In the moment

Photo courtesy:Cheri Lucas Rowlands           for: The Daily Post

Contemplation

Last summer, I had a major shift in my perspective of life as a whole. It was as if I was sprinkled with a speck of spiritual dust. This profound change happened from reading the book, ‘The New Earth‘ by the spiritual master Eckhart Tollle.

The beauty of this book is that you can practice  spirituality in your everyday life.  All it takes is, being in the here and now and enjoying every moment! This can bring pure consciousness and elimination of thoughts that rule our mind at all times rendering it a mad house. I am awed at the power in this simple truth that can, if realized, create a whole new human race!

Human beings are ruled by their ego to the point that it stops them from seeing things in the light of truth. We resist every change, every natural process and put ourselves through pain and misery by sheer non-acceptance of a situation. Once I realized how I was victimized by the train of incessant thoughts that crossed my mind, I was one step closer to that place of self-discovery.   Whenever I was in a state of conflicting thoughts, I consciously removed myself from the situation and started accepting what was going on and made an effort to see things with a clear mind. That window of time when I stepped back, stopped the adrenaline rush caused by my anger and helped save my day. It was truly a great revelation to see this shift happening in me.

Other times I practice mindfulness is when stuck in traffic, or when things don’t go well at my daughter’s school, or when I see the pile of dishes in the sink, or when I question my choices in life on motherhood and career. Most times we fall prey to the thoughts that take us to a distant place rather than enjoy the task at hand. What we don’t enjoy right now, we foresee it in the future, and are entangled in the game of chasing this ever-eluding state that we never reach. If it is not the future in our minds, then surely it is the past, the burden of resentment, of lost opportunities and bitter moments with loved ones. Living a life is when we literally surpass both these states and enjoy every moment in hand by not letting ego and judgement rule our mind.

And I know from my experience that this is no small feat by any means for human minds to attain. But, taken one small serving at a time, it is possible. Give yourself a pat on the shoulder if you can live in the present moment for small periods of time like, say 1 minute. The mind wanders off by way of habit. That’s only but natural. Nonetheless, the power of truly being in the moment of awareness is very helpful especially in trying times. This certainly can be attained through meditation.   It is subtly explained in the book  ‘The Power of Now’ by the same author.

Often times , we are too focused on our destination that we miss the fun in the journey. When you amass a big bank balance for your child’s future and have no time for her everyday stories she has to share, or when you are in the rat race for the top position in your corporate job unaware of life passing by, you miss the whole point of living.  We label success solely on the level of accomplishments, most of it materialistic and conveniently forget the success we need to reach at the level of human consciousness.  We  live in a state of illusion, dictated by the outer world that sets standards for our existence. It is a liberating feeling to be able to do what you want in life, not affected by  judgement, demands, and expectations of a stereotypical society.

The world would be a much better place if only we slowed down in our essence as a human race and took a breath, be empathetic, be introspective, be mindful. In this state of contemplation, the mind is in peace with the present moment and a sense of joy arises from its realization!