~BE IN THE NOW, HELPFUL REHEARTERS OF BEING IN THE PRESENT MOMENT~
There is no guaranteed future and the past is gone so all that is left is now.
Be mindful of the present and you will be able to live a happier richer more
fulfilled life.
Benefits:
Reduces worry and anxiety
Increases happiness
Helps you fully inhabit the present moment
Inhabiting the present moment means that you inhabit your life more fully.
Being able to take in the sensual richness all around you expands and
enriches your experience of life. if you are constantly ruminating about old
hurts or planning what you are going to say in that meeting tomorrow
you will miss being fully alive right now. In reality right now is all there is
and all you really have.
Meditation
When: Try this if you find yourself stuck in a loop going over old interactions
with friends family or colleagues or if you find yourself constantly anticipating
what is going to happen tomorrow next week or next year.
Preparation: For a day monitor how often your thoughts take you to the past
or the future.
Practice
1. Sit on a cushion or a chair and keep your back straight. Focus on your breath
for a few minutes to center yourself. When thoughts intervene notice if they
are thoughts about the future or the past and bring yourself back into the present.
2. Stay in the present by focusing on sensual input from your environment
as well as what you are feeling physically or emotionally. Notice how your clothing feels against your body the temperature of the air the sounds you can hear and the taste in your mouth. Do you feel sad lonely or anxious?
3. relax into your environment. tell yourself it is OK to just be yourself exactly
as you are with all your faults and good qualities. No matter what problems
you have you don't have to worry about them. No matter what happened in your past you can let it go. Experience the present moment becoming richer and more three dimensional. Breathe in the beauty of now.
4. Try to inhabit the present moment in this way throughout your daily life.
