How often do we really notice what is happening in this current moment? Not thinking about things that have already happened and imagining about events that will come in the future (although we have no certainty that they will actually happen). I think the answer is not often enough, at least in my case. Our lives nowadays are so busy and fast paced that most of time we forget to notice what is most important of all – the present.
There are literally millions of posts, articles, videos, books and similar material on this topic. And I think for a good reason. Due to the modern way of life people are more and more eager to get back in touch with more simpler things and most of all with themselves. And it’s not actually that easy.
There are constantly so many things to do, so much information surrounding us. All of that makes “plugging out” quite difficult. We are already so used to checking our smartphones, watching TV and just browsing through the world wide web that it’s much easier for us to do these things then not to do. If you add to that the human mind’s tendency to wander then most of the time we are just cruising on auto pilot.
I discovered meditation and mindfulness for myself a couple of years ago. And I have practiced these (very chaotically to be honest) since then. Sometimes for several weeks I don’t do much of anything (and by that I mean I don’t contribute any time to the exercises) when other times I meditate daily and take several “breaks” during the day to just get in touch with the moment. Ironically I use an app (yeah, I know – the life of 21st century) called Mindfulness to set daily reminders and background sound for meditation. For me it’s really helping a lot and I’d definitely recommend it!
Of course meditation and mindfulness are so wide topics and they both have an unique meaning to every person. There are so many different ways how to approach and combine them with everyday life. We don’t have to become gurus but to get a better understanding about ourselves and what is surrounding us is never a bad thing.
I lately also read a really short well written book on this topic called “be present in this moment“. It’s a really good summary and a great starting point about mindfulness and you can always read it again and again. And if you’re interested there are numerous different books that go much deeper into the topic.
One good exercise is just to look around in where you are. And I mean really look (and sense) – to see the textures, colors, hear the noises, smell the surrounding aromas and so on. Doesn’t matter if you’re sitting in your home, at work, waiting for a bus or just walking in the park. It’s really interesting how many things you notice like this.
So I wish you all that you’d have an awesome present moment! And also the moment after that… and after that 🙂
Lauri
The World As It Is 