The Wheel of Awareness is a mindfulness framework developed by Dr. Dan Siegel to enhance self-awareness, integration, and well-being.
It uses the metaphor of a wheel, where the hub represents focused awareness and the spokes represent what we attend to: sensations, emotions, thoughts, relationships, and the external world.
The practice can be used as both a meditation and a mindfulness exercise to help cultivate presence, emotional regulation, a deeper understanding of oneself as well as interconnectedness with others.
With the Wheel, you learn to pay attention with intention. As Dan Siegel puts it, you “use the power of attention to create choice and change.”
You might not be able to control what happens around you, but you can bring your attention under your command.
Listen to the guided meditation below led by Dan Siegel himself.
You can also use the Wheel with your eyes open. Meaning, as a mindfulness practice. In a moment of struggle, just tune in to the quality of your attention. From the “hub” notice where have you sent a spoke of awareness? Where “on the rim” are you?
The goal is not to avoid attending to anything; but rather, to notice where you place your attention and how that impacts you. From there, you can choose what to do. Perhaps pick up a tool to help you cope with what you notice; or, send a spoke to a different part of the “rim.”
In time, this practice helps promote your sense of sturdiness: the ability to regulate oneself amidst challenges.