This idea of being in the moment has been around for a long time. What does it even mean?
Let’s start by looking at the opposite of being present. That would be multitasking. While we're on the subject, the word multitasking first appeared in 1965 IBM report talking about the capabilities of its latest computer. That's right, it wasn't until the 1960s that anyone could even claim to be good at multitasking.
Some of you are old enough to remember a time before multitasking. We were probably doing it but we weren’t calling it that. While your brain is capable of doing multiple things at once it doesn’t always do a very good job of it.. Some would say it is just bouncing very quickly from one task to another to another and back again. I believe that just because you can do it doesn’t mean that it’s a best practice. And what about when you want to turn off the multitasking brain.
And multitasking is only part of the problem. With each issue before us we are thinking about past experiences, anticipating a series of potential futures based on what action we take.
Modern technology and the ubiquitous mobile device have only exacerbated this tendency toward doing seven things at once. As I write this I have pop-up notifications on my computer, my cell phone is dinging and my dishwasher is calling out a melody to let me know it’s done. .
Only recently have I been able to practice being present. In any mediation, which is really what Yoga is at its heart, there is this idea of being in the moment. When I first settle in to a sit and take that first breath I start to settle in and remember, “Oh yeah, how nice this feels” Minutes earlier my mind is racing and going in 17 different directions. I’m still thinking but the volume of those racing thought is in the background now. Now I get to just be. Ahhh. Not ruminating about the past, or predicting the future. No planning no, list making or organizing. Just the one thing. It might be the breath or noticing the sensation of the body or even ambient sound. I remember the better way of being. Mediation is an opportunity to practice being in the present, give it a try.
So what’s so great about the present. Your life is here. The sound of the wind in the trees, or your favorite song, the smell of the cool crisp winter air with a hint of your neighbors fireplace; seeing the sunbeams shine through the window; having a conversation with a friend, the laughing baby, the stumbling overly excited puppy, the rich taste of that first sip of coffee in the morning, watching a butterfly light on a flower.
Life is better when you learn to present and appreciate every moment.
Namaste my friends.