The Wheel of Awareness is a visual metaphor for the way the mind works and a tool to expand the container of consciousness. In this meditation we are guided to focus on different levels of awareness, using a wheel as imagery.
One way to promote this integration is with a reflective practice I created at first for my patients, and now for a wider general audience, called the Wheel of Awareness. Wheel Of Awareness IMAR: Guided Mindfulness Meditation: Wheel of Awareness For this exercise you might find it helpful to use a mobile device with earphones so that you can sit or lie in a comfortable position as you listen along to the following guided meditation: Guided Meditation with Dan Siegel (Wheel of Awareness) (Links to an external site.) The Awareness Wheel includes five different dimensions: Sensations, Interpretations, feelings, Intentions, and Actions. The Wheel of Awareness and the Science of Presence Downloadable Audio Dialogue With Dr. Dan Siegel.
Get to know the "wheel" structure. We can send a spoke out to the rim to focus our attention on one point or another on the rim. I like to think of it as a mix tape of my favorite meditation techniques (awareness of breath, body scan, Vipassana, loving kindness and self-compassion). The Wheel can be used to reduce stress, improve cardiovascular and immune system functioning, and slow the aging process. I think meditation is really a good practice for us to ease up and really listen to our mind and emotion, and from there comforting ourselves. Dr. Siegel shares his guided mindfulness meditation called “Wheel of Awareness.” With this practice, you’ll learn to integrate four main aspects of life and mind: the five senses, internal bodily sensations, mental activity and emotions, and relationship to the outside world. In the centre of the wheel is our breath which is a point of awareness we can always return to. The hub represents the experience of awareness itself — knowing — while the rim contains all the points of anything we can become aware of, that which is known to us. The following is a brief summary of each dimension.
The Wheel of Awareness is a useful tool I’ve developed over many years to help expand the container of consciousness.. I’ve offered the Wheel to thousands of individuals around the world, and it’s proven to be a practice that can help people develop more well-being in both their inner and interpersonal lives. The Awareness Wheel is most effective when used with “I” statements, and an attitude towards resolution. It’s a visual metaphor of a bicycle wheel, where the awareness is lying at the center and all along the rim there are ‘known’ elements where you can direct your focus. The integration of this energy flow, or mind, is what creates health and wellbeing. The Wheel of Awareness was created by Dr. Dan Siegel who is a doctor and mindfulness researcher.
It is also a flexible tool, which means you can do the steps in any order and when communicating with another about a situation, you don’t have to use all 5 steps. The metaphor is that of a bicycle wheel, and all along the rim are places where you can direct your focus, accessing those moments through a “spoke of attention.” The Awareness Wheel helps us get in touch with our own experience on an issue, as well as equip us to communicate our thoughts more effectively.