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JUNE 2005 TOPIC OF THE MONTH

Being Present
Live in the present moment, most people when they think of this relate to noticing the flowers or the bunny hopping past. That is part of living in the present moment, even though that may not be simple; it is the softer easier way to apply that to your life. There is a much deeper meaning, to truly be present requires that we not drag our (or someone else’s) past into the present moment. There are no resentments in the present moment; in the present moment no one has done anything to hurt you. This does not mean you need repeat a past action with someone that betrayed you, it means when you deal with this person that past action does not exist. For example, say you decided to let a friend who was having some bad times live in your house for awhile, and during this time they took advantage of you. When you see this friend again you love them as if that did not happen, however it does not mean you let them move into your house again. Being present makes forgiveness much easier. You learn from the past, not reside there! (Also, in the present there are no prejudices, because no one has done anything for you to be prejudice against.)

Worry focuses on the future; it is a fear of a future event. If we stay present we take positive steps toward warding off the effects of fear. Most of our fears will never come to pass, and if they do, foreknowledge probably won’t make us any better prepared. As we grow in our self esteem and self confidence we do not need to worry about what action to take, we will know the right action to take at the right time.

The best gift you can give someone (especially a child) is to be present with them. Sometimes we are preoccupied with thoughts in our head; these thoughts keep us from being present. Listening requires being present too. When listening we do not always need to respond. Do you catch yourself being so wrapped up in what you want to say that you are not listening to what someone is saying to you? There are many times we respond when it is not necessary; if our response is ego based, meaning we want to make our “statement”, it can be a layer or veil over being entirely present.
Click here to view The Work of Attention

Another aspect of being present; each day when you step up to the top of your mat, you do not know what you can and can not do that day! What you can and could not do yesterday does not exist in this moment (that is history). So each time you start the Sun Salutes you do not know if you can hop up or hop back, you come and you try EACH time. This also applies to many other areas of your life! Don’t limit yourself by “knowing” what you can and can not do! When you live in the present you are open to “miracles”.

Being Present requires that you get out of your head! You can’t think about presence, and the mind can not understand it, understanding presence is BEING PRESENT.
Incessant mental noise prevents us from finding the inner stillness that is BEING.

© 2006 Bobbi Misiti | Be Fit Body & Mind YOGA