Most of the time my head can be filled with many disparate thoughts; like highways crossing each other creating a busyness inside. Quieting my mind, so that I can clearly be in the present moment, is really imperative for me.
When I was young I found dance. I loved it. I did not know how to explain what I loved about it until I was older. But if I could sum it up, I guess it was a way to express myself without words. My mind did not do the talking, my body did. When I was dancing I was completely absorbed in dancing. I was in total body flow.
Dance was replaced by rock climbing which upped the ante. While dance was a form of expression , rock climbing became a test in concentration and focus and a certain kind of moment to moment attention that I had not found in any thing before. When I rock climb, I am just climbing, I am not thinking, in the future or the past, I am just in the exact moment…fully. I love the feeling of being in complete flow. I find recreating this in my daily life takes a certain commitment. I catch myself falling into the trap of my thoughts which pull either away from the present moment or mold it into the version I perceive instead of just what it is.
However our present moment is really all we tangibly have. And once it goes we don’t get it back. That is why learning to stay in the present is both rewarding and important for a sense of connection to ourselves and our life. It is in fact deeply fulfilling.
Here are a few quick tips to stay in the present moment:
1. Bring your attention to nature. I find that if I go for a walk and really focus on naming the things I see and their color, smell, texture I can achieve that feeling of being completely immersed in the present moment. You don’t need to be on a hike to take in nature, it is everywhere!
2. Use your body. When we get into our bodies we do start to feel more present. Becoming embodied is a form of becoming present. So use your body in some way and see if you can let yourself become completely absorbed in that activity.
3. Try a practice of gratitude for the present moment. I find that when I name something I am grateful for right now it brings me back to the present.
4. Track your sensations for a few minutes. Tracking sensations and naming whether they are pleasant, unpleasant or neutral will bring you into the present and connect you to what you are experiencing.
5. Focus on your breath. If you are truly focused on your breath then you will always come back to right now. This is because we are always breathing so at any given moment breath is always happening. It is a wonderful tool to bring you back to now.
I hope these tips are helpful, I know they are for me as I write this after a really great rock climbing session!
As always, from my heart to yours,