Dear Yogis,
I’m back! Sun kissed and ready for a regular schedule of
classes this week!
The yogic path is one of learning to live in the
moment. The ability to be right here…..right
now. It’s what we are asked to do in yoga
classes. We are told it is what we should
be doing in meditation. I know I give the queue consistently in
classes. In a way it is almost becoming
one of the new buzzwords. “Being present”.
But what does it really mean. And how do we do it????? ………..and do I even want to?
Take a pause from reading now and tune in to this
moment. See how many things you can
notice in the next 30 seconds and note them or jot them down on a piece of
paper.
Here is mine as I sit in the grass pod in the middle of my
garden:
·
Cicadas are humming and two squirrels are in the
trees watching me. One black and one
gray.
·
There is an odd smell that I will have to
investigate
·
The air is very damp and heavy and the sky is now
cloud filled
·
Three chickadees landed on the eucalyptus tree,
as well as mommy cardinal
·
The garden is blooming in shades of orange,
purple, yellow and pink
·
The woods are calling me
·
I am tired from traveling
·
Someone ate most of my chard while I was gone
·
Uh oh…..it is now raining on me (and my
computer)
So much in such a short time! And all things that would have just passed me
by if I was instead thinking about how I should go back inside and unpack my
suitcase, return emails, figure out what we are having for dinner, blah, blah,
blah…..
When we consciously choose to be in this moment our
awareness shifts downward – from the thinking mind down into the feeling mind –
which is throughout our body. See how
many of your senses were involved in what you had in your list. All 5
senses sharpen when we land in the present which automatically slows our
thoughts. And just the opposite – when we
have busy mind, our senses dull. Days become a blur. We can become comfortably numb.
Test that. Try to
listen for the most distant sounds. Or rub your hand on an object to see what it feels like. Notice how difficult it is to do those things
and be thinking about the past or future at the same time. Then
switch to thinking about what you have to do tomorrow, and notice how everything
else fades quickly into the background.
One of the simplest anchors we have to connect us to this
moment is our breath. By simply watching
and feeling the next five breaths, you will arrive right here. Right now.
In this moment. And only when we
are here do we see, hear, feel, smell and taste things clearly……as they
are. The richness of life.
It is a practice. Our
minds would rather be replaying the past or planning and worrying about the
future so you have to choose to be here.
Yoga is one path. Meditation. Sitting quietly in nature. Setting an alarm for several times a day to
remind you to watch your breath. Slowing
down when you walk. Having a 10 minute “do
nothing” built into each day. Or just doing
the exercise we did above with a journal each day.
So why do I want to do this?
The only moment that is real is this one. The past no longer exists and the future is a
clean unscripted slate which will fill with each new present moment. Right now is where all of the action is. This moment is full, complete, juicy, vibrant
and perfect. It is patient and will wait
for you to notice her. But don’t wait
too long. Like a snowflake, every moment
is unique……so you don’t want to miss even one.
And best of all......it's free!
·
A warm gentle breeze on my skin – feels like a
hug
·
Can hear that the baby wrens are still in the
birdhouse
·
The sun is once again shining!
The more aware you become, the more you will experience. I for one want to feel it all.
A large hawk just soared past me. So glad I was “here” to experience it,
SARAH
SARAH
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