The present moment is where life can be found,
and if you don’t arrive there,
you miss your appointment with life.

Thich Nhat Hanh

Last weekend I left a workshop wearing someone else’s black leather jacket. I was unaware that I had the wrong jacket until I got a phone call from the owner of the jacket explaining the mix up. The other lady had found my business cards in the pocket of my black leather jacket which was hanging in the classroom, so she immediately called me. She was nice enough to arrange to meet me fairly close to my home, so we could get our own jackets back. I apologized and realized that I had put on the wrong jacket because I really wasn’t paying attention. I was thinking about the drive home and the evening ahead. I certainly was not in present time. When our thoughts are in another time zone, like the past or the future, we may misplace keys, wallets and other needed items. These occurrences remind us of the need to be mindful of the present moment. The jacket mix up reminded me to practice mindfulness.

Do you find yourself spending a lot of time reviewing past events or rehearsing future ones, you are like most people. So often, we may be driving or doing some other task, completely on automatic pilot, while our minds are preoccupied in another time zone. As we focused our attention on the past or the future, we may have missed something significant in the present. The practice of mindfulness is an opportunity to experience life as it happens now.

Whether you are walking, doing the dishes or sipping tea it is appropriate and beneficial to do so with awareness. When we become mindful, of what is happening this moment, we focus on what our five senses are revealing to us. What are you seeing hearing, smelling, tasting and feeling right now?

The opposite of mindfulness is forgetfulness. Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh says that when we are in a state of forgetfulness, we are alive, but we don’t fully know that we are alive. We walk, but we don’t know we walk. We breathe, but aren’t aware that we breathe. Being mindful means slowing down our thoughts and tuning into life as we are experiencing it. Since we breathe in present time, following the path of your breath automatically puts you in the here and now.

“Breathing in, I know I am breathing in.

Breathing out, I know I am breathing out.

Breathing in, I calm my body and my mind.

Breathing out, “I ease everything.”

When you walk with mindfulness, you can feel the soles of your feet as they touch the ground. As Thich Nhat Hanh suggests, you “feel deeply.” We have taken so much from the earth, you may want to imagine that you respectfully and reverently kiss the earth with your feet. As you see the blue sky, you touch the sky deeply with mindfulness. Experience life deeply with every step that you take. Everything you observe, hear, touch, taste and feel can be done with complete awareness, deep feeling and appreciation.

When we practice being mindful, we are grateful for the many reasons for happiness that we tend to take for granted. As the new year begins, we may want to expand our list of things for which we are grateful. Living in a state of mindfulness is living in a state of appreciation.

To appreciate the marvelous workings of your body, become aware of the various parts of your body. For example, think of your eyes and appreciate the gift of sight. Your eyes have brought you so much beauty and joy. What a miracle to be able to see colors, shapes, forms! For a moment, close your eyes and imagine what it would be like to be sightless. The contrast makes us appreciate, even more, that which we may have taken for granted. Then shift your attention to your ears, your fingers, your heart and all other parts of your body.

Many of us are somewhat disconnected from ourselves. We rush around meeting the demands of the external world oblivious to our internal world. We are unaware of our bodies until something hurts. Have you noticed how often we fail to appreciate feeling well until we feel a painful sensation? We usually take our knees, our backs or other body parts for granted until something hurts. Then we remember what a blessing it is to be pain free. We often are also unaware of the contents of our consciousness including our own sensations, perceptions and cognitions. We react without understanding what triggers our behaviors. Through mindfulness we observe our thoughts with detached awareness. We become aware of our unconscious internal dialogue and its effect on our lives. We learn that anxious thoughts are merely thoughts, not reality. Thoughts can be changed.

The practice of mindfulness enables us to live more fully in the present. It also helps us to tune into our inner wisdom, to notice self defeating thoughts so they can be transformed. Through mindful living one can experience a more peaceful, joyful life.

Donna May MA Ed, is a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, Stress Management, Pain Relief Specialist, practitioner of NLP, Reiki and Yuen Energetics. She utilizes spiritual principles and “A Course in Miracles” teachings. Available for classes, public presentations or private consultations. (248) 626-4859 or DonnaMay27@comcast.net.