Give The Gift of being Present This Holiday Season

Give The Gift of being Present This Holiday Season 

As the holiday season approaches, do you find yourself looking forward with excitement or are you already exhausted? Are you going through the motions, making preparations or are you enjoying the moment, spending quality time with family and friends and finding inner Joy? Recently, I have been doing a lot of work on living in the present. By this I mean staying focused on what is going on right now instead of letting my mind wonder down the rabbit hole of endless To Do Lists. Being present takes a great deal of discipline and practice. This may sound silly but developing your Present Moment Awareness (PMA) skill set isn’t as easy as it sounds. The reality is you can’t be present if you are worrying, thinking and planning all the time. When you live the better part of your life in your head, through your thoughts, you are not fully experiencing all that this life has to offer. After a weekend seminar with Oprah and Deepak, I decided to practice PMA. As a tool, The Chopra Center has a series of meditations that are available to download for free. I highly encourage you to check them out at chopracentermeditation.com. 

Here is a simple exercise that might help you get started on your path to living your life in the present moment.  Begin by tapping into the five senses. Many people go through life unaware of the beauty that surrounds them. Find a quiet place, be still and focus on your breath, relax and become present with the sights, sounds, smells, tastes and touches around you. See the colors, touch your skin or clothes, smell the air, listen to the sounds, notice the taste of food or a piece of candy. Go through all five senses and really become aware of the difference between your thoughts and what you are experiencing with your senses. Stay fully aware and try to remain in that state. Repeat the exercise whenever you start to slip back into your thoughts.

Once you have mastered this, try to apply the experience to your daily routine. Instead of operating on auto-pilot try being fully aware of what you are doing. Practice living in the moment not thinking about the future or the past. When you catch yourself slipping into your thoughts, or casting judgment go back through the sensory awareness exercise.

There are a number of benefits to living in the present. People connect with you on a deeper level. They like being around you more because they feel heard. You experience more joy and gratitude for the people in your life.  Once you make the determination that you can’t work everything out in your mind, your heart will kick in to guide you. Suddenly you will shift into the present and start to image the possibilities instead of the restrictions. Start by being still, let go of critical judgments and limitations and focus on present moment opportunities and experiences. I wish you much success, Namaste!

Jodi Cross is a freelance writer and marketing consultant. She can be reached at jcross@crossnm.com or visit www.www.crossnm.com.