In part 2 of this 4 part series, we're looking at being present.
What does 'living in the present moment' even mean?
Being present is the act of immersing yourself in any given moment. Instead of your inner monologue thinking about the past or future, it is quiet and you are wholly focused on this moment in time in a peaceful and contented manner. In our current society, we are bombarded with constant stimulation. We are the generations that have grown into, or been born into, a world of screens. We have access to so many forms of technology-based entertainment within seconds. It can make 'stopping to smell the flowers' an afterthought, if even a thought at all.
Tie this in with work and family responsibilties, reflecting on the past, worrying about or planning for the future, our precious mental energy is getting pulled every which way 'til sunday. Sometimes, our energy is stretched in so many different directions, our inner current becomes dim. It feels like there's never enough time in the day, the balls always 'getting dropped' on something (or everything) and suddenly just having to decide what to cook for dinner breaks the camels back sends you into a spiral. Sound familiar?
Think of your beautiful brain and body like a power outlet.
Being present, is like plugging 240V charger into a 2400V socket. Everythings humming in harmony and you feel like you already have everything you need to take care of yourself and have extra pockets of energy to flow with whatever life brings into your orbit.
Not being present, is like plugging in a power board.
Then plugging something in to each socket, and plugging another power board into that, and something into each socket on that too.
Eventually, the circuit is going to short and blow the whole damn thing up (aka, being ready to revert back to a foetus and have a holiday in the womb where life was easy).
Living in the present moment not only brings you back to a place of harmony, but with regular practice increases your bandwidth. Meaning, you're able to have more energy as well as a higher capacity to stay in the upper realms of your bandwidth
(the times you're feeling most energetic- think Berocca ad) for longer periods of time.
Sounds great, so how do we do it?
Good question! How do you practice immersing yourself into any given moment?
It can be as simple as tapping in to your five senses- see, hear, touch, taste, smell. Tapping in to these senses help bring our awareness fully into the moment. Let's take sitting in your kitchen in the morning for example.
Can you hear birds, the distant humm of a lawnmower? Smell the coffee that's been poured and really tasting every delicious sip instead of just idly drinking it whilst you check social media. Feel the warm mug in your hands, look around as the light filters in through the window and begins to fill the room with sun.
Now, you are present.
In this moment, inhale, and feel energy from the birds and your coffee mug and the sunbeams reaching out and in to your body. Then exhale and feel your energy reaching back out to the birds, your mug and the sunbeams.
Now, you are connected.
This is your 6th sense. It's feeling with your energy body, tapping into the energy around you and bringing yourself back to a place of 'beingness'. When we are simply being, we are not worrying. We are not thinking about how tired we are or how angry someone makes us or how the world is unfair. We are in a place of peace.
When we are just being, we are in the best place for:
- Healing
- Restoration
- Letting go of all that does not truly matter
- Connection to self and source
- Decision making
- Creativity
Like anything, this is a practice. And if you are brand new to this or are finding it particularly difficult, be patient with yourself! The more difficult you find this, the more you need it. Start small, find something that already brings you joy and use the method above to be present, even if only for a few seconds. With practice it will become easier and you will find you can apply this to more and more moments in your daily life, until eventually it starts to feel like second nature and has become a 'go to' tool in your toolbox to help you in moments of low energy, stress, anxiety, fear or conflict. Being present provides so much more than this, but that, I will save for another post...
Come back next Wednesday for part 3 of my 4 part
'Recharging your energy'
series
Comments