What is a Conscious Business?

I am asked at most of my events how I define consciousness and “what is a conscious business?”

There are many psychological and spiritual philosophies on “consciousness,” which are all fascinating to me (I will outline two briefly below). However, to put it quite simply, I define consciousness as “awareness”. Awareness of self and a building level of emotional intelligence so that you’re able to see how your choices affect the world around you (which then, of course, reverberates back to you).

Applying this to business, I like to offer the example of operating a Triple Bottom Line (TBL) business. A TBL business is committed to making an honest profit rather than raking in a profit without a concern for how the decisions may affect other people, the environment, and society as a whole. A conscious business leader aims to make decisions based on their values and in harmony with social and environmental concerns.

Two Philosophies on Consciousness

The Eight Limbs of Yoga According to Patanjali

When I teach yoga, I teach from Patanjali’s foundational eight limbs of yoga. Below is an diagram with an overview. The stages are Yama (universal moral commandments & codes of external discipline), Niyama (personal observances & internal discipline), Asana (physical postures), Pranayama (breath energy regulation), Pratyahara (withdrawal from & control over the senses), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditative absorption), and Samadhi (state of super consciousness).

To learn more, consider attending one of my yoga events at the Botanic Gardens where I will be offering a guided walking meditation.

A New Psychology of Human Well-Being by Richard Barrett

The seven (7) stages include: Survival, Relationships/Conforming, Self-Esteem/Differentiating, Transformation/Individuating, Internal Cohesion/Self-Actualizing, Making a Difference/Integrating, and Service. Head over to the CBC Facebook Group Page to join in a discussion about this.