Once we were asked by the teacher – what is the most certain thing in life, what is the surest thing? Some answers came up but only very few of us realised that the answer is NOW, that this exact moment was the only thing that we all could be sure of. Present, this minute right now, this is the space that we should all live in. But most of the time we are not…
There are three time zones that our thoughts can reach – past, now and future. If you think it through you will realise that most of the time, we are spending is in the past and the future. We memorise the events that had happened in the past, we analyse what was said, we hold regrets. If our mind isn’t occupied by past more likely we are planning what we are going to do in next few minutes, tomorrow, in a year’s time… After we make plans, we are waiting for this to happen, we are ‘passing’ time just to get to the moment that we have planned, we are waiting for this special time that we so wanted to experience. When this time comes, are we there? Are we living it? Can we stand still and feel it? Usually not, we are there alright, but our thoughts are again going back or forward. Usually we are there but still we do not turn up…
I was away on holidays, I booked a diving course for the next morning, the next day when I got to the place at the beach it turned out it was still closed. I wasn’t pleased, I was giving out to myself that I should’ve stay longer in the bed, that I never got a chance to rest, that I mixed up the times, that the morning breeze from the sea wasn’t pleasant. I started planning and analysing – should I go back to the hotel, should I give up on my course and as I was sitting there, I started to notice a change. It started with little bells – the beach shops were opening, and the shopkeepers were pulling the stands with souvenirs, colourful scarfs, toys. The whole place started to fill up with the voices of the shopkeepers, mixed with the sounds of the stands’ wheels rolling on stones, bells, sounds of waves. The colours of the shop’s stands were shining in the early sun… I watched all this, I could smell the air, I felt every vibration of this moment, I realised that I was never as present in my life before. This beautiful morning on the beach I would’ve usually missed, I would’ve turned up for the course, but would I notice the beauty of this moment? No, I would get on with the course, I would realize my plan, but I wouldn’t witness the magic of the moment because I would be too busy doing. At this point I realised that the fact that I mixed up the hours wasn’t just by accident, it all happened for me to understand the difference between doing and being, it was for me to appreciate the present…
Our lives are busy, we always have something on our minds, we have lots of responsibilities, from getting children ready, making it to work on time, paying bills, cooking dinners, shopping, attending some courses and activities, we are always busy doing things, there is no time to sit and watch, but what if we make the time? To experience the present, to live in present is the most important thing we could do. Our lives are happening here and now, not tomorrow, not on holidays, not during yesterday’s argument but here and now, in this moment. If you can get to the point to see it, your life will change. You will notice that in your own life there is so many things to be grateful for, you will see them all very clearly, you will start appreciating them.
From my experience the best time to practice being present is in the morning. Get up a few minutes earlier, when everyone at home is still sleeping, make yourself a cup of tea or coffee, sit with it, look around your home, take a deep breath in through your nose, exhale, feel the quietness of this moment, listen to the sounds outside, look through your window, notice the little things, maybe the birds outside, maybe someone passing, taste your tea. Feel your space, these few minutes are just for yourself, you do not need to do anything at all, just be…
If you take a shower in the morning, feel it, feel the water and its perfect temperature, stay there a few minutes longer, stand still and let the water to flow from your shoulders, down through your body, feel this moment.
Be grateful for this experience, be grateful for waking up into a new day, for the people you have in your life, for this present moment. You will be busy during the day, you might not have time to stop, there is many things to be done but in this moment now, just give yourself opportunity to be, do nothing, don’t check your phone, all of this can wait, your day will be much better if you can start it by being present. If you don’t practice meditation yet, this can be your little routine to start.
With time you may also try to bring yourself to this space a few times during the day, when you are waiting for something or when you are in the car, stuck in traffic – look around, witness the moment, watch the others, feel your heart beating, your breath, sit with it, this is your life. Now, you just need to turn up…
photo by Sabrina Puri
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