Living In The "Now" As we head into the week ahead of us, I would like to encourage everyone to make a distinction between listening to your head (ego) and listening to your heart. It can be so easy to get caught up in the events and tasks of the day ahead and pulled into a projection of the future. This results in an attachment to the outcome producing stress and pulls us out of living in the present moment. The result is anxiety, fear, and general stress. Realize that the future is just that. It is a moment in time that has not yet occurred. The lure is that we can control the future by thinking about it in the present. This is a false truth because the proverbial “ball” of the future is not really in play until it becomes the present moment or the “Now”. Adversely, the past is a moment in time that has already expired and therefore unchangeable. Living in the past produces regret, judgment, fear, and self-loathing. The only time frame you have any true control over is the present moment. This requires that you are present in the heart center and not the ego. It is only in the heart center that we can be fully present in the now. With its attributes of fear, pride, envy, jealousy, and anger, the ego wants to keep us in the past and chain us to the outcome of the future. Settling into the now of the heart center will enable one to avoid the trap of these peace and happiness robing tendencies and empower one to experience the calm of living in the center of the action. This is tantamount to living in the center of the hurricane where there is calm and the winds are around the perimeter. From this place of calm, you can observe the winds of chaos and make choices as to how you would like to respond. If in the winds (chaos) you have no time to make choices, you can only react. Living in the Heart Center will enable you to make everyday choices and decisions that will produce more desirable results because it is the place of our true center. It is the place from where we are able to observe the chaos around us. Because we are able to observe from a place of calm, we are able to make choices from a “response” posture instead of a “reactive” posture. Experienced and True martial artists of today as well as those of ancient times knew this and practiced it without thought. So, try this exercise. Close your eyes. Quite your mind. Stop for a second and realize that the future awaits you past the present moment. The past is behind you and no longer within your control. Feel your breath. Take a couple of deep breaths and feel each exhale. Realize that as you exhale, this is the passing of the present “now”. As you draw in the next breath, the present “now” becomes the past and the new breath becomes the new “now”. Practice this several times. You may need to tell your mind to quiet as you do this. See your mind as a little child that needs to be reminded to sit and be quiet until you are ready to speak to it again. What are you feeling? If you feel calm, peace, or resolve, Congratulations, you may be living in the “now”. Suggested Reading: The Power Of Now by Echart Tolle Scholar Warrior by Deng Ming-Dao The Power Of Intention by Dr. Wayne Dyer Peace, Steve Burton Steve@AdvancedMyotherapies
Posted on: Sun, 08 Sep 2013 13:47:03 +0000
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