?Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.? ?Buddha
How much do you live in the moment? How mindful or the present are you? Most people have a very strong sense of their past and their feelings about how it’s influenced them. Most people also have lots of thoughts about the future – fears, worries, expectations.
Keeping in the here and now is not something that most people find easy to do, however the more you can do it, the happier you will become.
Have you ever thought about the nature of your thoughts? It might seem a funny concept, but here’s the thing. Take your thoughts of the past. The past is now over and what remains of it is just in our heads – like a story we tell ourselves. You and I could have the exact same experience but take two very different meanings from it – create two different stories. Neither of them would be ‘true’ but just our own subjective experience. Nothing from our past remains except in our thoughts about it, and given that our thoughts are our own, what we choose to believe or to give a power to.
Our thoughts about the future are also similar in nature. Most human beings spend a great deal of time thinking about the future – usually creating scary stories about this outcome and that, all of which are completely speculative. How would it be to spend that very same amount of time planning for success – imagining the best case scenario – or even better, bringing your awareness right back to where you are right now. Here, in this moment. Letting go of that jumble of thought
Why not give it a go now?
Close your eyes and focus fully on your breath. Really notice the quality of it as it enters and leaves your body. Is it warm, or cool? Smooth, or uneven? Notice how you can send it right down deeply towards your diaphragm. With each inhale sucking the air right down and then also to the very top of your lungs, filling them with air. Then exhaling deeply all that air out and allowing your body and mind to begin to relax and focus on where it is now.
Do this a few times and then just let your breath settle into a natural, relaxed rhythm, paying attention to the gentle rise and fall that you experience as you breathe gently. As you do this, notice what thoughts you pay attention to and which you don’t, and just observe how one thought turns into another and then another. Rolling over like waves on to the sand.
Now, spend a moment remembering a time when you experienced an intuition of some kind. You know those times when you just know you know. When you have a really strong sense that something is right, or not? Remember just what that was like. Where in your body does that experience live? How does it feel What do you hear as you listen to it? What do you see when you think about it?
And just notice how it is to just let your thoughts drift away, rolling on, and on. Nothing more tangible than a story we can choose to believe – or not – and how you can then experience that intuitive wisdom so much more.
It can be a comforting thing to know that wisdom always lives within you. That just by bringing your attention back to the present and letting go of all that thinking, you can connect up to that part that gently supports you and guides you. It’s a place that doesn’t require thoughts – just a trust. And it’s quite a nice place to be.
If you would like to find out more about how Life Coaching can help you have a look at my Coaching page here?or click on the link to contact me via this form and we can schedule the conversation that could begin to change your life.
