The Art of Soulful Living: What is awareness?

Our philosophy, The Art of Soulful Living is brought to life through our compass, that acts as a guide to personal wellbeing. This month, we are focusing on one of the 13 compass points: Awareness

Imagine yourself sitting on a train, travelling at high speed through the countryside. Your mind is occupied, maybe you’re thinking about work, maybe you ponder your never-ending to-do list, or maybe you re-run the argument you had with your mum last night. You look out of the window and you watch the landscape go by in a flurry of indiscernible images. You watch, and yet, you don’t really see.  

As soon as the train decreases its speed, the puzzle become reassembled and the world comes slowly back into clear view. Living life at high speed is a little bit like that. It can blur and dampen your senses: we look, but we don’t always see. We hear, but we might not really listen. We experience, but we don’t always truly feel. This is where awareness comes into play.  

Awareness is about being conscious of all your senses and truly experiencing them, instead of living on autopilot. By allowing ourselves to slow down the pace of life, we give ourselves the gift of seeing the world through an unobstructed view. And, by learning to embrace the art of paying attention to all our senses, we suddenly experience a deeper awareness of all the beautiful things and moments that life, people, and the world have to offer us. It is in this flow of attention, of consciously listening to others with interest, and opening our eyes to see what and who is in front of us – when we attentively smell, taste, and experience – that we become truly aware. Cultivating awareness is paying attention to all your senses, and rediscovering the beauty of childlike curiosity and wonder. After all, happiness and bliss can be found in the smallest of things, but only if you make the time and put in the effort to watch and truly see… 

Awareness: A deep dive 

This month, writer Jes Salter explores how our gut instinct can be our physical and mental guide to cultivating more happiness in our lives. 

Discover small and easy ways to incorporate a little more awareness into your every day with our new Your Moment Of... series.

Learn how the simple act of skipping can be the perfect exercise to keep you in the moment this New Year.

Find 15 minutes within your day to declutter your mind and embrace the now with this expert-guided awareness meditation by Deborah Quibell. 

Being aware of the planet is part of Ritual's mission. On this note, learn how and why we are committing to Net-Zero. 

Read all about The Art of Soulful Living and each of the compass points here.

Want to know more about awareness? Our first ever book, The Book of Rituals, delves deep into this topic and so much more. Featuring inspirational articles, unique art work and wellbeing wisdom, this luxurious coffee table book is the ultimate guide to soulful living. Click here to shop The Book of Rituals.