What does it mean to "Be Present?"

 You hear it a lot in meditation and yoga classes: be present. But what does that really mean?

We spend many years in school when we are young learning how to think, how to analyze, how to look at things critically. We learn numbers, logic, science, we learn history, literature, we learn to dissect ideas, creatures, we dive into facts and discovery. However, we often don't learn about how the mind works, why we do the things we do. In the last 26 years of practicing, studying, and teaching yoga, I have learned a few things about how the mind works. 

First, it never stops. There is always some sort of chatter happening. Even in deep meditation, the thoughts come in and out. Although there might be more space between the thoughts, they are still there. They might be quieter, more gentle, but the mind is always working, processing, thinking. 

Second, the mind likes to get caught up in thoughts of the past or the future. We are either worrying about future events (over which we have no control) or ruminating about past events (over which we have no control). The future may never come or behave the way we anticipated, the past is already over and done with. The past and future contain a lot of drama so easily attract the mind. When you are caught in thoughts of the past, that often creates depression and regret; when you are caught in thoughts of the future, that creates anxiety. We have no control over the past and the future, only the present. Be Present means trying to keep the mind in the moment that we are in, rather than traveling to the past or the future.

So how do we make our mind stay in the present moment?

Herein lies the challenge. Bring your attention to what is happening right now. The breath is usually a great place to start since (ideally) we are always breathing. You don't need to breathe in any particular way, just notice how your body breathes. Where do you feel the breath happening? What is the temperature of your breath? Tune into the sensation of breathing which will bring you out of your head. Notice the breath and let go of the words. Imagine a giant volume know and turn it down, quieting the words in your head. Feel the breath, rather than describe the breath. Witness the breath as it happens. Now, often that is not enough to entertain the mind and it wanders off to the past or the future. When you notice yourself wandering, come back the breath and start again. Repeating this process over and over slowly teaches the mind to be here with what is happening. 

This practice allows us to be more present in our lives by strengthening our ability to be with what is happening in the present moment. We have control over this moment and no other moment. The more we can pay attention to what is happening now, the more we are actually living our lives. That doesn't mean that everything will be happy and pleasant. Sometimes we have to do hard things in our life. But when you can stay with them, feel them, breathe into them, we can experience all the of richness that life has to offer, all the colors that humanity and relationships have to offer. Notice how often you are not present in your life, and see if you can be a bit more present. It takes practice, it won't happen all at once, but slowly over time, it gets easier and more natural. Notice how that feels. 




I teach online Vinyasa yoga and meditation classes for all levels at moxie.xyz/purpleroomyoga. See what it's like to put these ideas into action. You can drop in to any class or become a subscriber. If you would like to join my email list, reach out at purpleroomyoga@gmail.com. 


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