Evolve and Transform
LIVING IN THE PRESENT MOMENT
– Lugina Miranda
“I can’t live alone. If something happens to my parents or if they die, I cannot survive on my own; I’ll also die. There is no one in this world to take care of me like my parents.” said Neha, an 18 year old, studying in a reputed college, who was brought to the clinic for counseling. Neha was living every moment with anxiety. She was anxious and worried thinking of life without her parents and sister. Her parents were well off, educated, loving, caring and moreover according to Neha they are very understanding. She described her sister as her soul mate. Neha is unable to sleep well and concentrate on her studies. She is disturbed by irrational thoughts and is finding it difficult to relax.
Mrs. Kumar, a 40-year-old teacher, was very talented, responsible, well qualified and had good leadership qualities. Yet she was looking unhappy, hopeless and angry. She told me that she would have reached very high had it not been for a certain school management that had ditched her 15 years back. They had promised her a teaching post in their school but did not keep up their word. ‘For 5 years I worked hard, doing my best in service to that school hoping they will appoint me. But they didn’t….They ruined my life! I will never forgive and forget them for what they did to me.” Mrs. Kumar was not willing to move on and is still living in the shadow of the past.
Neha, having everything in her life is not able to live happily, only because she is worried about the future. Also Mrs. Kumar has not moved on in her life in spite of having all capabilities to reach high. She got stuck with her past, blocking the ability to feel worth.
No amount of worry, anxiety, tension or stress can change the future. No amount of guilt, regret, resentment, grievances or hurt can change the past. The only way is to learn to live in the present moment.
What is Present Moment?
It is Here and Right Now, in this very moment – not in some distant future or past. Right Now is a miracle. Right Now is the only moment guaranteed to you. Right Now is life. There is no thought about how great or how worst things will be in the future or not dwelling on what did or didn’t happen in the past. Learning to live in the present is experiencing life as it is happening; appreciating the world for the beauty that it holds right now.
‘All you really need to do is accept this moment fully. You are then at ease in the here and now and at ease with yourself’- Eckhart Tolle.
The impact of negative thoughts
All of us talk silently in our minds. We are constantly having running commentary about what happened in the past, what is happening to us in the present and what might happen to us in the future. This silent voice is known as mind-talk or self-talk. If a negative message is fed, we are dwelling in negative thoughts. It has a powerful effect and physical, psychological and behavioral problems take root. They tend to weigh us down and put us in a sad or sorry state of mind. Negative thoughts don’t go away easily. They keep popping up in our mind. They haunt us and torment us. Finally, we end up having difficulty thinking straight.
Adding to their turmoil some of the famous tutorials admit students those who score high. It’s easy to coach them and get into fame rather than teaching students who score less. Some Parents will be angry on their ward for not scoring high and some will be disappointed as if that is the end. Finally students are confused and are left out.
How to be in the present moment?
• Listen to the voice in your head:
Pay particular attention to any of your repetitive thoughts. It is just like a tape recorder that has been playing in your head for many months or years. Start listening to the voice in your head. Only LISTEN – do not judge, analyze, question, criticize or rationalize. You are simply not getting involved and are there as witnessing present. Stay present. As you listen to the thoughts you feel the conscious present. The thought then loses its power over you and quickly subsides and you experience a discontinuity in the mental stream – a gap of “no-mind”. This is freeing yourself from your mind. With regular practice, the sense of stillness, calm and peace will deepen within you. You will also feel the joy of being.
• Pay attention to all the sense perceptions associated with the activity:
In your everyday life, you can practice this by taking any routine activity and giving it you fullest attention. For example: Every time you walk on the road pay close attention to every step, every movement, see the people around you, see different types of vehicles, buildings, hoardings, hear sounds, smell dust, petrol and also feel your breathing rhythm. Be totally present. Or when you wash your hands, pay attention to the sound and feel the water, the movement of your hands, and the scent of the soap.
You can also enjoy your present moment while driving, cooking, doing any work, watching T.V, reading, standing in the queue, waiting for someone or at the bus-stop, railway-station or airport. etc., be where you are. Look around. Just look don’t interpret. See the light, shapes, colors, textures. Be aware of the silent presence of each thing. Listen to the sounds. Touch something and feel and acknowledge its being.
• Focus all attention on your breathing:
It is easier to follow the breath with your full attention. Conscious breathing is a powerful meditation. Observe the rhythm of your breathing: feel the air flowing in and out, feel the life energy inside your body. Move deeply into the Now.
If there is no joy, ease, or lightness in what you are doing, it does not necessarily mean that you need to change what you are doing. It may be sufficient to change the how. “How” is always more important than “what”. See if you can give much more attention to the doing than to the result that you want to achieve through it.
Eckhart Tolle has written in his book, “The Power of Now”, the present moment holds the key to liberation. But you cannot find the present moment as long as you are your mind. So learn to disidentify from your mind. Every time you create a gap in the stream of mind, the light of your consciousness grows stronger.
As soon as you honor the present moment, all unhappiness and struggle dissolve, and life begins to flow with joy and ease. When you act out of present–moment awareness, whatever you do becomes imbued with a sense of quality, care and love – even the simplest action.