The key here is that we approach this practice with gentleness and kindness. Each time we recognize thinking and come back into the present moment, we are planting a seed of awareness. We are creating a new habit -- a new way of being in the world.

The present moment is continually passing away, so if you try to hold onto it in any way -- such as by remembering it or forming ideas about it -- you are no longer in the present. Therefore, relax. Open to this moment. Not planning, not worrying, not lost in thought.

When we meditate, we try to connect to that inner peace and serenity that transcends thought. For me, it's a type of stillness that feels like I am completely connected to timelessness, and that there is no beginning or end, it just "is." But why does that feeling have to be so temporary or elusive?

My yoga guides had always told me not to push or force anything, but I always tuned their words out. Even worse, I had been tuning myself out. Deep down I knew the pain I was experiencing wasn't a good thing, but I was letting what I thought to be right override what I felt to be true.

Often we are so focused on achieving a particular goal that we don't even see the greater possibilities that come into our life. We sidestep them thinking them to be unrelated or trivial to our mission, when in reality, they offer the very insight or opportunity we need to succeed on our primary path.

It's time to become more present. Love your life, love who you are, accept yourself for what you are. And you'll be there right now. You won't be looking at the perpetual treadmill of "eventually"s.

Are you alive? It might seem to be a silly question, as you are obviously technically alive since you are reading this. But are you truly alive and living the life you were born to live -- a life of purpose, vitality and meaning?

Last week, I went to see a one-man show at a private arts club. In the midst of his monologue, the performer stopped himself and said, "What would you do if you woke up in the morning and knew you were going to die?" I sat up. Now that's a question.

When we choose to say yes to what we are given by living in the present, making meaning of each day, our experiences go from dread and "I can't wait until today is over" to appreciation and purpose.

Maybe, along with wanting to show up fully in life and see the beauty around us, we also want to be knocked over and swept away from time to time -- to fall in love with life and feel enchanted by what it has to offer.

What if we were joyful simply just because? We all know the feeling of our hearts spilling over with joy. Can you imagine feeling this way all the time, or at least believing you could feel this way at any given time?

Your sweet spot, the best moments of your life, follow a simple pattern. They begin when you center yourself. Before you can stretch to your limits and choose what you want to do that's difficult and worthwhile, you have to be present.

When we are doing something mindfully, our senses are more heightened, causing our experiences to become that much more satisfying.

Given how much time I spend wandering around consumed by how stellar life will be once I lose the last five pregnancy pounds, get my book written, get the baby to sleep through the night, that to realize quite suddenly that I am happy right now is miraculous. It stops me in my tracks.

"Where has the time gone?" "There aren't enough hours in the day." These are statements that we struggle with daily. We are so caught up in achieving that we forget to savor, breathe and recognize the present moment.

We blossom and outgrow selves the way butterflies emerge from cocoons. Except that being human, we have the chance to emerge from many cocoons. This poem tries to look back at the many selves I've lived in.

I focused straight ahead at the white wall, and dropped fully into the present. My mind quieted and my body took over.The seconds between deep gasps for air were filled with thoughts of nothing beyond my next breath.

If you continue to ask everyone else who you are, without having any understanding of who you want to be, you will be swept away by the wind with no direction.

Up to that point in my life, I had thought of hardships as inexplicable events happening to me and others and viewed strength as the ability to endure these unwanted circumstances. Such endurance is certainly a strength.

I was in the mood to try something entirely new and different, something that would shake up my routine and give me a fresh perspective on life. Zipping around a racecourse at more than 100 miles an hour seemed like just the thing, provided I didn't kill myself.

A meditation practice leading to the understanding of our eternal self as awareness gives us just enough separation from our internal soap-opera production for us to be a little more loving, less fearful and controlling, more aware of the needs, hopes and dreams of another.

The great Jewish philosopher, Abraham Heschel said, "We will not perish for want of information; but only for want of appreciation... What we lack is not a will to believe but a will to wonder..." Wonder is the feeling that overcomes us when we enter life and not just watch it.

Three times a week now, as I fumble with the third sequence in my tai chi class, I have the opportunity to witness a room full of individuals practice the full sequence. And every time, I am struck by how beautiful the long sequence is, and how much I want to be in that group.

Instead of celebrating and partying with the usual aches and discomfort the next day, why not be in the perfect stillness and let the peace and quiet bring its special presence into our lives?

The woulda, coulda, shoulda of life can so quickly steal our "now time." We are either being caught in the past or projecting too much into the future.