The truth is there is little difference between the two outside of the totality of one and universality of the other. Mindfulness allows you to fully experience the present moment in full, it is being conscious of every aspect of that present. This has great value when trying to alter bad habits, and is often cringe worthy when we recognize our role in the day to day experiences of our world. Conscious living expands on that to include everything and everyone that ever was and ever will be, pretty lofty huh. It also is responsible for that sense of more, of being a part of something huge and beyond our comprehension. It lends itself to the visionary but is so inclusive that it can be difficult to draw out a single line of existence within the whole as it is conceptual by nature.
Using mindfulness to deal with poor habits is amazing really, it is the basis of most hypnotherapy techniques. If you smoke, take a moment next time you light up, to notice the packet, the cigarette itself, what it feels like in your hands and between your fingers. Take the time to taste the filter, and the smoke itself, taste it in your mouth and as it goes down your throat into your lungs. Let yourself smell it, look at the end burning, and look at the filter after every drag. That is a mindfulness exercise related to smoking, but it can be done with everything. By immersing yourself in the experience of it on every level you reveal everything about it. This applies to enjoyment also, and magnifies it beyond the norm, this enhancement works really well if you want to move past depressive or negative habitual thinking as it is the very mindfulness of negative thoughts that keeps you there.
So now you know the mindfulness techniques are in the now, in the moment and being fully present in them to the exclusion of distractions. You might be surprised just how many habits and relationships can be enhanced when you are that conscious of your self.
Living consciously includes Karmic awareness or cause and effect. While mindfulness will reveal joy and distaste, an expanded consciousness cannot stay in the present moment or in the here and now. It is aware of a future and a past, either of which can eclipse the now, or at the very least influence it. There is an inevitable detachment that comes to those who spend much of their time wandering between worlds while exploring universal concepts of spirituality, unity and quantum physics. This can lead to being ineffective in living out ones desires as the surety of being on the right and noble path doesn’t allow for the fact that bad habits can get in the way of successful living. No one can fully walk a middle ground so to live in a multi-dimensional reality we are required to be able to transition freely from one mind set to the other, or more correctly, be flexible in any moment as to which cerebral landscape is most appropriate.
The bridge that draws them together is human sensing. We are known as sentient beings for a reason, all our experiences physical or otherwise are felt in our body in some way, the way we experience what we see, smell, touch or hear affects us psychologically and physically. You first are taught how to experience it or what to expect and then you live that expectation or you learn from it and form your own response.Life may not be a reflection of your desires but is definitely a reflection of your expectations.
