Be Here Now

Be here now - Ram Dass

I heard this quote sometime last year, completely underestimating the significance it would have on me.

Something I'm learning and trying to practice at the moment is controlling my mind.

I love the analogy that the mind is just like a puppy; that you keep calling it to come back and teaching it to sit with many failed attempts, until finally after lots of training the puppy will reach a point where it will respond to the comand to stay and sit!

I can now see it goes the same for my mind. I've watched it be disobedient, running away into scenarios that aren't anywhere near true, using up all my energy and leaving my feel depleted. I am now starting to recognise when this is happening and am slowing training my mind to come back!

I wish it was a commonly known fact that we're in control of absolutely everything in our life, and it all stems from our mind and the thoughts we choose to latch onto. We really are our own limitations.

Did you know that what you think directly influences how you feel, contributing to how you behave? Once an emotion/thought/feeling is sparked in your mind, it will release a chemical that will physically alter your body, e.g. change your heart rate or slow your digestion down. This chemical released will also validate what your thinking e.g. when your feeling sad, your mind will create scenarios (true or false) that validate the sadness we feel, and 9 times our of 10 will be the cause of a massive downwards spiral.

As the timer is running out for my moments inside my comfort zone, it has been really important to be here, in this moment as I've finally realised that this is all we have. I believe that if I had let my mind mindlessly run away into the future it would of caused a lot of chaos, wondering around in scenarios of stress and worry. Each time I could feel my thoughts running away from me, I would try focus on the 5 senses (this has helped me cultivate a life of more presence, I'd highly reccomend it to anyone looking to do the same!!) bringing my mind back to what I can see, hear, see, smell and touch, and of course my breath. Have you ever actually taken notice of the one something that we do as soon as we enter this world? I know prior to last year I certainly hadn't.

Having this new found knowledge has helped me cherish everything that is happening right now for what it really is and just how meaningful these moments in-between moments really are. I'm so thankful for this quote I now hold so closely to my heart, and I wanted to be able to pass it on to anyone who is ready to think about the concept that;

The future doesn't exist yet, we can't go back to the past and change it, so why the fuck are we living in these two alternate realities?

Because I have no idea.. but living in the present moment has been the most magical and rewarding (physically and mentally) experience yet.

You should try it sometime, and let me know how you go because as simple as this concept sounds, I'd say it's been one of the hardest things to actually apply!

Also here's a song that came on whilst I was packing my life into a tiny van, and holy shit I felt like it was perfect for this blog.

https://youtu.be/luQSQuCHtcI