‘Be here now’ is a prescription for youthfulness

We all have a repetitious flow of thoughts pouring through our minds every waking moment. Often these thoughts keep us from being here now. And our absence from the present moment is what’s keeping us from the peace of mind and joy we seek and contributes to rapid decline of our bodies.

Let’s take the opportunity now to check in with our mental atmosphere.

1. Close your eyes for several minutes and just focus on your breath.

2. Thoughts will pop up. If you hear, “I’m not having any thoughts,” that’s a thought. “My belly’s gurgling” is a thought. “I need to put the laundry in the dryer” is a thought. “I can’t believe the gas bill was so high this month” is a thought.

3. Then you might hear in your mind, “Why am I doing this? I’ve got to get dinner on the table for the family.” Or any number of other things that keep your mind in overdrive. Remember, you were just sitting to focus on your breath.

4. Even when you’re not busy, chances are your mind is. Make it a habit to observe your mind.

Recently I caught myself thinking, “I can’t wait until summer is over. I’m so tired of the heat. I’ll be so happy when it’s cooler.” That’s not living in the present. While thinking that thought I was unhappily thinking of when I’ll be happy, putting off my happiness to a moment a month or so ahead. By that time, I may have some other condition I could allow to delay my happiness further, and then another condition, and so on, leaving happiness a future projection rather than an experience in the moment.

What vibration was I experiencing in the moment as I was thinking I’ll be so happy when it’s cooler? Dissatisfaction and unhappiness. Those feelings actually work against my goal of living a life of joy, here and now. If I hadn’t caught myself and changed that thought, I would have missed out on enjoying the beauty of the moment. By bringing myself back to the present I was able to appreciate the beauty and blessing of the harvests that come in August, the freedom of not having to put on boots and mittens and scarf and heavy jacket to go outside, and the inner transformation that can come with each of the seasons.

It’s all about being in the present moment, but how do we do that? We create a habit of being aware of our thoughts. Awareness is a present moment state-of-mind. The instant we are aware of our thoughts and see them as an observer, we are snapped into the present moment, the only moment of power. That’s where we have the ability to choose. So choose to “be here now.”