Find Stillness in the moment

Can we learn to be and do at the same time? If you are flowing down the river, you are just being, yet you are moving downstream. the present moment is like that. If you concentrate your attention in the moment, you are totally present, yet it is not stagnant or fixed. The stillness is the state of mind that observes the movement. Where do we discover this stillness? In the timeless moment, the eternal Now.Time is merely a creation of the mind, only the Now exists. Usually we are so caught up in the doing, that we don’t pay attention to the Now.

Yoga and meditation is the continual refinement of staying present with the mind so time stops, when you are just being, you lose the aspect of time, but you don’t lose movement. when the mind stays steady of the moment, there is no time.

Sometimes we hear meditation called “just sitting.” There is no attempt to achieve some particular state of mind, but merely a steady presence in the Now. You do not need to be confined to sitting, you can be “just walking,” “just eating,” “just driving,” total absorption in every activity without separation.

During this busy month of December, treat your family to a walking meditation, the idea is to pay attention to the walking itself. This sharpens your awareness and trains the mind to concentrate, pay  close attention to the physical act of walking, the way you take one step after another.
I teach the 10 and 11 year old girls in our church. I took them for a hike this past summer, during the hike I had them stop occasionally  and listen to their heartbeat, I had them pay attention to the way their breath changes. When we got to our destination, the place we had planned to have our lunch, I asked the girls to sit and just listen to all the different sounds, with their eyes shut. After about ten minutes I asked them to open their eyes. As they opened their eyes they all sighed a deep sigh of satisfaction, and one girl said “that was awesome.” Even children can discover the stillness, in the timeless moment, the eternal Now.

Walking meditation encourages the development of mindfulness in ordinary daily life. If you can learn to establish awareness during walking meditation--that is, while you are physically moving with your eyes open---then it won’t be difficult to awaken the same awareness during other activities, such as washing dishes, and of course practicing yoga,

If, while walking, you become aware that your mind has wandered away, clearly note the distraction and gently but firmly bring your attention back to your steps. Experiencing the simplicity and peace of being with one step at a time--with nothing else to do and nowhere to go--can be liberating.

Nancy Adams Certified Thai Yoga Therapist

and Ayurveda Consultant

These are my own thoughts. I sometimes take writings from others to support my own ideas.