Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Pick your Present
'Be in the present moment' is another way of saying don't be attached to your thoughts.
When you are attached to your thoughts, you are stuck and vice-versa.
You are stuck to the story that your mind is playing - sometimes it may be painful and sometimes it may be pleasurable.
This is where it can be deceiving.
Deceiving because, after all why not be stuck to the pleasurable story.
Well, the caveat here is that, you can't have just the one, without the other.
If you develop the habit of sticking to the pleasurable stories, you have to live through the painful ones as well.
Being with your thoughts is like living your life from a recorded script. Eating the same kind of food, watching the same kind of movies, responding the same way to events, circumstances and people when you wish you could have done differently - all because that is how you have always been. How boring is that.
Above all, you lose the thrill, the magnificence that is present in the present moment. You miss out on the serendipity.
So the first thing to do when you are stuck, is to be aware of the thoughts flowing through your mind - the story that your mind is telling you.
Awareness is the first step in shifting your inner Self. It is the first step towards getting your life off from autopilot mode and into the present moment.
The more you are in the present moment, the freer you will be.
Become aware of your breath, be with each and every activity that you perform, no matter how mundane it may be, be it brushing your teeth or chewing your food or tying your shoes. Start feeling the warmth of the Sun on your exposed skin and the chill of the breeze, listen to the notes of the chirping birds, the smell of grass and the sight of the squirrel and the sparrows in your backyard and finally sink into the silence when the feeling is over. Being will gradually become a habit.
And of course, be patient and persistent while you work on this.
When you are attached to your thoughts, you are stuck and vice-versa.
You are stuck to the story that your mind is playing - sometimes it may be painful and sometimes it may be pleasurable.
This is where it can be deceiving.
Deceiving because, after all why not be stuck to the pleasurable story.
Well, the caveat here is that, you can't have just the one, without the other.
If you develop the habit of sticking to the pleasurable stories, you have to live through the painful ones as well.
Being with your thoughts is like living your life from a recorded script. Eating the same kind of food, watching the same kind of movies, responding the same way to events, circumstances and people when you wish you could have done differently - all because that is how you have always been. How boring is that.
Above all, you lose the thrill, the magnificence that is present in the present moment. You miss out on the serendipity.
So the first thing to do when you are stuck, is to be aware of the thoughts flowing through your mind - the story that your mind is telling you.
Awareness is the first step in shifting your inner Self. It is the first step towards getting your life off from autopilot mode and into the present moment.
The more you are in the present moment, the freer you will be.
Become aware of your breath, be with each and every activity that you perform, no matter how mundane it may be, be it brushing your teeth or chewing your food or tying your shoes. Start feeling the warmth of the Sun on your exposed skin and the chill of the breeze, listen to the notes of the chirping birds, the smell of grass and the sight of the squirrel and the sparrows in your backyard and finally sink into the silence when the feeling is over. Being will gradually become a habit.
And of course, be patient and persistent while you work on this.
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