WEEK 2: SLOWING DOWN AND BEING PRESENT
Lose yourself in the here and now. That is where you will find freedom. That is where you will find yourself.
The world moves pretty fast and it’s easy to lose ourselves in the chaos. Many of us live our lives in an anxious struggle of multi-tasking, achieving goals, meeting expectations and getting through our to-do lists, so it’s easy to lose awareness of the present moment. We think too much, we want too much, we worry too much and we forget how blissful it feels to just be.
Society doesn’t make it easy for us to slow down and be present either. It has an incredible power to create dissatisfaction and desire in such a way that, in order to be happy, we need to have this or do that. It’s as if we can never enjoy ourselves where we are or with what we have, so we anxiously rush through life trying to do more, have more, be more.
But the faster we live the less we notice the good things in our lives, the less we are able to listen to what our body is telling us, and the more we end up struggling with anxiety, tension, stress and worry. This is why slowing down and being present is so important on our journey.
One of the biggest discoveries I made on my own journey is that suffering needs time. When you are present no fear or stress can survive in you. When I was having a bad day this helped me to be with the anxiety or the depression without fearing that it would be that way forever.
Slowing down and being present is about breaking the habit of busy-ness and living a more mindful, intentional and compassionate life. It includes:
Slowing down and being present is important because it gives us the time to get to know ourselves better and truly see the things that matter most. Much research is being done on the benefits of mindfulness on physical, mental and emotional wellbeing, and it has been found to decrease anxiety, stress, depression and exhaustion, reduce addiction and self-destructive behaviour and improve immunity, circulation, self-awareness and emotional resilience.
Lose yourself in the here and now. That is where you will find freedom. That is where you will find yourself.
The world moves pretty fast and it’s easy to lose ourselves in the chaos. Many of us live our lives in an anxious struggle of multi-tasking, achieving goals, meeting expectations and getting through our to-do lists, so it’s easy to lose awareness of the present moment. We think too much, we want too much, we worry too much and we forget how blissful it feels to just be.
Society doesn’t make it easy for us to slow down and be present either. It has an incredible power to create dissatisfaction and desire in such a way that, in order to be happy, we need to have this or do that. It’s as if we can never enjoy ourselves where we are or with what we have, so we anxiously rush through life trying to do more, have more, be more.
But the faster we live the less we notice the good things in our lives, the less we are able to listen to what our body is telling us, and the more we end up struggling with anxiety, tension, stress and worry. This is why slowing down and being present is so important on our journey.
One of the biggest discoveries I made on my own journey is that suffering needs time. When you are present no fear or stress can survive in you. When I was having a bad day this helped me to be with the anxiety or the depression without fearing that it would be that way forever.
Slowing down and being present is about breaking the habit of busy-ness and living a more mindful, intentional and compassionate life. It includes:
- Paying attention to whatever is happening in our lives without judgement
- Being aware of what we are thinking and doing
- Being with the present experience instead of going on autopilot
- Not clinging to or rejecting the present moment
- Being fully with the people we are sharing time with
- Slowing down our breathing, speaking, walking and eating
- Responding to life’s pressures calmly and mindfully
Slowing down and being present is important because it gives us the time to get to know ourselves better and truly see the things that matter most. Much research is being done on the benefits of mindfulness on physical, mental and emotional wellbeing, and it has been found to decrease anxiety, stress, depression and exhaustion, reduce addiction and self-destructive behaviour and improve immunity, circulation, self-awareness and emotional resilience.
Heart-Centred Exploration
The present moment is the key to all transformation, so being present while we’re doing the simple things in life will help us stay present in times of stress and struggle. For this week’s exploration we are going to involve all five sense to help us stay present.
Start off by making yourself a cup of tea or get yourself a glass of juice and find a quiet place to sit. Begin by noticing the colour of your drink. Is it clear or cloudy? Bright or dull?
Then, as you hold the cup or glass, notice the temperature. Does it warm your hands or cool them? Take a sniff of your drink and see what it smells like. Is it delicate or overpowering? Then take a big slurp and notice the sound it makes. Take another sip and tune into the taste. Is it sweet? Sour? Bitter?
