Ever since Eckhart Tolle and his book, The Power of Now , appeared on the Oprah Show, there's been a lot of buzz about spirituality and living in the present moment. After all, the present is the only time that truly exists. The past is gone and the future is not yet, except as our minds project. Despite that, our minds do project often, maybe more often than not. I know that I am usually thinking of something that happened back when, what may occur later or whatever else my brain chooses to occupy itself with that has nothing to do with the NOW.
Living in the present is not a new idea. Spiritual teachers have encouraged this practice for thousands of years and usually suggest meditation as a way of cultivating this state. Well, I don't know about you, but I have a love/hate relationship with meditation. I love the feeling and sense of calm presence and connection it evokes, my mind hates being still even for a few moments. So I found a compromise which I've dubbed:
The Quick and Easy Way to Practice Presence (who doesn't like quick and easy?)
I came up with this practice a few years ago as I was riding my bike. I do a lot of thinking on my bike. Now, whenever I am riding or walking, I take a few minutes to enjoy this meditation. You can even do this while sitting on your porch or eating a meal. What makes it easy is that you are engaging your body, mind and senses through focused attention. Since you are keeping busy, it is much easier to stay focused.
Here's what you do :
Focus your attention on one sense at a time and notice what sights, sounds, or feeling come into your awareness. Feel free to also add taste and smell, especially if you are eating or someplace conducive to this. You may choose to focus solely on one sense or all five in any order you like. This is your meditation, your present moment.
Stay with each sense for a minute or more. Sometimes you may shift to another sense without making a conscious decision to do so. That's okay. This is about a state of being, not doing. The brain is happy because it is noticing and labeling things. If your mind does wander, gently bring it back. Don't force this. If it keeps wandering, change to another sense or end the meditation. Sometimes you may want to just notice without labeling, which takes this to a higher level, but is more difficult.
Usually I begin with the sense of hearing. Tune into the sounds around and within you. At first only one or two sounds may be noticeable, the tires on the road or the cars whizzing by. Then as your hearing becomes more acute, more focused, you might hear a bird and another bird, a frog croaking in the marsh. Stay with it. Hear yourself breathing, the children yelling. There are no better or worse sounds to hear, let it all in. This is about being present with what is in the moment. When there seems to be nothing new to hear, shift your focus.
Next focus on sight. You may notice the road before you. What can you see in the road? What else is there to see? There are seagulls foraging in the pasture, your hands on the handlebars, the sun shining brightly. Notice the intensity of the colors, the shades of color. Do you see something new, even though you've traveled this path many times before? If your brain will let you, see what you can see without asking the questions. It is perfectly okay however to ask the questions.
Lastly, I focus on the sense of touch. Feel your feet pushing against the pedals, the tires pushing against the road, the feel of wind in your face, air going in and out of your body. Gently focus a bit more, do you feel anything else? Let your mind revisit what it notices, let it notice one or many feelings at once. Can you just feel without labeling or asking, can you just notice?
To close, take a moment to tune into how you feel after allowing yourself a few minutes of focused attention in the present . I find that my awareness is heightened, I feel more centered, more connected both to the Creator and the creation, at least for a few minutes, until my mind once again takes me to another place and time. Yet as I continue this practice, I notice the mind and the body remember the experience, the feeling of being present, and it becomes easier to access at will.
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Val invites you to visit her website at http://www.holistic-mindbody-healing.com where you will find comprehensive information and videos about holistic health, stress relief and energy healing techniques.
Val lives in Northern New York near beautiful Lake Ontario where she teaches reading recovery and practices holistic healing methods. She enjoys nature, bicycling, reading and writing articles that are uplifting and educational.
I will surely try it when I will go back from office. It must be amazing to feel the Creator and creation. That's what we all want ...isn't it? May God bless you...keep writing...
Thank you for your commenting on my articles and your compliments. I'd love to hear about your experiences with this meditation, let me know how it goes.
well, not surprisingly, i have been working on this. mediatation is also difficult for me, because my mind seems to want to go wherever it wants. what you have explained, i have been focusing on all summer. i had a toad who visited my porch every night, and i would gently grab hold of it and talk to it and hold it, feeling it's heart beating against my chest. i don't think meditation has anything over that. i have a sweet little maltipoo that is more loving and intelligent than some people i know, and i enjoy every moment i spend with him.
thanks for a good article, it was well written and interesting,
Of course I'm not surprised! I'm happy to have met a kindred spirit already. I'm there with you about my dogs too. I have a little Frenchie who acts as if I live to serve him, and that's all right with me:) Respond to this comment
Maybe its just me but I didn't gain anything from the article! In fact I just don't know what it means??? Maybe that's just me though as I am full of life and have always lived for the present anyway! But good luck for others to gain what they maybe missing!
Ouch!! What don't you know what it means??? Do you always live in the present or for the present? Because if you always live in the present ( that would include your mind/thoughts) I would love to know your secret. Thanks for commenting. Val
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I came up with this practice a few years ago as I was riding my bike. I do a lot of thinking on my bike. Now, whenever I am riding or walking, I take a few minutes to enjoy this meditation. You can even do this while sitting on your porch or eating a meal. What makes it easy is that you are engaging your body, mind and senses through focused attention. Since you are keeping busy, it is much easier to stay focused.
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