How do we Start a Practice to be More Present? – Part Two

Become Reflective not Reactive

The previous blog post highlighted two ways to help start a daily practice to become more present. The first step was to quiet the mind. The next step was to use your breath and to scan your body to relax any body part holding tension. We will discuss two more ways to live in the present moment.

Step Three – Meditation and Mental Awareness

The next step to become more present is to learn how to be in control of your thoughts. We can do this thorough meditation. There are many types of mentation that can help with mental focus and mental awareness.

The goal of meditation is to get your mind in a reflective state, so you know what your thoughts are and you are now able control what you want to ponder on. We want to get out of the habit of uncontrolled thinking and use thinking as a tool to bring you to the present moment that you are living in. When you are in this meditative state, you become aware of your thoughts, feelings, and your body with all the senses you experience in the now.

Here is a basic list of some meditation practices:

·       Mindfulness – non-judgmental mental awareness

·       Movement- moving your body to become reflective (walking, yoga, etc.)

·       Transcendental – repeating words or chants to focus your mind

·       Visualization – focusing your attention on an object to focus your mind

·       Spiritual / Prayerful – focusing our mind on a spiritual connection

Search to find what kind of meditation practice works for you. Even though many ancient meditation practices are associated with a religious practice, you can use these technics to help you to be in control of your mind and to dictate what you want to focus your thoughts on. When you meditate, you are focused on what you want your mind to ponder on.

Mindfulness meditation encourages you to be the observer of your thoughts and not to judge them. This means that you do not label your thoughts as “good” or “bad”. You just experience them and allow them to pass without reacting to them. In time you can become more reflective of your thoughts. Being able to be the observer of your thoughts allows you decide how you want to handle them instead of reacting to them.

Meditation can include asking yourself questions to bring your mind to the present moment. You can remind yourself of the things you are grateful for and speak your intentions for the day.

When you find that meditation allows you to become aware of your thoughts and feelings, you can go to the next and most important stage to learn to live and stay in the present moment.

Step Four – Monitor the Mind

To be in the present moment, we must be in control of our thoughts and use thinking as a tool to ponder, plan and respond to the moment in time you are living in. To do this we have to monitor the mind. All this means is that you are fully aware of what you are doing, and all the associated thoughts and feelings related to the present moment. In this state your mind is reflective and not reactive. If you have a negative thought, you are instantly aware of it.  You may also feel it in your body, but your mind pauses and decides of what to do next instead of just responding without any control. In this state you process your emotions and not let them control your decisions. You will feel emotions like fear, sadness and doubt, but will allow them to pass as you plan how to address them. This also applies to great emotions like love, joy and gratitude. Emotions are needed to help us to take and action or fully enjoy the sensations of life.

Will this type of mental control be easy just because you have done steps 1 – 3?

Nope!

This is a "practice makes perfect" daily goal. I don’t think we will ever get a diploma from this discipline. This is a lifelong practice that we will get better at as we strive to live a more present life each day.

What step in the process of being present are you in today?

Peace and BEE Present!!

Check out my book to become more present.