Spend five minutes enjoying your tea or juice, using your five senses to keep you grounded in the present moment. Notice the calmness you experience by slowing down and focusing only on what is happening right now.
The present moment is the key to all transformation, so being present while we’re doing the simple things in life will help us stay present in times of stress and struggle. For this week’s exploration we are going to involve all five sense to help us stay present.
Start off by making yourself a cup of tea or get yourself a glass of juice and find a quiet place to sit. Begin by noticing the colour of your drink. Is it clear or cloudy? Bright or dull?
Then, as you hold the cup or glass, notice the temperature. Does it warm your hands or cool them? Take a sniff of your drink and see what it smells like. Is it delicate or overpowering? Then take a big slurp and notice the sound it makes. Take another sip and tune into the taste. Is it sweet? Sour? Bitter?
Spend five minutes enjoying your tea or juice, using your five senses to keep you grounded in the present moment. Notice the calmness you experience by slowing down and focusing only on what is happening right now.
Present Moment Meditation
The present moment meditation is a wonderful tool to use anytime you are feeling anxious, stressed, or depressed. It helps to relax us by shifting our awareness from the past or the future and bringing it to right now. When we first start meditating, it’s easy for our mind to wander so in this meditation we give it simple things to focus on. Read the instructions first and come back to them throughout the meditation if you need to.
Start off by finding a comfortable seated position either on the floor or on a chair or sofa. Close your eyes and take a couple of deep breaths.
Begin by focusing on any sounds around you – start off with the most obvious and bring your awareness to subtler sounds like the quiet ticking of a clock or distant birdsong. Move from sound to sound, just allowing them to wash over you as they pass.
After a minute, bring your awareness to your body. Feel your bottom sitting on the floor or on the chair. Feel your clothes on your skin and your hands resting. Tune into any tension you’re holding in your jaw or shoulders, any fluttering in your stomach, or any pain in your body. Notice any feelings – stress, anxiety, worry and watch how they shift and change without getting involved in them or trying to identify where they’re from. Allow them to pass and stay present with any other feelings that arise.
Now bring your awareness to your thoughts and, without feeling like you have to act on them, let them go. It can help to visualise these thoughts as clouds and your mind as the sky – visualise the clouds passing until you have a clear blue sky and your mind is clear and calm.
Now bring your awareness back to your breath. Don’t try and control it, just notice how it becomes slower and deeper the more relaxed you become. Stay here for a couple of minutes until you are ready to open your eyes.
The present moment meditation is a wonderful tool to use anytime you are feeling anxious, stressed, or depressed. It helps to relax us by shifting our awareness from the past or the future and bringing it to right now. When we first start meditating, it’s easy for our mind to wander so in this meditation we give it simple things to focus on. Read the instructions first and come back to them throughout the meditation if you need to.
Start off by finding a comfortable seated position either on the floor or on a chair or sofa. Close your eyes and take a couple of deep breaths.
Begin by focusing on any sounds around you – start off with the most obvious and bring your awareness to subtler sounds like the quiet ticking of a clock or distant birdsong. Move from sound to sound, just allowing them to wash over you as they pass.
After a minute, bring your awareness to your body. Feel your bottom sitting on the floor or on the chair. Feel your clothes on your skin and your hands resting. Tune into any tension you’re holding in your jaw or shoulders, any fluttering in your stomach, or any pain in your body. Notice any feelings – stress, anxiety, worry and watch how they shift and change without getting involved in them or trying to identify where they’re from. Allow them to pass and stay present with any other feelings that arise.
Now bring your awareness to your thoughts and, without feeling like you have to act on them, let them go. It can help to visualise these thoughts as clouds and your mind as the sky – visualise the clouds passing until you have a clear blue sky and your mind is clear and calm.
Now bring your awareness back to your breath. Don’t try and control it, just notice how it becomes slower and deeper the more relaxed you become. Stay here for a couple of minutes until you are ready to open your eyes.