Do you find yourself in a state of low-grade anxiety much of the time? Is there a sense of pressure that unrelentingly weighs down upon you? Maybe your mind is constantly busy with thoughts about what you "have to" or "should" do.
There are many reasons you could find to support feeling stressed or anxious-the state of the world economy, the prevalence of natural disasters, the news headlines, the rhetoric of our politicians, or predictions of what lies ahead for us in 2012. Perhaps your feelings come from the unremitting presence of your debts and bills or from your never-ending TO DO List. Maybe they come from constant concerns for your loved ones.
What is it that keeps you from being happy with life right now?
No matter what your answer to that question is, there is one simple action that can turn the tide and shift your experience right here and now-being fully present. When you do that, you realize that everything is O.K.
What does that mean and how does that work?
First, being present contrasts with being worried about what may happen in the future or beating yourself up about what happened in the past. When you are present, you temporarily let go of those two time zones to more fully experience "what is" inside you and right in front of you.
Being present begins within. You become aware of sensations and feelings right now in your body. If you are used to focusing on tasks or events outside you, feeling inside your body may seem a bit odd. You may not know what that would be like-to feel inside your body. However, awakening your inner senses is a profound way to be present and a key to accessing true happiness right here and now.
You can begin very simply by becoming aware of your breathing. Take a few slow deep breaths and feel the sensation of breathing in your abdomen, your chest, your nose, and your throat. Take a moment to really enjoy the feeling of breathing fully and deeply.
Now see if you can feel the space inside your skin. You could begin by feeling the space inside your hands and fingers. Then, allow this inner sensation to spread out into your arms, torso, and head. Allow inner sensation to expand into your abdomen, hips, legs, and feet.
You may find that you can feel some areas inside your body and not others. That's O.K. Center your attention in whatever sensation you can feel. Can you notice that your thoughts become quiet as you focus on inner sensation? Or, maybe, you have thoughts about if you're doing this right or if it is a waste of your time. It's O.K. Those thoughts are normal at the start.
Learning to be present is about becoming aware of present felt sensations and differentiating these from the interpretations that you layer on top of those raw sensations. This can be a profound realization-to understand that how you interpret things is not necessarily the way things are.
As you become more aware of inner sensations, you can expand your awareness to include outer sensations that are present in your environment. Notice the fine details of your surroundings. Notice what you might normally pass by in your rush to get things done. Allow the colors, sounds, smells, and feeling of the space around you to become brighter and more vibrant. Again, notice how your mind quiets down as you do this. Also, notice any commentary that goes on inside your head.
As you notice the details inside your skin and in your surroundings, you may begin to appreciate the beauty in "what is." I suggest you actively look for that. Look for the good around you. Then, take it one step farther and move into gratitude.
What are you grateful for right now? I suggest making a list of everything you can find to be grateful for. Taking a few moments to write these things down can really shift your perception. The more you find to be grateful for, the happier you'll be.
As you actively focus into present sensations, appreciate them, and feel grateful for them, your mind continues to become quieter and quieter. Freed from your thoughts about the future and the past, you discover that everything is actually O.K. As your worries and fears recede, you realize that right now you are fine. You can handle what is happening in this moment and you may even find that things are much better than you thought.
There are many reasons you could find to support feeling stressed or anxious-the state of the world economy, the prevalence of natural disasters, the news headlines, the rhetoric of our politicians, or predictions of what lies ahead for us in 2012. Perhaps your feelings come from the unremitting presence of your debts and bills or from your never-ending TO DO List. Maybe they come from constant concerns for your loved ones.
What is it that keeps you from being happy with life right now?
No matter what your answer to that question is, there is one simple action that can turn the tide and shift your experience right here and now-being fully present. When you do that, you realize that everything is O.K.
What does that mean and how does that work?
First, being present contrasts with being worried about what may happen in the future or beating yourself up about what happened in the past. When you are present, you temporarily let go of those two time zones to more fully experience "what is" inside you and right in front of you.
Being present begins within. You become aware of sensations and feelings right now in your body. If you are used to focusing on tasks or events outside you, feeling inside your body may seem a bit odd. You may not know what that would be like-to feel inside your body. However, awakening your inner senses is a profound way to be present and a key to accessing true happiness right here and now.
You can begin very simply by becoming aware of your breathing. Take a few slow deep breaths and feel the sensation of breathing in your abdomen, your chest, your nose, and your throat. Take a moment to really enjoy the feeling of breathing fully and deeply.
Now see if you can feel the space inside your skin. You could begin by feeling the space inside your hands and fingers. Then, allow this inner sensation to spread out into your arms, torso, and head. Allow inner sensation to expand into your abdomen, hips, legs, and feet.
You may find that you can feel some areas inside your body and not others. That's O.K. Center your attention in whatever sensation you can feel. Can you notice that your thoughts become quiet as you focus on inner sensation? Or, maybe, you have thoughts about if you're doing this right or if it is a waste of your time. It's O.K. Those thoughts are normal at the start.
Learning to be present is about becoming aware of present felt sensations and differentiating these from the interpretations that you layer on top of those raw sensations. This can be a profound realization-to understand that how you interpret things is not necessarily the way things are.
As you become more aware of inner sensations, you can expand your awareness to include outer sensations that are present in your environment. Notice the fine details of your surroundings. Notice what you might normally pass by in your rush to get things done. Allow the colors, sounds, smells, and feeling of the space around you to become brighter and more vibrant. Again, notice how your mind quiets down as you do this. Also, notice any commentary that goes on inside your head.
As you notice the details inside your skin and in your surroundings, you may begin to appreciate the beauty in "what is." I suggest you actively look for that. Look for the good around you. Then, take it one step farther and move into gratitude.
What are you grateful for right now? I suggest making a list of everything you can find to be grateful for. Taking a few moments to write these things down can really shift your perception. The more you find to be grateful for, the happier you'll be.
As you actively focus into present sensations, appreciate them, and feel grateful for them, your mind continues to become quieter and quieter. Freed from your thoughts about the future and the past, you discover that everything is actually O.K. As your worries and fears recede, you realize that right now you are fine. You can handle what is happening in this moment and you may even find that things are much better than you thought.
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