Mindfulness is typically described as ‘being in the present moment’ but what does this actually mean? What happens when we become ‘more present’? We can feel that we are already "here" in this moment so what are mindfulness teachers like me going on about?
I find the best way to demonstrate the impact of becoming more present is to think about what our minds are like when we are not present, when we are distracted and can rarely keep our attention in one place for long. One minute we’re concentrating on our work and without even realising we may have spent 3-5 minutes thinking about an argument we had with our partner 2 years ago or possibly something that happened to us when we were 7 years old. Absolutely anything can pop up without us noticing but it all has an effect on our ability to know our true selves .
The mind is a deep cavern with lots of holes and tunnels for our awareness to slip down. These holes and tunnels have been reinforced by years of conditioning which has led us to return to these places in our minds again and again, constantly being fed more and more by habitual patterns of behaviour.
Another determining factor is stress. The more stressed we are, the deeper these tunnels and holes go, making it harder for us to get free of them. The more stressed we are, the stronger the grip these distractions have over us.
So, now imagine being free of those holes and tunnels that keep us trapped in negative states of mind. What would that feel like? What kind of impact would that have on your health, your relationships or your productivity at work? We can only fully appreciate being free from these states by being fully aware of them and the impact they have.
So, once we start to look at the experience of ‘being present’ in this way, it’s easier to see the benefits of being in the here and now by understanding what we lose by not being here. The holes and tunnels that take us deeper into a distracted world are significantly reduced which frees up the space in our everyday world to appreciate what we have now. Who knows? We could get hit by a bus in the next minute, hour or week so appreciating what we have now is so important in ensuring we have a good quality of life NOW.
The past has gone and the future is yet to take place so why do we spend so much of our time in these places? Question this, see what comes up, learn from it, change your life.
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Best wishes,
Sean
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