How to Be in the Moment as Much as Possible
We hear so much about “living in the moment” that it almost becomes cliché. Even when we wake up to the fact that being present is the veritable path to happiness and well-being, we struggle to stay Here. Now.
How do we do it? How do we spend as much time as we can in the moment? Our minds are by nature distractible. The essence is to be mindful. When we stray into the past or future, we remember. “Oh, yeah.” We gently remind ourselves to return to the present moment - over and over and over.
We have cues all around us that help bring us back. These cues are in and of our body, our feelings, our mind, and the world around us.
We stay mindful by paying attention to our body. We cue into our breathing. Breathing is something we all do, all the time. Breathing can only be done in the present moment. We don’t have to remember to breath, but when we remember to pay attention to our breath coming in and going out, we come back to the moment. Here we are.
We tune into the movement of our body. Every movement of hand and foot is new. When we walk, bend, twist, sit, lie, stand, every movement with mindfulness is a cue to bring us back.
We are aware of our feelings. We cue on our bodily sensations. When we experience something through our senses, we quite naturally ask ourselves, “Is it pleasant? Is it unpleasant? Is it neutral?” It is not so much a judgment as a checking in. We can only see, hear, smell, taste, and touch in the present moment. When we cue into those bodily sensations and our immediate experience, we are back once again.
We watch our mental states. When we experience an event, from the largest to the smallest, we cue into our thoughts and emotions as they are happening. Things can only happen one moment to the next. In each moment, we see a thought arise and pass through, frame by frame. We recognize our state of mind: Am I calm? Am I angry? Am I clinging? Am I detached? Am I resisting? Am I accepting?” We notice what is passing through, moment by moment.
We recognize the mental obstacles that arise to pull us away from the moment. We see ourselves wanting and holding on to. We find every way to escape from discomfort. We get mad and spiteful. We get lazy and lethargic. All these phenomena of perception rise and fade, over and over. We watch them. We investigate. We inquire. We learn all we can about these hindrances to stop them from getting in our way of being present.
When we realize (make real in our lives) that what is genuine and authentic only occurs in the present, we find ways to reside here. We use our bodies, our feelings, our mental states, and our senses and perceptions to return over and over to the truth of this very moment.