Becoming Aware of the Present Moment
I could write an entire book about the importance of living in the present moment, and maybe some day I will, however, in the mean time I will let you in on a couple secrets that were handed down to me from above. These two secrets, if used whenever you feel yourself slipping from the present moment, will pull you instantly back in.
What is the present moment, and why do I want to be there?
Time is an illusion. It is a construct of your egoic (and quite insane) mind. Your egoic mind is not interested in this moment. It is only interested in what does not exist – time, and more specifically, the past and the future.
If you are like most people, the majority of your thoughts are either on the past, or into the future. You worry about what might happen in your life (future) and you plan for the worst (future) or hope for the best (future). You resent something that someone did to you (past) and are still angry at them (past). You wish you had finished college (past), had children (past), or gone to the prom (past). You think about all the things that need to be done (future), or that you wished you had had time to do (past).
All this thought about past and future leaves no room for awareness and enjoyment of what your life is really about, which is NOW. Now is the only time that there is. If you are not living now, when are you living? If you spend most of your time in the future, think about it — when will you ever arrive?? How long have you been hoping that the future will be brighter than your current life? How long have you been saying, “When I get that new job, I’ll be happy.” or “When we retire, I’ll finally be free.” or “When the kids are gone, I will go back to school.” Planning is great, but if you look at your thought patterns and find that you are mostly dissatisfied with what is happening right now, it is not going to get better in the future; you will continue your patterns of dissatisfaction because that is how you have programmed yourself to operate.
If you tend to spend a lot of time in the past, focusing on guilt, resentment, and anger, there is no way for you to enjoy today because you are still back there, in yesterday, wishing it had been different. Can you see how insane that actually is?
Your egoic mind is bored with the present and tends to turn everything in the present into a ‘problem’ so that is has something of value to do. It is not content with simply watching the clouds float by, or listening to nature, children playing, or music. It judges you and tells you that you should be doing something important, useful, or productive.
The present moment is your life! It is happening right now, and it is the only time that there is. To learn to enjoy your life now, in this moment, requires you to learn new techniques for letting go of your egoic mind’s obsession with past and future. Here are the two secret techniques that I promised (there are more, of course, but start with these) –
Feel Your Body – When you are focused outside of yourself on the past and future, you are not in your body. You are not a mind and a body. Your mind and your body combine to create you and your life. You are your body. By becoming aware of your body, by residing in it fully, you come into the present moment. The focus and energy that it takes to become aware of and feel the energy that is the body takes some of your egoic mind’s attention away from its focus on past and future.
To feel your body, find a quiet, comfortable place to relax. Sit or lie down, close your eyes, and be still. Ask yourself, “How do I know that my foot is still there?” Concentrate on your foot without moving it until you can sense that it is still there. It may feel like a warm buzz, a vibration, or simply a presence. Whatever you feel, this is the energy that creates your life. It is the life force that is you. As you feel your foot, then try to feel the other foot at the same time. Rest here in awareness of the feeling of your feet. Just relax and play with it. Move your awareness to your hands. Feel both your hands and your feet. As you do this, you may start to spontaneously notice other parts of your body; perhaps your face, neck, or legs. As you feel more and more of your body, notice how much your presence is now focused on feeling your body and how your thoughts have slowed. Feeling the body is an intense gateway into the present moment. Whenever I find myself doubting, fearful, wondering, worrying, or regretting, I remind myself to feel my body, and it immediately pulls me back into the moment.
Feel the Love - Love is a powerful way to let go of past and future, and to come into the moment. It is also incredibly healing of both the giver and the receiver. You don’t have to have anyone or anything in particular to feel loving towards to generate love feelings. Love feelings are pure, unconditional, and utterly accepting. As you are feeling your body, generate in your heart the feeling of love. Use whatever metaphor, memory, or thought that you need to first conjure up a love feeling. It may feel like it comes from the center of your chest or solar plexus and emanates outward. It may start very small at first, depending on your history with feeling love. As you find any little loving feeling in you, focus on it and make it become more prominent. As you continue to feel the energy in your body, now also feel that energy turn into love and radiate out of your body and into the world around you. Feeling the love erases guilt and leads to forgiveness, which keep us trapped in the past. Feeling the love gives us hope and faith, which erases our obsession with the future.
As you feel both your body and your ever-present love, you will find yourself blissfully in the moment. You can do this while you are driving, while at work, walking down the street, or talking to a friend. There is not any moment in which you cannot be aware of both love and your body. Try this out for yourself and see if it doesn’t help you let go of thoughts of time, and bring you into the Now.
February 24th, 2010 at 6:02 pm
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July 23rd, 2010 at 5:49 am
Very interesting article and useful practical tips. There is a book called Quiet the Mind by John Selby I don’t agree with all his religious views but this contains practical steps like this one to put you in touch with your body and the love we all have inside albeit it got buried along the way. More of this on the net please!