positive thoughts arise. However, once you hit a rough patch, the dynamic shifts. Now the negative thoughts will overshadow the positive ones. You will want to shake off the thoughts, but in that unconscious state, they will not, because the thoughts are finally emanating out of the chemical reactions in the brain that you have no control over.

However, if you bring in a modest awareness at this point, the so-called ‘relaxed awareness’, you can mitigate this problem. It might appear as an effort at first, as one is drawn towards operating in the passive mind controlled phase. Yet, with consistent practice, you can make this ‘relaxed awareness’ as the new default way of functioning. And when this state appears, the mind disappears and so do the thoughts (the unconscious pattern).

How you arrive at Relaxed Awareness

When you consciously arrive at relaxed awareness, it is generally through a sequence. This sequence is explained in the post – the journey to silence. It generally starts when the balance of power in your life shifts towards negativity. As it gains further power, you are pulled in further into the mess and you are looking for a solution as described in the blogs – Free from worry and negative thought patterns. As you persist in your efforts, you realize the importance of a spiritual path and may take a course like the one described in the article – The 3 pronged approach for spiritual breakthrough. You might encounter challenges with meditation at first, and if you are not in the best of health, you may want to consider some healing as a preliminary step. Through ongoing meditation and, in turn, further realization, you gain a deeper understanding of the mind, and you ultimately enter the realm of relaxed awareness that this article focuses on. In essence, relaxed awareness is a natural outcome of meditation.

Where do you go from here

The ultimate goal of life is to achieve profound realization. The more realized you are, the lesser will be the pain and more will be the inner bliss. As you grow deeper into this realization, this relaxed awareness will lead you to a greater sense of oneness and love. Once the truth is known, there is no other path you can take. You will see where others falter. You can see through the illusory world that most people are living in and the suffering that stem through the pursuit of illusory gain. This newfound awareness may inspire you to play a crucial role in awakening others, regardless of their background, creed, or gender.

Having the ‘will’ to realize relaxed awareness

One significant problem you will encounter is that of having the ‘will’ to operate in this phase. You might as well think that ‘so what! I have the mind that creates the reality, and this is my reality, better live it and try to go for things that it likes.’ On some occasions, the mind momentum will be so overwhelming that it will completely shatter your will to stay in relaxed awareness. It is like a tsunami waiting to inundate your mind with its habitual thought patterns.

This ‘will’ cannot be attained through a mere theoretical understanding of the phenomenon of relaxed awareness. You will have to experience it. Only by sitting silence and gradually contemplating can you deepen your awareness. Only then can you get the insight into how you operate in life (through the unconscious mind), and only then can you develop the will needed to operate in this phase of relaxed awareness while realizing the futility of giving in to the mind momentum. You will know what ‘relaxed awareness’ truly is. And only then can you acquire the necessary strength to juggle between your mind, heart, and soul (yes you can feel the three being distinct) and know when to operate from when.

Once in relaxed awareness, you can continue to remain in that state no matter how alerting a situation is and even if you just want to binge into a passive mode, you can do so while completely being within the radius of relaxed awareness. You are now the master who can direct the mind at will – to focus attention or let lie passively.

As mentioned earlier, meditation is an important part of this aspect, as is acquiring vitality for many. These concepts, mechanism behind them, their scientific effects on the body, the steps to expect during meditation, and other topics that render deeper insight and conviction are thoroughly explored in the book ‘Can You Play‘. Hence a recommend.