How to Live Totally in the Moment

At least for the past 2,500 years -- when the Buddha started his mindfulness teachings -- we've been reminded of the importance of living in the moment. But what does it mean to be present and how do you stay here? Read on to find out.

Instructions

Rethink Time

• 1

  Do an experiment now. Try to hold on to this second. Ah, did it slip away? Try again.

  You can't, can you?

  Yet, your thoughts insist on dwelling in the past or flinging you into the future as if time would stand still. That's a problem because your life only occurs in the now. After all, the past is gone and the future hasn't become your present, yet.

  It's important to practice bringing the mind back to this moment when it tries to take you away so you can experience your life where the action is. As author Sarah Napthali reminds us in her book "Buddhism for Mothers," "Our thoughts rebound back and forth between a version of the past and plans for the future. Our consciousness buzzes with past conflicts, hurtful remarks and regrets. ... It's quite possible for us to reach the end of a day to find that we have effectively missed the whole thing, and have no idea what actually happened."

  Breaking with this pattern will take diligence, but it will also be well worth it. Here are two mindfulness practices to get you in control of your life.

• 2

  Watch what's going downstream.

  Imagine your mind is a river and that your thoughts are sticks floating with the current. Sit quietly and observe what the mind is thinking. It may be planning tomorrow's dinner or obsessing about a comment your sister made ten years ago. It doesn't matter what your thoughts are. Don't judge yourself for having any of them.

  Simply note what goes through your mind and remind yourself you're not your thoughts; they simply pass through you in the same way the river doesn't become the sticks that float in it. Do this exercise as a mindfulness practice to dissociate your true self from your mind.

  Soon you'll notice that when your mind attempts to take you along on yet another roller-coaster ride, you're able to stay right here with the truth of this moment.

• 3

  Ask why.

  Another good mindfulness practice is self-inquiry. Next time you notice your mind has wandered away, ask yourself, "What is it about this moment that I'm trying to avoid?"

  The mind races the way it does to avoid pain. But as meditation teacher Sylvia Boorstein says in her book "It's Easier than You Think," "Pain is inevitable; lives come with pain." So when your thoughts begin to grasp for the past or to reach into the future, find out why your mind is shielding you from this moment.

  And here's a warning: You may hear your mind say the problem is really with your sister being so unreasonable. That's why you're still ruminating about what she said last decade.

  If that happens, challenge your mind and ask it to step aside so you can face the present no matter what difficulties it brings along. With practice, you'll see it's better to address the hurdles and to be present to your life than to only know living as a chaotic sequence of thoughts that keeps you from enjoying the gifts of your existence.