Living in the Moment

We are all living in the moment; the question is which one and is it NOW?

“Living in the moment,” this is one of those strange terms that you encounter when you begin the journey of spiritual awareness. Teachers, authors, ascended masters all talk at great length about “living in the moment” but what does it really mean and why is it so important?

When I first heard this expression I listened to it but I didn’t really hear what was being said. The reason for this was because at that time in my life I was so immersed in my past, and terrified of my future that all my “moments” were pretty foggy. About that time I met a girl who had a wrist watch with no hour hands, no numbers, just the word “NOW”. I was intrigued. She explained to me that she was teaching herself the value of “living in the moment”, staying present, being in present time. I decided give it a go. She told me not to be distracted by the past or future moments, but to be 100% where I am in each and every minute. I found that I could only achieve staying present for a very short while, which really surprised me. I thought I had pretty good concentration skills, but this is not about focus. This is an ability to trust, surrender, honour, love and enjoy every moment. I needed to become immersed in the present, NOW.

The negative consequences of not living in the moment are many. Living in another moment other than the one that is present affects your relationships, your work, your health, just about everything. When we are not in present time we are making decisions based on what has happened to us in the past, or predicting outcomes for our future.

These decisions are often reactive and impulsive. Reactive responses are the ones that feel like they are not in proportion to the current situation. They are more like conditioned reflexes. These are usually accompanied by strong emotions and body sensations.

Conscious decisions are responsive, they are not knee jerk reactions! They are decisions made clearly, based on the current status of your life. The emotions that accompany these rational responsive decisions are feelings of calm and centeredness. The choices made with consciousness are in the “NOW”.

What to do.

• Meditate; it’s a great way to quieten your mind.
• Spend time outdoors, really notice everything from the clouds to the pebbles, and start seeing the world.
• Lighten up, life is not meant to be so serious, learn to laugh.
• Start telling yourself the truth about each moment.
• Read Eckhart Tolle’s “The Power of Now” and Deepak Chopra’s “7 Spiritual Laws of Success”
• Get some help to learn more about the effect of past conditioning on your current outlook and your decision-making process. If you’re noticing that you are reactive rather than responsive, stop making it wrong, simply explore why you are (re)acting this way.
• Do some Rebirthing, start living again, start living in the moment.