Mindful Awareness

There is a difference between alertness and awareness. Alertness is a state of being ready to react immediately to a stimulus. It activates the sympathetic nervous system, which prepares for a quick response. The body becomes ready to run or fight, but also to think quickly, make decisions, adjust plans, and catch falling objects. Awareness, on the other hand, cultivates the parasympathetic nervous system, which calms, nurtures, and nourishes the body. It is a process of noticing and bringing attention to things without jumping into action. As a state of being instead of doing, it often brings a sense of expansiveness and ease to the body. The stress of daily life often calls for alertness as we activate our sympathetic nervous systems and jump in to deal with crisis, solve problems, and move quickly from one thing to another. This is not a sustainable lifestyle, though. We need to also practice awareness to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system and to nourish and rebalance the body. Practicing awareness brings resiliency and vitality to the body, so that there are deep reserves of energy to call upon when switching into action mode. The nervous system thrives when it has opportunities to replenish and restore, and our health is depleted when we are unable to switch off our alert action mode in order to rest. Cultivating awareness in order to balance our times of alertness helps to raise our life energy and to better handle the stress of daily life. If you can only do one thing, try coming to class at HaLe’. Any and all of our classes will support your body in shifting into rest and repair mode. For deeper or more acute issues, explore the personalized care of our therapy offerings.