Awareness

We can be masters of multi-tasking. While occupying the body with one task, the mind can jump around to countless thoughts. It occasionally leaves us wondering how we completed something because our minds were engaged elsewhere. Have you ever taken a shower, shut the water off and cannot even recall if you washed your hair with soap?

How often does your mind diverge from the current moment? Do you find it difficult to stay present for a long duration? Practicing periods of being in the moment brings a sense of calm and heightened awareness. In energy terms, being keenly aware of yourself and the environment surrounding you can be termed as being “grounded.” One way to achieve this is to engage all of your senses.

As you read this, how do your clothes feel against your skin? What do you hear in your surrounding environment? What shapes, colors and textures do you see? Is there an odor wafting in the air? How is the temperature in the room? What is your mood when you read this? Are you holding tension anywhere in your body right now? What do you think your expression on your face would look like to someone nearby? Is there someone nearby?

There are so many ways to experience being present. If you engage the senses and ask yourself what you notice, it will take very little time to be alert to your environment. If you keep checking in this way, you are sure to experience many different sensations and interactions that will enhance how you perceive the world around you.

Action:
The first step to reengaging to the present is to notice that your mind wandered. Select points during your day when you can check in and see how present you are in the moment. When eating, how long you can bring your awareness to your chewing, swallowing, how your body position is, etc.? When driving, how long can you stay alert to the sights and sounds as you pass things without letting the mind wander to independent thoughts, music or phone conversations? Every moment we have an opportunity to bring more awareness and intention into our day. It starts with the willingness to do it.