Be Awake While Living

In our western culture we have been conditioned to work hard, keep busy, get things done and keep moving. We keep our schedules in overdrive maxed out in activities often not shutting the noise down in our environment with something constantly stimulating us. We work from morning to night without a break crossing things off our list before we crawl into bed at night exhausted. Our mind is often in constantly looping with thoughts of what we need to do next, or preparing for the next day’s activities. How many moments during our day are we really experiencing fully present? Take a moment to be fully present by inhaling a deep breath down to the solar plexus, inhaling through the nose and exhaling slowly through the mouth. Follow your breath, focusing on it in your mind’s eye. Slow yourself down. Bring yourself back to the present. When you do this, you are present in the moment as you are aware of your breathing and not thinking about other things. You are here, now. You aren’t distracted by your thoughts. Disciplining yourself to be fully present in your moment is taking on the commitment to be awake while you live. Often we get through our day and can’t even remember details that we lived through because we are so focused on what we have to do, getting to where we have to go, putting ourselves elsewhere. And in the course of this endeavor we missed our day. So today, focus on breathing, slowing your mind down, and being aware of what is happening right now in this moment. It is all we have, this moment. Live your day awake.