Beyond Change

Category: Consciousness

Some of the most meaningful questions in life begin with consciousness. This is where I’ll share ideas, discoveries, and reflections that have inspired my own journey.

  • Meditation and the Different States of Consciousness

    Meditation and the Different States of Consciousness

    One of the most common things I hear from people who are interested in meditation is this:

    “I can’t meditate because I can’t stop my thoughts.”

    If you’ve ever felt that way, you’re certainly not alone. In fact, I believe this is one of the biggest misconceptions about meditation.

    For many years, I also wondered what meditation was really trying to accomplish. Was the goal to completely stop thinking? Was it to empty the mind? Or was there something much deeper happening?

    The more I studied yoga philosophy and, more recently, neuroscience, the more I realized that meditation is not about fighting the mind. It is about understanding it.

    The Mind Was Designed to Think

    According to the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, yoga is often described as Yoga Chitta Vritti Nirodhah. This famous sutra is commonly translated as “Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind.”

    At first glance, it may sound as though yoga is asking us to stop thinking altogether.

    I don’t believe that is what Patanjali was saying.

    The mind thinks because that is its nature. Just as the heart pumps blood and the lungs breathe, the mind produces thoughts.

    The practice of meditation is not about forcing the mind into silence. Instead, it is about changing our relationship with those thoughts so they no longer dominate our experience.

    Three Everyday States of Consciousness

    Yoga philosophy describes several states of consciousness that we experience every day.

    The first is the waking state. This is the state you are in while reading these words. Your senses are active, your attention is directed outward, and your mind is continuously interpreting the world around you.

    The second is the dream state. While the body rests, the mind continues to generate experiences through dreams. Thoughts continue to arise even though there is no direct interaction with the external world.

    Then there is the deep sleep state.

    This state has always fascinated me.

    During deep sleep, we do not experience the stream of thoughts that characterizes waking life or dreaming. Yet when we wake up after a restful night, we often say, “I slept really well.”

    That raises an interesting question.

    If the thinking mind was absent, how do we know the experience was peaceful?

    Yoga philosophy suggests that there is a deeper awareness that remains present, even when the ordinary activity of the mind is no longer at the forefront.

    Whether one agrees with that interpretation or not, I find it to be a fascinating question worth exploring.

    Meditation Is a Practice of Observation

    One of the greatest lessons meditation has taught me is that thoughts themselves are not the problem.

    Our attachment to them often is.

    Every day the mind repeats familiar patterns. Many of today’s thoughts are remarkably similar to yesterday’s thoughts. They carry the same emotions, the same worries, and the same habits.

    Meditation gives us an opportunity to notice those patterns instead of immediately reacting to them.

    Over time, that simple act of observation can create a profound sense of inner freedom.

    What Neuroscience Is Beginning to Discover

    One of the reasons I have become so interested in the neurobiology of yoga is that modern neuroscience is beginning to study practices that have existed for thousands of years.

    Researchers have been investigating how meditation influences attention, emotional regulation, stress, and various brain networks involved in self-awareness and cognitive function.

    This research continues to evolve, but one thing seems increasingly clear: regular meditation practice can have measurable effects on how the brain functions.

    That doesn’t mean meditation replaces psychotherapy or medical treatment. I don’t see it that way.

    Instead, I see meditation as another valuable tool that can support mental well-being when practiced consistently and thoughtfully.

    A Lifelong Practice

    People often ask how long they should meditate before they notice a difference.

    The truth is that meditation is not something we master in a few days or even a few months.

    Like learning a musical instrument or developing physical fitness, its greatest benefits come through steady practice.

    Some changes may be noticeable early on. Others reveal themselves only after years of commitment.

    For me, meditation has never been about escaping life.

    It has been about learning to experience life with greater clarity, greater presence, and a quieter mind.

    Perhaps that is one of the greatest gifts this practice offers—not the absence of thought, but the freedom to no longer be controlled by every thought that arises.

  • Mental Health Begins with Being

    Mental Health Begins with Being

    Mental health is a subject that deserves our attention. We often think about healing in terms of therapy, medication, meditation, or different healing practices. While all of these approaches have value, I believe there is another question we should ask before beginning any healing journey:

    Who are we?

    For more than ten years, I have returned to a book that has had a profound influence on the way I think about this question: The Book of Not Knowing. Every time I open it, I am reminded of the importance of authenticity and the nature of being.

    One of the central questions the book asks is remarkably simple:

    What is being?

    To answer that, I think we first need to understand the difference between the self and being.

    The Self and Being

    The self is a collection of characteristics, memories, beliefs, experiences, and roles that come together to create an idea of who we are—or perhaps more accurately, who we think we are.

    I think that distinction is important.

    Being, on the other hand, is intrinsic. It is what you truly are, independent of labels, achievements, or the stories you tell yourself.

    A plant is intrinsically a plant. It cannot be anything else. A book is a book. An orange is an orange.

    These things simply are what they are.

    Human beings are different because we have the remarkable ability to identify ourselves with ideas. We can identify with our profession, our past, our successes, our failures, or even our fears. Sometimes we become so attached to these identities that we begin to mistake them for who we truly are.

    The Importance of Authenticity

    Authenticity means allowing yourself to be what you already are.

    You cannot truly become someone else.

    Yet many of us spend years trying to do exactly that. We compare ourselves with others, try to meet expectations that are not our own, or create identities that move us further away from our authentic nature.

    I believe that this distance from our true being can contribute to stress, frustration, emotional pain, and many of the struggles that affect our mental health.

    The more disconnected we become from ourselves, the more difficult it can be to experience genuine peace.

    Healing Begins with Understanding

    So how do we begin to heal?

    I think the first step is understanding the difference between the self and being.

    Whatever path of healing we choose—whether it is meditation, therapy, neuroscience, philosophy, or another practice—it helps to approach that journey with a deeper understanding of who we really are.

    Not from the perspective of our labels.

    Not from the perspective of our intellect.

    But from the perspective of being itself.

    For me, that is where healing truly begins.

    A Passage Worth Reflecting On

    One sentence from The Book of Not Knowing has stayed with me for many years:

    “Being is what we really are. It is what is simply so.”

    Every time I read those words, I pause.

    They remind me that perhaps the purpose of life is not to become someone else, but to discover what has always been there.

    Our Roles Are Not Our Identity

    Of course, we all have roles in society.

    We become doctors, teachers, lawyers, pilots, artists, surfers, or countless other things. These roles are important because they help us function in the world and communicate with one another.

    But they are still roles.

    They are not the essence of who we are.

    There is a deeper part of ourselves that exists before every title, every profession, and every label.

    Perhaps that is our true being.

    Final Thoughts

    These are simply some of my reflections, and I am grateful to have a place where I can share them with you.

    My hope is that this space becomes a community where we can explore consciousness, authenticity, and the human experience together—not by pretending to have all the answers, but by asking better questions.

    A Question to Reflect On

    If you removed every label you use to describe yourself—your profession, your achievements, your past, and even your beliefs—who would you be?