It’s hard to enjoy your life if you are not really there for it.

“I am.” -God

“Be Present” is one of those great spiritual truths like Love, Peace an Compassion.  I’m sure books have been written on why this is so, but so far the teaching of it has been lax at best.  And no matter how much people on TV swear by it, meditating for an hour a day just isn’t practical.  But there are ways to learn to be more present that don’t put you in any danger of falling asleep while in the lotus pose.

To start learning to be present, start where you should always start: with yourself.

Once or twice a day, take a few seconds to be still and pay attention to your body.  The first few times you do it, do it when you don’t need to be paying attention to something else. You do want to be able to focus.  Good times can be when you are rocking or nursing a child.  Or just sitting at your computer.  Don’t do it while driving.

Just close your eyes, notice any noise or smells.  Notice your reactions to them – are they irritating?  Pleasant?  Feel your skin – is there a breeze, can you feel the weight of your legs on your chair?  Notice any aches or stiffness.  Are you thirsty?  Hungry?  Take a good look around your non-visual senses, but you don’t have to go deep here.  Your goal is to notice what your body is experiencing, not to experience the movement of butterfly wings stirring air near-by!

 It’s your body and it likes when you visit!