Be present… Be here now.

 Be present… Be here now.

 Probably the most meaningful thing that I have learnt in my yoga journey has been the power of living in the present. I am by nature an anxious person, a go-getter, driven by the will to reach one milestone after another. My hands are often sweaty because when I am here I am subconsciously or consciously thinking of the 10 things that I have to do for later, for tomorrow. I am always worried about things like: when will I meet “the one”? I am getting older… When will I have my children? Is this job going to fulfill me in the long run? Why bother dating this guy if I know I will not marry him?

Evidently, this constant worry for the future didn’t allow me to actually enjoy or even really live my present moments (as good as they might have been). Even when sharing moments with people I loved I was worried about waking up early tomorrow, getting home in taxi, or just any little banal thing about the future that my mind could come up with. Every time I reached a certain milestone I immediately established my next one and again found “purpose”. I was letting my life pass me by because I was so incredibly afraid of not knowing where I was headed. I lived for the future and felt unstable and lost when I had nothing to “worry” about beyond my daily tasks.

Thankfully, while studying yoga I was introduced to this Buddhist concept of “presence”. It is about realizing that nothing exists but the present. This moment is all there is. The past is gone and the future is an illusion. Your body is in the present. It is a hard thing to grasp. For some it is more difficult than for others. But…. Seeing things objectively, opening your mind, taking a moment to make yourself aware, looking within… you realize it. This moment is all.   Eventually when you are in the future it will be the “now”, the present too.

Where you are now, be there 100%. Invest yourself in it; give your full attention to this moment, live it to the fullest. You might think, “Yes… This can work for good moments or neutral moments but investing 100% of myself in the bad moments sounds crazy!” Well, no. When you practice being present you realize that when in the now you are well and you don’t really have a problem. A problem becomes so when you think about it in the future and worry, or when you feel bad about something that happened in the past. In the now, when you look within, when you are aware of your breath, when you slow down and become conscious of your senses, you are alive… The feeling is difficult to put into words … all I can say is that when you practice being here now you understand what it is to live and with that comes a feeling of peace, contentment and joy. The future is only a useful concept to be able to coordinate an appointment. When you practice presence, reaching the next milestone, or even thinking about tonight’s dinner, or the 10 things for tomorrow becomes irrelevant… Your purpose is to live to fullest the present moment. I can tell you that realizing this is probably the key (or at least an essential part) to being genuinely happy.

Practical Tips for Living a YogaOrdinary Life:

 To practice living in the now…

1. Practice being aware of the moment by focusing on your breath.
2. Be aware of the moment: several times a day take a minute to make yourself aware/conscious of your surroundings and the state of your body and mind. For example you could take a deep breath, then pass one of your fingers slowly through your arm while closing your eyes and… feel. Then open your eyes slowly and look around you.
3. Truly live and feel the little things: a stretch, a breeze, water falling in your skin during your shower, the taste of food, observing and catching people’s essences while perhaps in the subway…
4. Give 100% of your attention to each one of your daily tasks: doing the dishes, walking to work or school, making your bed, cooking…
5. Give 100% of you to every interaction with people.
6. Realize that nothing else exists… Only the present moment. Invest yourself in it.
7. Meditate.
8. Repeat the mantra: “Be present… Be here now”.
9. Read the book “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle.