One of the "Spiritual Buzz Phrases" everyone likes to say these days is stay in the moment. "But how?" you say to yourself. "I have so much to do, so many deadlines, so many problems, so much to think about!" And even if you make a commitment to yourself and say, "for the next 10 minutes I'm just going to let it all go and take this time to meditate", does it work? Or do you undoubtedly find yourself back to thinking about everything and anything other than meditating, or sleeping, or listening to your friend, or enjoying the hard work your mate is putting into the foreplay for that unbelievable sex that could be had!
Yes, shutting off the mind can be very challenging for some of us. It's one of the most common questions my clients ask me for advice on. How do I stay in the moment? How do I appreciate what's happening to me right now?
It's actually a lot easier than you might think, and if you go into it with that mindset (the mindset that it's easy) you will be so much more successful. After all, we are Energy Beings with the Power to Create anything we want. This is just another opportunity to flex those creative muscles and make it happen!
Here’s our check list:
Safety
Breathing/Breathing Techniques
Awareness
Mantras/Affirmations
Foundational Beliefs
Let's take this in small bites.
The first bite is exploring your feelings about safety. Do you feel safe? This is a Root Chakra issue by the way. Your Root Chakra has to do with feeling safe in the world, knowing you have a secure job, money, a safe home or shelter, and a feeling of well-being with the people in your general proximity. This does not mean you're overflowing with money or live in a mansion, it just means you have basic safety. (Try to become clear on the difference between wants and fears.) If you feel any of these details are severely lacking in your life, perhaps you should take time to address these concerns. It is your human right to feel safe in the world. Fear of a spouse, boss, co-worker, parent, or living situation will deplete your Root Chakra. Seek help. You deserve it. 💕
But if all is well and safe in your life, than you can check that off the list. Without safety, your mind will constantly be wondering, thinking, worrying (and rightly so).
Next is BREATHING! Do you know how important your breath is? Well obviously we need to breathe for the sake of staying alive. But beyond that, breath helps to:
manage pain
funnel your focus
release tension/stress
connect you to Source Energy
activate your parasympathetic system
awaken your clarity
(all of which promote wonderful meditation).
Our brains can successfully focus on only one thing at a time, this is a proven fact. So if the monkey mind is in full swing (no pun intended ☺️) start to focus on your breath.
Close your eyes, see the breath coming in and out. Feel your chest rising and falling. Imagine the color of your breath red, then orange, then yellow, then green, then blue, then purple, then violet white! Imagine the air you're breathing in is brilliant white.
Do diaphragmatic breathing. What's that you say? It’s very easy. With your eyes closed, inhale and allow your abdomen to expand, with every exhale allow your abdomen to retract. You should do this with a closed mouth, taking air in and out through the nose. This type of breathing is going to help kickstart your parasympathetic system which is responsible for relaxation after the danger has passed. Try to do it for a few minutes. I would refrain from coffee while trying to activate this part of your nervous system, unless caffeine doesn’t have a tremendous affect on you.
While you are focused on your breath, there will be no awareness of other thoughts since your brain can only focus on one thing. This lets the busy brain take a break for awhile. The more you do this the quieter your thoughts will get. Now, like all muscles and all new activities you pursue, you have to exercise and practice to perfect it. So don’t be discouraged if you don’t stay in the moment of breath for very long. Remember, your brain has been in hyperactive overdrive for days/weeks/months/years! One session of breathing may not put a leash on that monkey in your head.
But as you get better at it, let yourself begin to explore your surroundings while you are breathing. Have an awareness of what is in happening right now.
Do you hear the music in the background, the birds singing, children laughing?
Can you feel the soft cushion your sitting on, the ground or floor supporting your body?
Can you feel your pulse, maybe your heartbeat?
Smile. Can you feel the muscles in your face move?
Is there a breeze moving through your hair, or an aroma you can smell?
Open your eyes. Let your mind fully appreciate the colors around you.
See the detail of shapes and textures. Can you see beauty in imperfections?
Appreciate the energy that went into creating a tree, flower, house, city, your hands, your body!
Be amazed at the simple things that are in front of you! Remind yourself that you are right here right now.
Feel yourself sitting in this moment, in this body, in this space.
Hear yourself say out loud
HERE I AM.
I AM OK RIGHT NOW.
I AM SAFE RIGHT NOW.
I AM CONTENT RIGHT NOW.
The more often you recognize you are OK, the more you’ll realize the amount of worry and unecessary thinking you do is wasted energy. Say to yourself: "Look at me right here, right now. In this moment I am OK." Then breath and be aware.
Mantras I like to remind my clients are:
The things we worry about rarely ever happen.
But if they do, they are usually not as bad as what we imagined when we worried.
and
See the beauty where you are right now
Don’t miss out on it while wishing you were somewhere else.
and
You will never be in the future. You are always in the now. Even when the future comes, it's still now. So stop worrying about the future and explore NOW!
Go ahead and give this a try. Here's your checklist:
Are you safe?
Breathe with intention.
Be aware of what's in front of you.
Say affirming things to help you take hold of the moment.
OK! Good job! Your parasympathetic system has relaxed your body, and you are becoming aware of your surroundings. You are reminding yourself with positive words.
You are creating a NOW experience! Nicely done! You rock 👍😎
Last piece to fully, wholeheartedly feel yourself in the moment is to begin to understand who you are beyond your physical body. This is your Foundational Beliefs. Who are you? Why are you here? What is the purpose of this life experience? How do you get out of that funk you feel yourself stuck in? What are your goals as a human; as a Soul?
When you start to understand yourself as more than just the physical body you see in the mirror, the answers to these question begin to take shape. Observing life from a Spiritual perspective allows you to acknowledge there is a much bigger picture happening. And in this picture you have endless control over your life. Opportunities can be limitless.
When we acknowledge we are a Soul using a vehicle called a body, and experiencing energy from a physical perspective, it is at this instant, living in the moment becomes exponentially easier. We are here to experience every emotion. Use all of our wonderful 5 senses. Feel the oneness that we all are from a new perspective. When you can grasp these amazing concepts, you will feel enlightenment and peace, you will be grounded, and you will choose to be in the moment.
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