How to live in the present moment by Kartika Nair

01 Aug, 2014

In our world today, we all live a fast paced life, seldom being living in the present moment. We live inside our thoughts which are either depressed because of what happened in the past or anxious constantly thinking of the future. The seekers of peace have found that time is an illusion and that the only moment that truly exists is right now.

When you are living in the moment, you are simply present and aware of the beauty that exists around you and in you right now. Spending time in the present moment brings you out of your head and into the magic of what is. It helps relieve anxiety, anxious thoughts and negative thinking in general. The following is one, of many techniques I have devised for coming to the present moment. In future articles and in a consecutive one day workshop I will share with you more easy to apply techniques that allow you to stay in and experience the present moment fully.

1. First declare to yourself “For the next half an hour I will be fully present, absorbing in the moment, and if my thoughts stray to a time in the past or a time not yet lapsed, I will catch myself and come back to the moment”.

2. Once you have made that decision, sit down quietly and observe what is going on around you. You can sit in a park, on a beach, or any place where you will not be disturbed or interrupted. I suggest you do this outside your room or house.

3. First bring your attention to every little thing you can see around you by listing in your mind everything you see. As you list them, make sure you are not acting on the thought, but simply noticing that you see the things around you. You can say in your mind “I see a tree, I see a bench, I see grass, I see birds flying to the south, I see the dogs playing”. Simply state what you are seeing. Take your time to list out every little thing that you see around you, including your own body.

4. Once you are done, close your eyes, and begin to listen carefully at all the sounds in your surroundings. If at any time your attention and thoughts drift away into a different topic, simply come back to the present and continue listing all the sounds you hear. You can say in your mind “I hear the sound of the wind, the dogs barking, the birds…” As you listen carefully, more and more sounds will become apparent to you.

5. Do the same with the sounds inside your body. You can say in your mind “I hear the sound of my heart beat and my breathing…”

6. Then bring your attention to all the feelings outside your body. You can say in your mind “I can feel the wind on my arms, the warmth on my face, the steel railing on this chair…”

7. Once done listing all the things you can feel outside on your body, bring your attention to all the feelings you feel inside your body. What do u feel inside? And where can you feel it in your body? Just be aware.

8. Bring your attention to all the things you can smell around you and finally bring your attention to the tastes in your mouth, if you are eating or drinking anything in the moment.

Take your time to do this exercise. I recommend you do this daily or at least twice a week. Do this and you will experience peace and have control over thoughts.

I wish you great success on your journey.

Kartika Nair Synchroshakti
www.youtube.com/user/SynchroShakti