'Be Present' to Experience Life in a New Way

I am truly lucky to come in touch with so many interesting people in my career that teach me about self and life.

People trying to better themselves physically so they can in turn feel better mentally, emotionally and spiritually.  I began to recognize the difference in how people progress was directly related to how they tune in to themselves and the moment.

Most clients came ready to exercise and had a certain intention and purpose they were ready to fullfill.  I saw other clients would get little out of their session because they were so distracted by what was going on yesterday or going to happen tomorrow.  As I began getting deeper into my own meditation practice, I realized it was their ability to be “in the moment.”

I went to further investigate and found a term called "Mindfulness Meditation."   Mindfulness is being present in the moment, experiencing reality as without judgment. Mindfulness can be applied to all experiences in life, whether we are working, running or enjoying a meal. The deeper you are able to connect to the experience, the more you will benefit from it.

This type of awareness improves every area of your life from your health, relationships, career, athletic performance to overall well-being. The way we view things causes self-created stress and stress-related disorders that seriously impact our mental and physical health. Or the way that we simply do not experience things because we are not present denies us the power of that moment. We may miss a grand opportunity in our career. We may ignore a child in need, not tune in to our partner’s frustration, not pick up on the good intentions of a neighbor. We may find that what we have been searching for high and low is in fact right in front of us.

The only way to improve our ability to live in the moment is through practice. By exercising the mind to be fully present and aware, you begin to receive clarity.  This clear way of viewing the world will bring peace, happiness and well-being. So, what do you have to lose? Start strengthening your mind today so you can better yourself for tomorrow. 

Here are some tips from a pioneer in Mindfulness Meditation — Jon Kabat Zinn:

1. A good place to start cultivating mindfulness is in the body.
2. Befriending your breath is a good idea, since you can’t leave home without it – and it is so related to our states of mind.
3. See if from time to time you can just feel the breath moving in and out of your body.
4. Locate where the breath sensations are most vivid, and “surf ” with full awareness on those breath waves, moment by moment – in the belly, at the nostrils, or wherever.
5. Try lying in bed for a few moments after you wake up, and just ride on the waves of your own breathing moment by moment and breath by breath.
6. Experiment with expanding your awareness around your breath until it includes a sense of the body as a whole lying in bed breathing.
7. As best you can, be aware of the various sensations fluxing in the body, including the breath sensations.
8. Just rest in the awareness of lying here breathing, outside of time, even if it is only for a minute or two by the clock.
9. When you notice that the mind has a life of its own and wanders here and there, keep in mind that this is just what minds do, so there is no need to judge it.
10. Just note what is on your mind if you are no longer in touch with the breath or with the sensations of the body lying in the bed, and without judgment or criticism, just let that be part of your awareness in the moment, and feature once again the breath and the body center-stage in the field of your awareness.
11. Repeat step 10 a few million times.
12. It is very easy to fall into the thought stream and get caught up in the future (worrying, planning) and the past (remembering, blaming, pining) and in reactive and often painful emotions.
13. No need to try to stop any of this from happening when you can just bring a big embrace of openhearted, spacious, accepting awareness to it and, lo and behold, you are once again sitting on the bank of the thought stream, listening to the gurgling but not so caught up in the torrent for the moment.
14. You can cultivate mindfulness in this way lying in bed for a few moments in the morning, or in the evening before going to sleep.
15. You can also cultivate mindfulness sitting, standing, walking, and eating – in fact, in any position or situation, including brushing your teeth, taking a shower, talking on the phone, running, working out at the gym, cooking, picking up the kids, making love, whatever is unfolding in your life in the present moment.
16. It helps to be present for it and for yourself.
17. Remember – the real meditation is your life, and how you inhabit it moment

 

“In order to live life fully, you have to be present for it”
—  Jon Kabat Zinn

(Amy Godfrey owns Exodus Integrated Wellness.  A fitness and wellness business designed to improve the lives of our clients through education and prevention in an integrated, holistic environmnet. Godfrey oves to run, bike, swim and stay strong and healthy. Mother of Sadie, Johnny and Andrew. Married to Billy Godfrey.)