Tips for living in the present

Small tips can help us experience a state of presence for a few moments. According to a report in Bons Fluidos Magazine, with practice, we can transfer this skill to other moments in our lives and feel the benefits of being entirely here and now.

In the book The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle states that “the moment you understand that you are not present, you will be present”. For that, just observe yourself, your thoughts, emotions and reactions, says the author, without judging whatever you see.

Tolle calls this silent observation, being able to perceive a serene and attentive presence behind all the contents of one’s mind. While practicing the exercises proposed by the experts, keep your attention focused on yourself, no matter how much your mind really wants to be somewhere else.

speak out loud

Take advantage of the moments when you are performing everyday activities to speak, out loud, what you are doing step by step. For example, if you’re in the shower, say, “Now I’m picking up the shampoo, now I’m massaging my head with my fingertips, now I’m feeling the water run over my shoulders,” and try to feel each action in your body.

Therapist Katia Daher says the exercise is very suitable for anxious people, but it’s best to start training in quiet moments, or the practice can end up causing irritation.

Breathe

Breathing is a great device to slow down our mental conversations for a few moments and bring us back to the present moment. Katia Daher’s tip for those who want to leave the “pre-occupation” state and maintain focus is to inhale in four beats, hold the air in four beats, exhale in four more beats and keep the lung empty in another four beats.

inhabit your body

When we feel our body, we can stay connected with the here and now. To facilitate this contact with yourself, pay attention to your five senses. “Just look, don’t interpret.

See the light, the shapes, the colors, the textures. Feel the silent presence of each thing. Feel the space it occupies. Listen to the sounds, don’t classify them. Listen for the silence underlying the sounds. Touch something, anything, feel and recognize your Being”, proposes Eckhart Tolle.

Get out of the comfort zone

For one day, stop doing something you usually do the same way every time. Decrease the amount of food, take a cold shower instead of a hot one, walk instead of using the car. This is what Ashtanga yoga instructor Patrícia Varela suggests. She says going through a little discomfort is a good way to invite the mind to act in a different, less automated way and to make us more flexible.

practice mindfulness

Unlike the common sense of mindfulness, which requires an effort to concentrate, Zen meditation instructor Khalis Chacel claims that to maintain mindfulness, it is not necessary to exert effort. We just need to realize what is happening inside and outside of us. He recommends that we start with listening. Sit or lie down in a quiet place and just be aware of what your ears pick up, not straining to hear, just listening.

After a few weeks, try watching your breathing without interfering with your rhythm. Then it becomes easier to notice the minute sensations in your body—a tension here, an itch there, a shiver—without fighting them. “After a lot of practice, we also became able to do this with the mind. We won’t be able to silence her, the mental flow happens by itself, but we won’t be trapped by what she says anymore. Realizing this leads us in a direction of less control.”