How to be more present in every moment : my simple and effective tip
In a society where being busy and rushing through the day is considered as a status symbol , we can easily loose track of time and what is really important to us, that is why I try to incorporate easy ways on how to be more present everyday.
Few weeks ago I was in my local yoga studio, trying out for the first time a Jivamukti yoga class. It was incredibly hot in the room, and the poses were really challenging for me....
I started to hear my mind complaining about the heat, about the pain in my muscles, about the complicated poses to try, and what was the result of all of this negative thinking? Well I was not enjoying myself and just wishing it was over as soon as possible.
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But suddenly a little voice of wisdom in my head spoke with just one sentence :
" YOU ONLY HAVE THIS MOMENT, MAKE IT BEAUTIFUL "
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This one sentence hit me and suddenly stopped the flow of complaints, as I realized that in fact my whole life was contained in that one single moment, that's all I had, that was my present moment , my body sweaty and contorted in that difficult pose, on my mat, and my mind lost in my thoughts , complaining and revising my to-do list of the day...
What if that was the last moment in my life? What if the world ended just the minute after ?
Then I would probably stop complaining and try to enjoy that present moment as much as possible, savor it and capture all the beauty in it.
Right then my perspective completely shifted. I found myself looking around the room with new eyes and really seeing for the first time the students around me, each of them concentrated in their efforts, seeing the instructor guiding us gently through the movements, I saw the room full of light and vivid colors in a beautiful sunny day of early parisian summer, I saw the reality of that moment, and it looked beautiful and full of opportunity.
I took a deep breathe, my shoulders shrinker, I felt stronger and more confident in my pose, the atmosphere around me felt fuller, dense and I finally smiled to really enjoy the moment and if it was the last moment, well, it wouldn't have been so bad!
So next time that you find yourself annoyed , bored, or stressed running through your day like a robot in automatic mode , remember that in that single moment is contained all of your life , it doesn't matter how trivial or important is what you're doing , wherever you are :
- Stop and tell yourself this little magic sentence "You only have this moment, make it beautiful".
- Take a deep breathe with your eyes closed and use all the 5 senses to really feel the present moment and savor it : feel the heat of the sunlight on your skin, look at the things and people around you, listen to the noises of the city in a detached way, pay attention of the smells around you, and maybe say it out loud or in your head : "I'm walking to my post office, in my city, and that's my present , the past and future does not exist , all I have is now, so how can I make it beautiful ?
- Then you'll probably find yourself straightening your back, walking more gracefully , slowing down to smell the flowers, or to smile at someone passing by you....you'll transform that moment in a completely new way and start to really enjoy it.
And the side effect is that a few days after you'll still remember that walk, that day, the way you felt, because you actually lived through it in the fullest possible way. You don't have to travel the world or jump out of an helicopter to live your life fully, you can access that feeling every single day.
And now your turn, have you ever felt this way? Completely lost in the everyday trivial stuff and thinking "I will enjoy myself when all of this will be over, I will take care of me when I will be on holiday, I will relax my shoulders when the weekend arrives..... and what did you do? Did you manage to stop and enjoy the moment? Do you have any other tips to be present? Share this article if you think of anyone in your life that could benefit from it.
With love and light ,
Alessia