The Magic of the Present Moment
Filed under: Articles
This article first published 9 March, 2009 in online spiritual/yoga magzine, www.lifedivine.com
Many of us run through much of our day without much focus on the present moment. In fact, we’re far more likely to be in the past or the future – often either beating ourselves up for what we haven’t done or achieved, or else worrying and stressing about what might be about to occur – and we miss the beauty and power of the present moment entirely. Yet the restorative power of being in the present moment – even if only a few times a day – is truly magical.
Much is written about the power of tuning in to our breath, as it is a very convenient process to support awareness in our day to day life. As Jon Kabat-Zinn says in his book Full Catastrophe Living:
“As long as we are alive, it is always with us. We can’t leave home without it. It is always here to be attended to, no matter what we are doing or feeling or experiencing, no matter where we are. Tuning in to it brings us right into the here and now. It immediately anchors awareness in the body – in a fundamental, rhythmic, flowing life process.”
And the effect of just two or three conscious outbreaths can be remarkable. It’s often all we need to defuse tension, lower the metabolic rate a few notches and shift into a healthier state.
However, rather than trying to add more to a subject that is wonderfully covered anyway, I thought it would be interesting to look at other ways of how we can all tune in to being in the present moment, at any point during the course of our day – no matter what it is that we are doing. And reap the benefits of that restorative, re-grouping, powerful, centering energy that the present moment, and only the present moment, can provide. For example, try really being withyourself, mindfully, moment by moment, while having a shower in first thing in the morning. This is how it might go……
Taking a Shower Mindfully
TRY: being aware of the way you step into the shower, what the floor feels like beneath your feet, how your arms and hands reach out to turn on the taps, the sound of the water flowing, the feel of the water as it flows over your body – each part of your body, from the head right down the toes… 
be with the feelings of the water on your body, focusing on each body part in turn. Be aware of the smell of the water – can you smell the chlorine, perhaps? - feel the sensations of the water on your eyes, your lips, on your face – the pressure, the pace…..be aware of allowing your feet to be fully grounded on the floor, letting the floor take your full weight………being fully ‘in your ribs’ will help you become completely grounded, so just put your attention in your ribs for a while, and feel how the body relaxes down, from head to chest, and from chest to feet, into the floor………..be aware of the sensations of the soap in your hands and on your body, how it mixes with the water, how it feels when the soap is being rinsed off…..be aware of the movements you are making with your arms and hands, and your body in general, as you are washing yourself………be with your arms and hands as they reach out for the shampoo bottle, as you place the shampoo on your hair, as you massage it into your head….note the different movements, and what they feel like………and continue to pay attention in this way, right until you have finished the shower, and mindfully turned off the taps and mindfully stepped out onto the bath mat…………and
TRY: seeing how long you can remain fully awake and conscious to each moment as you start to dry yourself and get dressed………
As the day moves along, there are limitless moments to tune in to, that can bring us back into the restorative space of mindfulness, return us to the magic of the being space – as opposed to the ‘doing’ – of the present moment. Life lived that way is all about the magic of allowing that to occur; minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day, year by year ………
And to finish, what better than a quotation from Jon Kabat Zinn, that master of mindfulness and the present moment:
“The momentum of unbridled doing can carry us for decades, even to the grave, without our quite knowing that we are living out our lives and that we have only moments to live.”
The Full Catastrophe, by Jon Kabat-Zinn
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