This section provides you with simple tools to enter the present moment, many more exist. Reality is happening in the present moment, ONLY in the present moment. Our constant repetitive thinking keeps us removed from experiencing the present moment, keeps us from reality.
You have not truly lived until you experience the present. Forget the why, focus on the how. Once you experience it you have no questions of why to ask.
Remember what we want to achieve. Only one simple goal. To stop thinking, to stop all activities of your mind. That’s all. The problem is that’s not so easy – see for yourself and try. Even thinking about wanting to stop thinking – is still thinking. How do you keep your mind on track towards non thinking? These simple tools succeed by tricking your mind into ceasing to be active.
Before you start first read through the options below and pick the one you are most comfortable with. They all lead to the same outcome, so pick what seems most like yourself. Lie down on your comfortable sofa or bed or sit comfortably and relaxed. Either works, you want to be in a position which you do not have to change anytime soon to remain comfortable. Close your eyes. Take Your Time.
Entering the NOW by way of Listing. Simply listen to the soundscape surrounding yourself. Follow these steps:
- Listen to everything around you, hear the birds singing, hear the washing machine, hear every bit of the soundscape surrounding you. Hear it all.
- Stop identifying the sounds you hear, start hearing a musical concert instead. The Washing machine and the singing bird – no longer identify them but they sing together as integral part of the same song, the same piece of music you hear.
- Realize that it is not fully working. You do hear the soundscape but still the washing machine identifies itself, it appears to you as a thought. Start listening to that thought of identified washing machine as if the thought too was a sound arising.
- Keep listing to the entire soundscape but don’t resist the thoughts which arise. As they do, catch them and add them to your listening experience. Add nothing to your thought, just hear it as part of the music.
This approach works because hearing is not a conscious action, you hear whether you think or not. You can however focus your hearing and make it conscious action. In this manner it works as a doorway between thinking and non thinking leading to the present. In addition this exercise forces your mind into non thinking by presenting it with a task it regards as useless.
Entering the NOW by inhabiting Your Body. As before you are lying down or sit in whatever is the most comfortable position for you.
- Raise both of your hands so that they do not touch anything, not your body nor the bed you are on. Make sure that the positions of your hands is comfortable and not tiring. You can use your elbows to keep them supported effortlessly.
- Your eyes are closed. Ask yourself about your right hand. Now that it touches nothing, is there any way to figure out whether your right hand still exist? Is it there?
- As you focus your attention on your right hand you will start feeling it from the inside out, you are in the hand. Keep your focus on your hand, become your hand, enjoy the feeling of being hand. Eventually just feel HAND
- Transfer the feeling of hand from your right to include your left hand. Feel both hands throbbing with life.
- Once you complete the feeling of hand from right to left, you will feel your entire body, you now inhabit your body with your consciousness, you are no longer your thoughts, you are your body.
This method works because you distract your mind with a question it regards as nonsense while you shift your consciousness to your body keeping busy inhabiting the body in the now rather than thinking.
Entering the NOW by way of Breathing. You are sitting or lying down in a comfortable position.
- Close your eyes and relax for a few minutes until your mind has settled
- Observe your breathing, notice how it has slowed down since you got comfortable.
- Observe how your focus on breathing has made it a conscious activity which you now do rather than just observe. Let your breathing go, only observe, do not control your breath, take your time.
- Effortlessly try to make each inhalation last as long as the exhalation, and take each breath a little deeper than the last until your breathing is long and smooth.
This approach works because breathing is unconscious action unless you decide to consciously breathe. If you you forget it however you will continue breathing. Therefore breath is a connection between conscious thinking and the subconscious present. Further you busy your mind with the task of timing your breathing keeping it from thinking.
These are only examples of a million possible ways to take you to the present. I list these because they are simple and straight forward enough to work for me. You will find the right tools for yourself, important is to know why you need them.