What it really means to ‘Be in the Present’?

Nowadays we can frequently hear that how important is ‘to be present’. It is also said that only the now exists and if we are not in the ’here and now’ we cannot really live through, we just act.

It is absolutely natural that some of our thoughts are related to the past or that we sometimes dream about the future. The past events make an impact – one way or the other – on our present situation and in terms of our development visions and plans related to the future are important too.

But when our lives are overwhelmed by thoughts related to past events and emotions, and our actions are directed by expected future results, then it becomes increasingly rare that we find peace in the present moment.

The Present as a state gives us the opportunity to find satisfaction and understanding within ourselves.

Habits easily turn into norms but the fact that we are doing something regularly does not necessarily mean that the activity will also be in favor for us. A simple way of breaking patterns is the identification of the time.

The time is a human concept. For Mother Nature the watch on our wrist or the clock hanging on the wall does not mean anything. To her, life is a perpetual cycle of interdependent transience.

The time - that we use as a reference point to organize our lives and to record history - it does not exist. The one that actually controls us is some ways an illusion.

There is neither past nor future. The only real reference point that influences the present moment is the ’existence’. It is only this that can take form because it is the only one that we also feel right now. Neither we feel the past or the future, but we do have feelings about how it is to touch or hear something at this moment.

With its passing and upcoming arrival, the concept of time deceives us. It hinders us to enjoy the ‘presence of being’. The first case is when someone is always mulling over the past, ’how it would have been if it had occurred otherwise. The second is who is continuously wondering what is to come, if and when...

Have you ever noticed yourself not being able to enjoy a pleasant Sunday evening, just because you are thinking about what awaits you Monday morning at your workplace?

Or the opinions of others formed about you in the past, stop you to be who you really want to be in the present?

To a certain extent, we are all victims of time, because in our fast-paced and highly motivated society time has become the accepted norm. But what we can do wherever we are and whatever we are doing, ‘we can absolutely be there’ and fully live the present moment.

The theory about ‘Being in the present’ can be a useful advice - if we interpret it in a broader sense. It reminds us to be more conscious. When emotions, thoughts, desires find us, we can notice them and gently afford them to continue their existence without grasping into them. We can find a more peaceful state if we provide space to the whole spectrum of current experiences.

How can we do all this? And how it relates to yoga?

The key comes through practicing and raising awareness. First, do not want to quit forcibly your mind! Though accept that you are not the same as your thoughts! Just breathe to live life!

If you put your attention on breathing, you can consciously feel that it neither happens voluntarily or involuntarily. The breath is something that you are doing it and it is happening ’by itself’. When you focus on your breath, you immediately get into contact with the ’now’, because as your breathing the present is a ’co-creation’ that you do and do not convert. Practice conscious breathing during your yoga practice; and enjoy the beauty of the present moment!