Focusing on the present
Every weekend, I try to get my fix of Bikrams Yoga – an intense 90 minute workout where you sweat more than you smile. It’s like working out in a gym, except the equipment is placed in the sauna and your own body strength/weight is the resistance you try to lift. Your heart beats fast and your muscles cry while you try to remain perfectly still, in both body and mind. There are no “omms” in this yoga!
The instructor I had this past weekend said something in the class that really got me thinking. He said:
Let yourself be completely present in this moment. It takes only a second to stop worrying about the future or fretting about the past. Be here, in this class, right now.
At that point in the class, was I concerned about some future decisions I was going to make? Check.
Were past mistakes taking up more mindshare than they deserved? Double check.
I was so focused about the past and the future that I was putting my present in jeopardy. That class demanded my full attention and I wasn’t giving it what it deserved. This made me think about relationships I wasn’t present in and tasks at work I could focus more on. Things I needed to refocus my immediate attention on.
While it’s great to plan for the future, the best time to act is now. You need to be present today in order to make it great.
Namaste to that!
Irony alert: While I was focused on being present in the yoga sesh, I was clearly thinking about writing this blog post. Guess I need to take a dose of my own medicine here!
Pick of the post: Our Lady Peace – All You Did Was Save My Life
Related posts:
There is no time like the present – that’s why they call it a gift, right?! (HA!)
More of life needs to be lived – today – right here, right now. QED. XO
(Thanks for the reminder!)
It’s funny that Steph brought up the Present/Gift idea. I was about to share that too =) My version is from “Kung Fu Panda” (teehee!): “Yesterday was history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift — that’s why it’s called ‘present’.”
And here’s another quote I love: “Today is the tomorrow we worried about yesterday.”
Love this post. There’s a great book by Eckhart Tolle – The Power of Now that addresses the concept ( evidently, from the book title!) of being in the presence and the transformative power of the mind in that state to be completely blissful and content. Tolle argues that we are very rarely in the state of “now” as naturally – our mind would live in the future and draw on the past to propel us to the future. Hence, we miss out the simple joys of.. now.
It’s an interesting read on being content, focusing on spirituality. Do pick it a copy if you have the chance!
The Power of Now is one of the audio books on the DVD that I gave you today. Probably the one I would recommend reading first.
Enjoy!