Are You Conscious or Unconscious?

Did you know that our conscious mind only makes up 5% of our thoughts and behaviors, while our unconscious mind controls 95% of our thoughts and behaviors? Granted, a good portion of the unconscious mind controls things we don’t want to remember, like breathing, heart rate and digestion, but that’s still a lot of stuff we’re not aware of. What we’re not usually aware of are the habits of mind and action that put us on automatic pilot during the day. Automatic behavior can be a great thing when it involves giving yourself positive affirmations and going for a walk every day. But it can also involve things that are not at all good for you.

Consider for a moment what happens when you’re under stress. Do you eat unhealthy food? Go shopping online? Binge watch television? Spend hours on social media? Go back to bed? Scream at someone? Lament all the ways your life is not going the way you want it to go?

Practicing Yoga is one of the ways to become more aware of thoughts and behaviors. This is called “mindfulness” or “present moment awareness.” In that moment of awareness the unconscious becomes conscious. And once you are aware, you can make better choices.

Take a few minutes right now to think about your usual response to stressful situations. Consider both thoughts and actions. Is this the way you really want to deal with life? What could you do instead that would help you be the person you know you truly are? Now you are aware! The next time you feel the tug toward unconsciousness, stop, think and replace your thoughts and actions with more powerful ones.