Time moves so quickly. Do you ever wake up in the morning, and before you know it, it's time to go to bed again? This amazing life of ours seems to whisk by -- but that's just an illusion we have created.
Everyone gets the same 86,400 seconds in a day. We all get to choose what we do with that time and how we feel about what we did with that time at the end of each day. Meditation can help you enjoy the moments a bit more, but only living life to its fullest can bring you the true joy we all crave.
So how do we "be present" in each moment and celebrate the magnificence of the present moment?
The answer is simple: Create touchstones throughout your day that allow you to touch the sweetness of life so that each moment suddenly becomes a treasure.
Here's how you go treasure hunting.
Start by using the eight limbs of yoga as described by Patanjali 2,000 years ago. "Yoga" is Sanskrit for "union" or "one-ness." We can interpret each limb through our own lens of one-ness. You can read more in depth about yoga sutras and the eight limbs in my book Secrets of Meditation. Here I'll distill each limb down to a phrase so you can then take it and make it your own:
- Yamas or social codes of interacting with the outside world, including non-violence, truthfulness, not stealing, conscious choice-making, and non-coveting
- Niyamas or personal codes of interacting with our inner world, including purity, contentment, personal discipline, self-study, surrender to the divine
- Asana, the physical postures of yoga
- Pranayama, breathing skills
- Pratyahara, sensory awareness
- Dharana, attention
- Dhyana, meditation
- Samadhi, one-ness
Each day for eight days, choose one limb and dedicate yourself to living, breathing, flowing the philosophy and practice of yoga. Make it your interpretation, your understanding. Then start again. At the end of the month, you will BE yoga. It will flow through your every thought, word and deed.
For example, on Day 1 choose a yama, such as non-violence. All day long let the inner conversation of non-violence flow through you: every action you take be performed through the lens of non-violence. Every conversation you have will be non-violent in tone, intention and articulation. You will not impose your will on others. You will not try to be right. You will not bring violence into any moment. If you find yourself trying to prove a point or needing to win, stop, back up and reset your trajectory.
As part of your yama, consider these thoughts through out the day:
"We can all experience fulfillment AND success by becoming wiser rather than stronger."
"Harsh words never lead to happiness -- ever."
"By committing to non-violence in every way, I have a clear purpose on how I will flow through the world, and the world around me will slow."
"I will have the subtle intention -- the sankalpa - flowing through me in every moment. This will indeed be a memorable day."
On Day 2 choose a niyama and live it. On Day 3, hold yourself in a yoga pose in every moment, whether you are standing on a train, sitting at a desk, driving in a car or walking on the beach. Continue this pattern for 30 days and you will very quickly notice that the swirl of activities each day begin to slow, and you will find magnificence in each moment.
When we live each day purposefully, there is so much to celebrate. We all have more than one gear and we have the ability to shift gears so that we live with purpose. Let the teachings of Patanjali to take you into the next moment!
To learn more about attending a davidji meditation retreat, click here.