To be able to awake your conscious and pay attention to all your senses, including your thoughts, your emotions and each and every activity that you do throughout the day, allows you to discover a whole new world of possibilities, while at the same time letting you for an instant set aside worries and anxieties.
When you live in the moment, giving your best at what you do and accepting reality for what it is, you automatically discover the gift of life and recognize all the beautiful blessings you have. It is a voluntary and personal choice to live in the present and only you can make that choice in order to increase productivity, improve yourself and attain inner peace. The positive effect of living in the moment is almost instant.
The following are eight exercises that you can put to practice whenever you want to consciously connect to your present and discover the only reality that truly exist in our lives, the magic behind the power of now.
1. Connect to your breathing. When you wake up and open your eyes every morning, get in contact with your breathing to oxidize your body. Take a deep breath while you're in the shower, feel the air and the water purify your being; whenever you feel anxiety, scared or insecure for whatever it is that you are doing, pay attention to your breathing for just a few minutes. When you breath deeply and connect to the rhythm and the sounds of your inhales, you automatically go back to reality and everything takes on new meaning that you previously didn't have.
2. Feel your body. Another way to connect to the present is to feel your body in different moments of the day. You only have to focus your attention to your entire body or certain parts of it. For example, feel the posture of your body has when you're working. Feel the parts of your body that feel comfortable and the ones that feel tension, what is the temperature of your skin, feel the smells and pay close attention to the sounds around you. Notice how your body works, moves and always reacts without your own consent or control. Your body always acts on instinct. Pay attention to what you're doing when you drive the car, take a walk, or just play with your children. Your body will never live in the past or future, only in the now, in the present, deciding for yourself while your mind is somewhere else. How wonderful is to feel this experience and the power of your body!
3. Become aware of your meals. When you eat, feel how your whole body participates in this simple act of eating. Notice how all your senses come alive by enjoying a delicious meal and enjoy an exercise with many benefits for your well being. Start by focusing your attention on how your body moves to prepare a delicious meal, how the smell wakes your appetite, how you recreate the recipe that you saw by preparing the ingredients. Then, feel the texture of your food at the first bite, chew slowly to discover each of the flavors, and feel your body digesting all of it for energy and to stay alive. Focus on the word "love" and enjoy an incredible healing inner experience. Believe it or not, this simple exercise will make you lose weight and will help you to start eating healthier.
4. Listen. When you talk to other people, take a few seconds or minutes if you ca, to pay attention to every word you're listening from the other person. In addition to the content and meaning, feel the tone, the vibration, the emotions, the different messages and meanings behind each word, body language, and many other nuances. Do not judge, do not take anything personally, do not make assumptions, and do not say anything... just watch and listen.
5. Walk steadily. Practice walking exercises putting all your attention on each step, on the weight of your body and every movement of your legs. Feel the contact with the ground as you disconnect from it for a few milliseconds, only to get back in contact with it again. Feel your whole body as you move. The heaviness or lightness of your body temperature, the position of your arms, your torso and your head, feel the air and warmth from the light. Awaken your senses and focus on your firm and decisive step. Your body is your most prized possession and your walk a great way to connect with the present time.
6. Tall and straight. The next time you're in line, either in a supermarket, at the bank, or to board the plane, use your waiting time to feel your body and see how it maintains firm and upright. Imagine you're a great column, with a very firm foundation on the floor, standing straight up, strong, present, majestic and beautiful. Concentrate on your breathing and your body's immobility, compared to everything that is happening around you. You are a fixed shaft in the middle of a storm. Connect with the senses of your body and at the same time observe everything that happens around you as if you were in the middle of a 3D movie. This conscious meditation is very powerful because it helps you to take control of all your thoughts and emotions and to appreciate things for what they are while the word goes on around you.
7. Look at the smallest details. Next time you brush your teeth, put on makeup or just dressing up, pay attention to all the little details. You know that there is always a big difference in the finer details, but there is also the power to connect with what you're doing at that time and put all your attention to get the best result.
8. Create your own rituals. One way to create a habit of living in the present is to create personal rituals that allow you to get in touch with reality. For example, deciding that you want to feel the warmth and comfort from the covers during the first 5 minutes of your day, breath deeply to fill your body with oxygen, open your eyes and concentrate on your bedroom, stretch until you've waken every part of your body, visualize how you want to go about your day and be thankful for the opportunity to live new experiences.
I hope you've caught enough curiosity to put some of these exercises into practice. Now, it's your turn to make a difference and discover the magic of the present through your own experience. What you can do right now, wherever you are reading these words, either at your computer or mobile phone, just hold still, do not move, breathe, and watch for a few minutes all that is happening with you and around you. Trust me and do not have expectations. I assure you that you will feel better and safer about yourself when you finish. We live most of our lives reliving the past or anxiously anticipating about the future. Where do you spend most of your time? I think it's time to start enjoying the greatest gift of all: the present.
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