The center hub of the metaphoric wheel represents the “knowing” of being conscious, while the elements on the rim stand for the “known”
As seen in the diagram, known elements on the external rim include:
- Our first five sense – what we see, hear, smell, taste and touch
- What we sense from our inner bodily sensations
- What we experience with our mental activities – feelings, thoughts, memories
- Our sense of relational connections with humanity
The power of practicing the Wheel of Awareness is to integrate consciousness by differentiating hub from rim, and intentionally linking these various elements on the external rim
This integration of consciousness allows us to free our mind to learn to move recurrent thoughts and moods towards an open space of knowing – the hub
This practice can liberate the mind from embedded patterns of cognition and emotion and help you emerge with a more open sense of awareness
PDF copy of the Wheel of Awareness diagram and practice tips:
Wheel of Awareness (Introduction):
Wheel of Awareness II (actual mindfulness) (four rim sectors):
Reference
Siegel, D. J. (2010). The mindful therapist: A clinician’s guide to mindsight and neural integration. New York: W.W. Norton & Company