I had a really productive day the other day. It was tense, stressful, not particularly enjoyable, but it was productive. At the end of it I turned to my husband, totally exhausted and frazzled, and proclaimed, “Alright, we got a lot done today! And isn’t that what life is really about — getting stuff done?! Not about experiencing moments of joy, but about checking boxes?”
I was being sarcastic, of course, but if I’m honest, that too often seems to be my unspoken mantra. Sometimes it even carries over into my yoga asana practice. My time on the mat becomes just one more thing I feel I have to check off. I went through the poses… Well, not savanna. I skipped that one because it’s just lying around, and who has time for that?! Okay, yoga: check! I’m on my way to enlightenment and inner peace. On to the next item. I wasn’t even remotely present or aware during my time on the mat, let alone conscious enough to carry the practice and its lessons with me off the mat.
“Your entire life only happens in this moment. The present moment is life itself. Yet, people live as if the opposite were true and treat the present moment as a stepping stone to the next moment — a means to an end.” — Eckhart Tolle
You can begin fully embracing and sitting right in the middle of the present moment right now, exactly as you are, wherever you are. You can bring your consciousness to it and awaken your awareness to it so as not to miss what it is to be human, to be alive.
Begin by aligning your physical body, and then allowing it to find stillness. Close your eyes, and turn your attention inward. Notice any physical sensations. What parts of your body are in contact with the floor or other surfaces? Can you feel your clothes on your skin? Can you feel the air around you? What’s the temperature like? What sounds do you hear? What smells do you smell?
Now notice your breath. Notice the movement it creates in your body and begin to tune into your unique rhythm. We can use physical sensations and breath to bring us back home to ourselves in the present moment any time at all.
With each inhale welcome the gift that is this unique, present moment. This breath has never been breathed before and will never be breathed again. This moment has never happened before and will never happen again. Whether it be comfortable or uncomfortable, easy or challenging, what a shame it would be to miss it. And with each exhale let go of any worry or fear that is keeping you from slowing down and awakening to the experience of the present moment.
“Be here now.” — Ram Dass
It is in the present moment that we awaken to and experience the love, the meaning, the connection, the joy, the lesson, the gratitude — whatever we need, precisely what we need. These things are not in some other place or time, they are right here, right now. To be conscious, to be fully awake is to “be here now” for each of these moments. When you choose presence, you say “yes” to life.
Krystal Barschig 