Awareness of life, for example, when one is inside (9)
I believe the answer is:
sentience
'awareness' is the definition.
(sentience is being aware or conscious)
'life for example when one is inside' is the wordplay.
'life for example' becomes 'sentence' (I've seen this in another clue).
'when one' becomes 'i' (Roman numeral. I am not sure about the 'when' bit.).
'is inside' is an insertion indicator.
'sentence' enclosing 'i' is 'SENTIENCE'.
'of' is the link.
(Other definitions for sentience that I've seen before include "Feeling" , "Consciousness -- ten nieces (anag)" , "Ability to feel or perceive" , "Ability to feel things" , "mind" .)