My main goal in life is to stay fully present, all the time. I suggest this intention in every yoga class I teach- if no other intention is calling you today, choose presence. Its so important for a happy and peaceful life. Take a minute now, or 30 seconds, or an hour and clear your mind, absorb the world around you and don't label it. How awesome was that? It feels so good- and nothing is even happening! No actions, no conversations- just you. Its an amazing feeling to be totally present- but its a hard thing to maintain. Although this is something I place a lot of emphasis on, I find myself out of the moment more often than I'm in it.
A lot of us enjoy certain activities because they bring us to the present moment. I love challenging yoga poses because they allow me to focus on nothing else, the second my mind strays- I fall right out of it. Thrill seekers -mountain climbers, bungee jumpers, scuba divers- are just presence seekers. Placing themselves in a dangerous situation is exhilarating because they aren't focused on anything except what is happening at that exact moment- they are 100% present. The same goes for all activities -cooking, gardening, basketball, whatever- people truly enjoy their hobbies because those are the activities that get them lost in the moment.
It is outside of those presence-facilitiating activities that we get caught up, frustrated, stressed out, and unhappy. When we are challenged with something we do not enjoy, we create fluctuations in our minds. We pin blame on the people around us or get down on ourselves. We come up with reasons why things are so terrible. Next time you're in a situation like that, come back to the moment and ask yourself "Am I okay, right now?" Don't worry about an hour from now or a second from now, just right this moment. The answer is probably yes. As this is my yoga blog- here's an on-the-mat example: I think warrior II is just the most awful pose. Its important, basic, and strength building, but its HARD. When I'm in class and a teacher makes us hold warrior II, I often get mad or worried. I think things like "This is going to exhaust me and I won't be able to try something more fun and challenging later in class, this class sucks" or "This teacher is an asshole, I don't see them holding this pose for this long". What? How did I get so angry about a yoga pose? Because I wasn't staying present. During the classes when I remember to stay fully present, I'm able to ask myself if I'm okay right that second and the answer is almost always yes- I can hold the pose longer, I'm no longer angry at the teacher, and I very rarely leave a class with sore quads. If I'm no longer okay, all I have to do is straighten my front leg, no reason for anger or worry.
So how can you take this off the mat? Try staying present when somebody says something to make you angry- is it changing your life in a negative way, right this minute? Usually the answer is no, you're fine. If the answer is yes, there is no reason for anger. Stay present, state your objection and move on. When you're fully present, its much easier to control your reactions.
Another place we often lose presence is in the absence of action. We get bored, our minds wander, we end up doing something non-productive like watching garbage TV just to keep our minds active. Well knock it off, be okay with inaction. Keep your mind clear, and just enjoy the moment. Another on-the-mat example: A teacher puts me into a really nice comfortable pose and instead of enjoying it, I start thinking of how the teacher described this so I can use is it in my next class, or how I really want to try flying crow without a strap, or whether I should go home between yoga and work or just read in my car. All of a sudden the pose is over and I've totally lost out on enjoying this comfortable pose. How often do we get the opportunity to just be comfortable and relax? We almost always waste it. Next time, listen to your teacher and shut your mind off during your restorative poses. Thats where you're get something out of class. Thats how you'll leave your mat totally blissed out.
How can we take that off the mat? Next time you're on a long flight or sitting in traffic or just have nothing to do- don't get frustrated. You're bored and frustrated because you're so used to business that stillness brings you dis-ease. Come back to the moment and you'll actually enjoy that 14-hour flight or 45-minute commute home.
Its difficult to stay fully present all the time. Its a practice that most people will never master in this lifetime, but its something that will bring you bliss. So fill your days with presence-facilitating activities as often as possible. When you can't, try to stay fully present in inaction, while you're exercising, while you're doing monotonous tasks at work- see how it makes you feel. You may end up enjoying your boring job, your commute, your run, or cleaning the kitchen.
*If you're interested in the yoga sutras- a great translation is by Sri Swami Stchidananda, which is the version I use.
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