6 Easy Ways To Enter The Present Moment

“You can’t think about presence, and the mind can’t understand it. Understanding presence is being present.”
Eckhart Tolle

When we are not truly in the present moment, we are perpetually running, perpetually escaping. Constantly in resistance to what is happening in the moment in front of us. Never really living in our bodies, but rather, living in our minds.

Consequently, we miss all the subtle magic that infuses the present moment. For in the present moment, you can witness the divinity of life. All those little miraculous moments that allow your jaw to drop and wonder to arise from within you. Like when you are watching a sunset or sunrise

For instance, today I passed by a cute older couple on a bridge while walking by the lake. They pointed out this big bird, I forget the name haha. It had long, skinny legs and was quite large with a long beak. Anywho, they pointed out this big bird and how he was ready to catch his prey. As a result, I stopped on this bridge and simply watched the long-legged bird.

This bird was so patient, he methodically watched his prey in the water, just waiting for precisely the right moment to strike. Still as can be. Shifting his position ever so slightly, he took all the time he needed before he would make his move. I proceeded to watch him for a while. I then recognized how this bird was in the present moment. He was fully immersed in the task at hand, not rushing whatsoever. Through my presence, I felt and noticed the bird’s presence. As most animals live in the present moment, it is us humans that don’t understand it is there waiting for us if we just slow down. You need nothing more than to be exactly where you are.

“Turn any ordinary moment into extraordinary through presence.”
Whole Picture Health Blog

When you are living in your mind, you are not in your body, and are then ungrounded. By drawing your attention and energy out of the mind and into your body, this guides you into the present moment. Pull your attention from the mind! When you enter the present moment, you will know right away. Everything feels different, things are brighter, kinder, and softer. It feels like a coming home, within yourself. Once you feel it, you will always remember that feeling. It is truly unshakeable 😉 I once had my step-son refer to it, unknowingly, as ‘feeling like a dream’! He recognized I was there with him.

Notably, this is the feeling people are chasing their entire lives. Surfers are connecting with the present moment. Same with rock climbers, mountain bikers, snowboarders, and adrenal junkies alike. When people are doing what they love such as playing the guitar, singing, cooking, playing a sport, snuggling their baby, dancing, painting, quading, writing, running, and making love.

Unbeknownst to many of these people, when they are in the ‘flow’ state, they are actually in the present moment. That’s what it is! Honestly, it’s nothing complicated, nothing crazy and out there! In fact, it’s something everyone can do at any time. It always has and always will be available to us to enter if we can just slow down and see it right there in front of us! For in the silence that subtly permeates all of life, exists presence 😉

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Most humans are never fully present in the now, because unconsciously they believe that the next moment must be more important than this one. But then you miss your whole life, which is never not now.”
Eckhart Tolle

First off, an easy way to enter into the present moment is to observe what your hands are doing. Something I do often. An easy way to start is when you are washing your dishes. Surely, this will sound silly to some, haha, but in my experience it’s effective. Slow down, and feel the dishes in your hands. How warm is the water? What does your soap smell like? Notice how the plate feels in your hands. This little practice is a great starting point to practice observing your hands in other situations. Thus, entering the present moment. I find this to be a valuable grounding practice too!

Observing will be a recurring theme throughout this post. Through observing, you are stepping back and witnessing what is happening. Consequently, you are not identified with the mind and losing yourself in the process. You then draw that energy down from the mind and into your body; grounding yourself in the moment.

Read my similar post on the whole point of a meditation practice.

“You can’t think about presence, and the mind can’t understand it. Understanding presence is being present.”
Eckhart Tolle

Next, feel the ground underneath your feet. Such a simple thing in theory. However, this may be a little more difficult to put into practice. Try this out for yourself and notice how many times your thoughts pull your attention from your feet.

Simply, observe your feet when you walk, the ground underneath, and how it feels. The texture of it, the crunch underneath each step. How soft or hard is the ground? No doubt, the more you do this, the easier it becomes, despite the difficulty at first. I am constantly working on this one, along with the hands. These two, in particular, I find are very grounding techniques, and I love the results 🙂

“Presence is the key to freedom, so you can only be free now.”
Eckhart Tolle

Nowadays, it seems as though there are a million different breathing techniques and styles out there. Without a doubt, each one has value and merit. Personally, I have practiced quite a few over the years. In particular, the breath of fire, belly breathing, and alternate nostril breathing are all fun ones to do. Play around and see what you enjoy!

At the same time, breathwork doesn’t need to be anything fancy. A simple observation of your in and out breath from your nostrils is effective as well. Lately, this is all I do-sit quietly and observe the air going in through my nostrils-belly rises. Followed by air going out of my nostrils-belly falls.

“Realize deeply that the present moment is all you have.”
Eckhart Tolle

List five things you are grateful for while, simultaneously, feeling the gratitude of those things. How do they make you feel, in your body? Feel the love you have for those significant people in your life. How they light you up! Or feel the excitement for that upcoming project you’ve been working on, or the awesome hobby you love doing, or your sweet pet you have waiting at home for you. Clearly, it will be a different list for everyone. Without a doubt, you can find at least five things in your life that you have gratitude for.

Through feeling how certain things in your life bring you gratitude, truly feeling it in your body, you are drawing energy from the mind and into the body. Simultaneously, you are raising your vibration as a bonus!

Today five things I am grateful for; the wicked supplements I recently ordered, my patient and kind boyfriend, the yummy food in my cupboards, having pretty spots to go for walks, and the comfy shoes I have to walk in, haha! Bam, easy as that!

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“All negativity is caused by an accumulation of psychological time and denial of the present. Unease, anxiety, tension, stress, worry – all forms of fear – are caused by too much future, and not enough presence. Guilt, regret, resentment, grievances, sadness, bitterness, and all forms of non-forgiveness are caused by too much past, and not enough presence.”
Eckhart Tolle

Observe the sensations in your body at any given moment. I learned this from Vipassana, it was ALL about observing the sensations of your body. I have attended two 10-day silent Vipassana meditation retreats thus far. First, we sat for hours and hours observing sensations from head to toe. Very slowly we would scan the body. Simply, observing any sensations that come up. The next level to this, which I barely explored, was doing this body scan, inwardly. On the inside of your body! I pretty well stuck to the outside!

Notice any tingles, pulses, pain, prickles, tickles, lightness, heaviness, warmth, cold, or any subtle sensation. Notice how it feels, how long it sticks around when observing it, and dive into it. This will move your attention from your mind into your body. You can do this while on a walk, doing any task really. Do this in a Vipassana-style meditation or while doing something else, like taking a stroll, etc., it’s up to you.

The last and most fun way to enter the present moment; do that thing that you love doing! Do you love to swim? Go swimming more! How about painting or drawing? Then, do those more! Do you love dirt biking? Go dirt biking more! Whatever your thing is that you love to do, that makes you excited, makes you feel like a kid again or puts a smile on your face…f*cking do it!!

If you haven’t discovered that yet, think back to your childhood. What lit you up back then? Did you have hobbies or activities you remember liking? Perhaps try those out again? Alternatively, try out something new!

The present moment is literally all there ever is, and all there ever was. Our lives consist of a succession of present moments. Present moment after present moment; all there ever is now. Now after now….

Allow that to sink in 😉

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