One of the reasons I love having animals around is that they are so self-realized and they live always in the moment. I love just watching my cat do anything at all because whatever it is he's doing, he's doing fully.
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| I envy that full-out expression. Maybe that's one of the reasons God gave us pets, to remind us about the NOW, which is the only moment we have for sure.
But how to do we, in this forward-moving and forward-thinking world, live in the one moment that matters? There are bills to pay and deadlines to meet and kids to get through school and college. There are meals to prepare and personal relationships to maintain. |
I have not mastered living in the moment but I do have a few tips on doing it that have been helpful to me and my hope is that they would benefit you as well.
10 Tips for Living Now:
1. Observe animals. Truly, they remind us to invest in the moment with gusto. If you don't have a pet in your life, consider getting a dog or cat. If you can't do that, go to the zoo.
2. Observe children. Children are deeply now-oriented and while that can drive a mother to distraction at times, it's also a great blessing because it models how to be present fully with whatever we are feeling.
3. Take a deep breath. Get in the habit of pausing when the mind is on overload, leaping into a future not yet here or a past already gone, and taking a deep breath. As you release, release also the path your mind has taken and gently breathe yourself back into this moment.
4. Observe what is around you. One simple tool for getting back into the now is to look around you and focus on something in your immediate environment. Try to see something as if you never saw it before...that plant on the desk, the color of the walls, the design in the picture, the face of a co-worker.
5. Move your body. Find something around you to hold on to and do some stretches or put on some music and dance for a few minutes. When we rush into the future or past, we cause our body to enter fight or flight status because we can't do anything about either the future or the past. This is a stressful situation on the body and causes unconscious rigidity. If we can remember to stretch at such times, or dance, we can bring our attention back to the body and back to the now.
6. Engage the senses. Having an aromatic cup of hot tea or eating something that you really enjoy can help bring you back to the present moment. Just don't do anything else, like working with one hand and eating or drinking with the other. Just enjoy the food or drink fully.
7. Learn about someone else. We tend to focus on ourselves and our own problems a lot. This is part of what sends us into the future or into the past. By choosing to learn a new thing about someone, we not only shift the attention from ourselves to someone else but we also have to be present to get the response.
8. Declare the truth. Two words can instantly bring more awareness to the moment. Say "I AM" with conviction and vocal strength and you will be not only affirming your existence in the now but your divine nature in the world.
9. Ask for help. Remember that you have a Divine right to call on help beyond your personality self. Pray for more awareness of the present moment.
10. Be in nature. There is a tremendous gift of energetic awareness in nature. Be in it often. That old advice of hugging trees and putting bare feet on the earth to ground, center and bring you to the present has persisted because it works!
Neva maintains a health and wellness portal to provide educational articles on alternative health care and spiritual healing. More information: http://www.askahealer.com/free-spiritual-articles.htm Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Neva_Howell
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