Being in the present moment

There is only one moment, and that is right here, right now.

If you are dwelling on things from the past or fretting about what may happen in the future, you’re not in the present moment. Any means of achieving more and more moments where you are rooted to the here and now can only be a good thing.

The perceived wisdom of how to achieve this state of being is to be slow, aware, deliberate and purposeful in whatever kind of action you may do.

Type mindfulness or mindfulness exercises into a search engine and you will get a million and one suggestions. Maybe all you need to get started is to work out what actions you’d like to be mindful of and then seek them out online. The exercise could involve eating or drinking, it could be around your breathing, your skin or your body as a whole. It could be connected to driving, cycling, walking or swimming. It could involve looking, listening, touching, tasting or smelling. It could pretty much be about anything and everything. The question is: where would you like to start?

Here’s a list of possible benefits:
• no distractions
• placing importance on your own well-being
• a chance to calm yourself down
• an opportunity to catch up with yourself
• a chance to ‘be,’ rather than having to ‘do’ anything
• a chance to reflect on what has been
• a chance to allow thoughts to come to you freely, rather than you actively trying to generate or channel them
• an opportunity to be real and true to yourself
• a chance to discover more about yourself
• a chance for your body, head and heart to come together

Q: What happens to you in silence? What happens to your body? What happens to your mind? What happens to your emotions?