When we repeatedly fear something, our brain eventually begins to react with fear without immediate conscious thought; this fear gradually transforms into persistent anxiety or restlessness, significantly impacting our daily lives. In medical terms, this is known as anxiety. Similarly, a person who frequently lashes out in anger over trivial matters develops a habitually angry temperament.
Conversely, a person who believes in themselves eventually develops a deeply confident personality and often adopts a calm nature, characterized by a tendency to express gratitude.
But how does this happen? Is this consciousness? What exactly is consciousness?
Consciousness is the experience of what is unfolding. It is that invisible “I” within us that is aware- observing, feeling, hearing, thinking, and experiencing life. It is a silent awareness underlying every moment of experience.
To better understand consciousness, one does not necessarily need solitude or the company of sages; we can experience it in our ordinary daily lives while drinking tea, taking a walk, listening to music, working at the office, or driving. It simply requires being aware of the sensation arising from the activity taking place.
We often experience consciousness every day without even realizing it.
For example:
• Watching a sunset, when our mind falls silent for a moment.
• Shedding tears while watching a movie, forgetting that the events are merely on-screen and instead feeling the pain of the characters.
• Hugging one’s child and experiencing the joy arising from that love, free from any other thoughts.
• Experiencing a sudden shock, where thoughts come to a standstill for a split second.
• Immersing oneself in deep prayer or meditation, where all sense of time vanishes. We can hear sounds, read words, focus on thoughts, and feel emotions as they arise; yet, behind all these experiences, there is something quietly observing the unfolding of events.
This state of being fully conscious of one’s emotions, thoughts, and surroundings is precisely what consciousness is. Consciousness is pure awareness acting as a silent witness to your thoughts, feelings, and the world around you.
Imagine sitting in a movie theater.
Fictional characters on the screen endure sorrow, poignant music plays, and emotions intensify. Suddenly, your chest feels heavy, tears well up, and emotions surge spontaneously.
Now, observe closely what is happening:
• Level 1 — The Movie: The film is merely an interplay of light and sound; its story was written by someone, and actors are portraying the narrative.
• Level 2 — The Mind and Emotions: Your mind interprets the story, triggering memories, empathy, imagination, and emotions.
• Level 3 — Consciousness: There is something within you that is aware — thinking, “I feel sad,” “Tears are coming,” or “This scene has touched me.”
This awareness of the emotional experience is consciousness. When you are completely immersed in the movie, you temporarily forget yourself; however, the moment you realize, “Oh, I am crying over fictional characters,” you shift from being fully immersed in the experience to becoming a witness to it.
This state of witnessing is consciousness becoming self-aware. Often, anger completely overwhelms us or we fall under its sway and reactions occur automatically. Yet, sometimes, right in the midst of that anger, a small inner voice speaks up: “I am getting extremely angry,” or “I said too much; there was no need for such anger.” Noticing this is consciousness. Anger itself is not consciousness; rather, the awareness *of* the anger is consciousness.
You are driving home and suddenly realize, “Wait… where have I been lost all this time?” Who noticed that? Consciousness did.
You might spend a long time mindlessly scrolling through your phone, only to suddenly wonder, “Why am I wasting my precious time scrolling?”
That moment of waking up from automatic behaviour is consciousness recognizing itself again.
Life:
Life can be understood through two layers:
• Layer 1 — The Experience: This encompasses thoughts, actions, stress, joy, sorrow, relationships, and daily activities.
• Layer 2 — The Knower of the Experience: This is the silent awareness that knows all these experiences are taking place.
Most people spend their lives entirely identified with ‘Layer 1.’ However, meditation, self-awareness, deep reflection, love, art, silence, or even profound grief can suddenly reveal ‘Layer 2.’
As our consciousness deepens, our perspective begins to shift. Without consciousness, the mind is confused and ego-driven; it focuses on objects and people, portraying itself as either the ‘doer’ or the ‘victim’- essentially cloaking itself in the guise of a ‘special’ individual. In contrast, a conscious mind remains aware in the present moment, focusing on energy, space, and presence. And this awareness gives him a sense of wholeness and peace. The conscious mind views itself as a witness and an observer.
Consistently sensing and remaining aware of this consciousness is a practice; gradually, this practice transforms into a habit, eventually traversing the journey into the subconscious until it becomes an intrinsic part of one’s nature. The journey from the conscious mind to the subconscious mind is a process through which recurring thoughts, emotions, and actions slowly evolve into automatic patterns of behavior. An activity that begins in the conscious mind as a deliberate, effortful, and mechanical task requiring attention, analysis, and firm intent, gradually becomes more natural through constant repetition. Initially, every step demands conscious awareness, but over time, the brain establishes strong neural pathways that render the process more efficient and effortless.
With sustained repetition, these neural patterns become increasingly entrenched, shifting thoughts and behaviors from conscious control to subconscious programming. Tasks that once required focused effort begin to run automatically in the background of daily life, stored within implicit memory as habits, emotional reactions, and routines. For instance, driving becomes automatic, emotional responses occur spontaneously, and daily routines are completed without deliberate thought; the body and mind no longer require constant monitoring for familiar tasks, as they unfold naturally.
Ultimately, this repetitive conditioning becomes deeply embedded in the subconscious, laying the foundation for personality and automatic behaviors or *Samskaras*. The subconscious mind then functions as the operating system of human life, quietly driving habits, beliefs, and emotional tendencies. This is why individuals gradually become the embodiment of what they repeatedly think, feel, and do; both positive and negative patterns take concrete form in their lived reality.
