how to be with what is
stay present with the present moment
Nikki Costello, inspiring mentor and teacher to many, reminded us in class last week that yoga is not a practice of gaining, rather it is a practice of shedding what is no longer the truth.
When we are able to be fully present with our Selves, situation, bodies and environment as they are right now, whether they feel good or bad or blissful or excruciating, we are allowing the purity and truth of our deepest soul Selves to exist.
I love Osho's quote above because he puts it so simply: yesterday is gone but its imprints are here in the present moment; the future is here, on its way. Regardless, the tree is chillin' and enjoying the sun today, because that is what is happening right now.
Why then get worked up about what happened in the past [guilt], or what is unknown that may or may not happen in the future [worry]? These two emotions cause serious stress, and stress is a primary cause of inflammation, and numerous studies show that inflammation sparks dis-ease.
Circling back to removing what is no longer honest per my teacher's sound advice - neither past/guilt nor future/worry are necessarily 100% true. Our experiences create unique perceptions, which imprint current images based on what we remember [past] or expect [future], and when we keep a kung fu grip on either one of them we may end up with a convoluted truth.
I believe that yoga is sometimes falsely personified as an ongoing ultra-zen state of being, free of all thoughts that pollute the mind. Even though this is perhaps the state of enlightened gurus, like us they still experienced some amount of human life, which we all know is rich with every extreme across every one of our senses, whether tangible or metaphysical.
From my understanding, studies and experience, yoga is the practice of being with all of that stuff so fully that we learn to observe things objectively, which may or may not lead to a more easeful experience because we are unlinked to these things emotionally and physically. As we detach and witness, a truth or purity emerges from the essence of our Selves, unleashing outer shells and layers that might have temporarily hid it from our view.
Click here to read the full post, including what it means to be present with every one and every thing, and a simple meditation for when that feels like the last thing you want to do.
Life happens whether we think we can control it or not, and we might be able to find some peace if we let the past be where it is, let the future come as it will, and rest within the present moment as much and as often as we possibly can.
What does being present with the present moment just as it is, just as you are, mean to you?
Read on for my clean comfort treat recipes, good music, and fun wellness happenings.
Photo: upside down at Lucent Yoga in Brooklyn.
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