Four exercises to help you return to the present

We are accustomed to emotionally retell episodes from the past several times, not daring to work through our experiences in the present. Or we talk about our fears and worries about the future, without trying to change something in the present so that the future does not look so scary.

Pass the tests

• What’s stopping you from focusing on the present?
• Can you live in the present?

If we listen to the constant stream of thoughts in our head, we will hear the continuous monologue of our ego: “I need to complete points A, B, C, D for E and F to happen, and without them, especially without E, G will never happen. Last time I missed C, so D didn’t happen, and E is only possible if D is done, so G never happened. And it’s very important for me F, because without it I won’t get to Z in five years, and it depends on whether I will have Y in another ten years, and without Y I won’t live at all! Well, why, why every time I stumble on B or D … “

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Obviously, it is worth learning to stop the talker in the head, but how to do it? There are several steps.

• Don’t worry about the past. You can’t bring back the past, you can’t change anything in it. Spending energy and time worrying about the past, we lose energy in the present, that is, when real change is possible.
• Don’t worry about the future. The future is worth thinking about, you can dream about it. But why worry about it, why worry in advance that something important will not happen? By worrying about the future, we steal time and energy from the present. But you can use it to, having created a better present, come to a better future, create the future through contribution to the present, for example, in education, self-development, health.
• Through all channels of perception, be open to the present moment. That is: see, hear, smell, touch and taste. And also to hear the inner voice – intuition. What for? To act consciously, relying on relevant information from the world, and not compulsively, relying on habitual thought forms and introjects, on past experience. Not from your head, but from current contact with everything that is not you.
• Transform, improve your state (thoughts, feelings, sensations) in the moment here and now. Being present with attention in the current moment and making improvements in it is what it means to create your life.

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Try the exercises

Exercise 1

Grounding. Focus on your body, on all points that are in contact with horizontal surfaces.

Breath. Watch your breath, follow the flow of air with your mind’s eye.

Centering. Focus your attention on your energy center (2 fingers below the navel, 6 cm deep into the abdomen). Notice your sensations in this area (warmth, energy, movement, tension) and breathe into it, filling and expanding with breath.

Exercise 2

Thoughts. Try to stop your internal dialogue and notice what you are thinking. If you are worrying about the past or worrying about the future, stop yourself and decide for yourself whether you will continue to do this or return your thoughts to the present moment.

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Exercise 3

Feelings. Be aware of your feelings in the moment. What is the strongest feeling? Which one is barely noticeable? Where do these feelings live in the body?

Exercise 4

Perception. Choose one of the channels of perception (sight, smell, touch, taste, hearing, intuition, bodily) and focus on it.

For example, you work with touch. Feel the entire surface of the skin. Where does it come into contact with air, where with clothes or other objects? What part of the skin is the hottest, the coolest? Where are the pleasant sensations, and where are the unpleasant ones? Determine the strongest feeling. Then notice one of the little sensations. For example, a slight tingling in the little finger. You can expand pleasant sensations through breathing and attention. Unpleasant ones also do not need to be forced out, they are also good to be pumped with breath and attention, and watch how they will transform.

The task of stopping here and now is to notice something insignificant and pay attention to it, change it to make it more comfortable. For example, noticing that the toes or fingers are cold, warm them up. Or realize that the sweater is prickly, take it off and put on something softer and more comfortable.