Your “subconscious” is your energy, your personality, your conditioning (*samskaras*), and your behaviour. Remain conscious of your subconscious and transform it for the sake of your well-being and health.
Well-being and health are deeply linked to the harmony between the conscious and subconscious minds.
When the mind becomes calm and focuses on positive emotional states- such as love, gratitude, compassion, and inner balance- the body responds positively. Chronic stress, fear, and emotional conflict can impair both mental and physical health, whereas inner harmony supports healing and resilience.
Studies in neuroscience and meditation indicate that heightened states of awarenesssuch as deep peace, compassion, and loving presence can influence brain activity, enhance neural coherence, and increase gamma wave synchrony, a state often associated with expanded awareness, emotional integration, and elevated states of consciousness.
Ultimately, consciousness is not something separate from life; it is the very field in which all experiences arise, unfold, and are understood.
But perhaps the most important question is not whether you *are* consciousness, but rather how deeply connected you are to it. How aware are you of your inner world?
To what extent do you make decisions consciously, rather than reacting out of habit, fear, or social conditioning? How aware are you of the constant activity of your mind, the state of your body, and the deep needs of your soul? Are you truly living with awareness, or simply living life on autopilot?
How often do you ask yourself, “Why am I doing what I am doing?”
Most people spend years chasing success, approval, possessions, and distractions without ever becoming fully conscious of their true selves — which lie hidden beneath their roles, identities, and routines. True awakening begins the moment a person stops merely experiencing life and starts consciously observing it; for the quality of your life is ultimately shaped by the quality of your awareness.
Our consciousness is the root of our health and well-being. The subconscious mind controls 90% of our thoughts and actions, thereby significantly influencing our body, deeds, and behavior. The subconscious is shaped by beliefs, experiences, habits, and imagination. If negative or painful emotions are deeply embedded in your subconscious, they can plunge you into a state of emotional or mental distress.
This distress signals your brain to release chemicals associated with stress, anxiety, and negative emotions — such as cortisol, adrenaline, norepinephrine, and glutamate. Simultaneously, the production of “feel-good” chemicals like serotonin and dopamine declines. Over time, this chemical imbalance can lead to chronic stress, heightened anxiety, fatigue, depression, a weakened immune system, and difficulty concentrating. You may feel constantly irritable, stressed, or physically and emotionally exhausted.
Stress also damages key areas of the brain. The prefrontal cortex, responsible for rational decision-making and emotional regulation, becomes less effective. Chronic stress and elevated cortisol levels can shrink the hippocampus, the part of the brain crucial for memory and learning. In severe cases, overactivity in the amygdala — the brain’s fear center — makes you hyper-reactive to perceived threats, further intensifying fear and anxiety.
To break free from this cycle, it is essential to modify negative experiences stored as memories in the subconscious and replace them with positive ones. This requires continuous, deliberate, and conscious mental rehearsal. By consciously setting an intention to be healthy and visualizing how it feels to achieve that state, you begin to reprogram your subconscious. Over time, repeated mental rehearsal fosters new, positive neural pathways, gradually replacing unhealthy patterns with healthy ones.
Techniques such as visualization, affirmations, mindfulness, and meditation can help you achieve a healthy state of mind. As your mental state improves, your body and health follow suit. As the saying goes, “A healthy mind resides in a healthy body.” Well-being is the result of a healthy balance between body and mind, achieved only through sustained, conscious effort.
Many people believe that happiness depends solely on external circumstances, yet have you ever noticed that the mind can feel unsettled even after achieving one’s goals? Conversely, on simple, peaceful days — devoid of luxury or excitement — the heart can feel surprisingly light and calm. This is because happiness is not created merely by external factors; it also depends on our inner state and the quality of our consciousness. When the mind is cluttered with constant comparison, overthinking, and emotional noise, even minor issues can feel exhausting. However, when awareness becomes calm and clear, those same life situations become easier to handle. That is why practices such as meditation, silence, mindful breathing, and emotional balance enhance not only spirituality but also mental health and daily peace.
Try sitting quietly with your back straight for ten minutes, without using your phone or speaking to anyone. With your eyes closed, try to focus on the space between your eyebrows without straining them; take five to seven deep breaths — inhaling, holding, and exhaling while counting from one to ten — and then allow your breathing to return to normal, focusing entirely on the natural flow of the breath. Observe this experience of awareness.
You must try it. You truly have to experience it to understand it. I remember crying so many times and feeling an overwhelming sense of Ananda (bliss) during Twin Heart Meditation on Purnima. In those deep meditative states, tears would silently stream down my cheeks, and sometimes a profound feeling of joy and a vibrant, elevated energy within. I have even felt that shift in strength and presence firsthand during aura scanning right after meditating.
With continuous practices, the journey to this awareness leads you to become aware of your individual apparatus — like ego, impressions, emotions, and intellect — you become closer to your Atman, which is an approximation of the divine consciousness and a witness to your karma. In fact, the distance was never between you and Ātman; the distance was in your identification. At this point of awareness, you realize that you are not the body, nor are you the mind. You have a physical body, and you have instruments like thought, emotion, ego, and intellect to perform action, as well as a witness called Atma. And you? Yes, you? You are the awareness; you are the consciousness.
Closing it with a sher of mine :
बड़ा होने से कोई बड़ा आदमी नहीं होता
कोई बड़ा आदमी होकर आदमी नहीं होता
ज़रूरी है किरदार बड़ा होना,
यूँ बड़ा किरदार लाज़िमी नहीं होता
-(Avinash)
