Being in the moment is a practice that can help us to feel more at peace and more connected to ourselves and others. It can help us to be more resilient in difficult times. Much of our suffering comes not from the challenging experiences that life presents but from our attempts to avoid them.
When we pause from the busyness, when we stop, it actually gives us a chance to come home to our hearts again. -Tara Brach
Our habitual pattern is one of experiential avoidance—trying to escape the uncomfortable physical sensation, difficult emotion, or worrisome thought. We reach for anything to escape—staying busy, drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, eating when we’re not hungry, watching TV, surfing the Internet, and a host of other escape mechanisms that typically serve to create additional stress or suffering.
Mindfulness practice enables us to cultivate the capacity to be present to whatever arises in each moment. It allows us to practice being in the moment and cultivate a greater sense of resiliency for dealing with uncertainty and difficult times. The present moment shows up in three aspects—the physical body reveals itself in sensations, the emotional body reveals itself in feelings, and the mental body reveals itself in thoughts.
Pause. Breathe. Soften to whatever arises in each moment in your body, heart, and mind.
Jen Johnson is a mindfulness coach and therapist teaching meditation for healing and creativity. Learn more about working with Jen.