Awareness: The First Step to Mindfulness

Mindfulness begins with awareness.

Awareness invites us to turn our attention to the present moment — to what is actually happening, right here, right now.

But what does that really mean? How do we recognize awareness when so much of our attention is wrapped up in thoughts, plans, and old stories?

Everyone experiences moments of awareness — whether we realize it or not. Often they’re fleeting, just a few seconds, before a thought arises and we drift back into the river of mind activity.

And that’s okay.

Awareness is something we can cultivate with practice. 

At its simplest, awareness is observation without judgment.

It’s noticing your breath without trying to change it. It’s hearing a sound without labeling it as pleasant or annoying. It’s watching a thought arise without attaching to it.

Each time we observe that we’ve drifted, we have an opportunity to practice awareness — a chance to gently return to the present, to strengthen our ability to see what is truly in front of us.

Through these reflections and meditations, we’ll work on cultivating greater awareness — starting from the very basics and deepening our abilities together.