“Living in the present moment not only makes us calmer and happier, but it may even improve our senses and intuition.” – Unknown
When we are in stillness and listen to what our bodies are trying to tell us, we can learn a lot. Our bodies are a lot wiser than we give them credit for, but this is only beneficial if we hear them, if we tap into what our intuition is trying to show us. How do we do that? Well, one way is with the present moment. The present moment brings us closer to the only thing we truely have; The self, the ‘I AM’. This is the only ‘state’ or ‘thing’ in life that does not change. Everything else around us or about us is constantly evolving or moving. Some may like to refer to the ‘I AM’ as the personality, or our consciousness. Imagine the benefits to our mind, clarity and wellbeing if we nurtured our bodies by listening to what they were requiring from us at every given moment.
Many of us now relate mediation to being in the present moment. This is truly wonderful, as this state is prime for us to slow down and acknowledge what we are feeling in the body. Connecting to the breath is an instant tactic to bring us into stillness. This method can be used not just in meditation, but at any time during the day. By making this a constant practise, when we have a negative emotion arise, such a stress, we are drawn back to this task and therefore incorporating presence actively into daily life. It doesn’t have to be just the breath though. Studies have been done and as studied by Koenig et al, “Taking fifteen minutes per day for appreciation brings physical benefits.” Focusing on something minute, such as the leaves on the ground, the smell of the neighbours yard or even acknowledging every flavour on your forkful of smashed avo, are all gestures in pulling yourself into the present moment. The goal is to make these moments occur multiple times on a daily basis. You are left with the present, no future or past thoughts to occupy your thought-space. As Sharon Salzburg said, “Mindfulness isn’t difficult. We just have to remember to do it.” This is where true happiness begins to arise.
One way I tap into my truest self, is I try connect myself with my ‘multiple brains.’ What am I on about? You’re probably thinking. The gut brain, the heart brain and the head brain. Most which are neglected, but all that are as important as the other. Next time you are sitting in stillness, analyse each of these ‘brains.’ If you’re trying to make a decision, see which brain resonates with the decision you’re trying to make. Either all will be aligned, or 2 out of 3 will be clear enough for you to make a majority rules choice. I’m a very indecisive person, and well, this strategy so far seems fool proof. Whether I’m contemplating taking on an important job offer, blowing off my next Bumble date, or whether to order triple cooked truffle fries with a side of gravy or not from Uber Eats, this tactic never lets me down. Having complete trust and faith in our inner voice is something not recognised enough. With a greater practise of this brain scan, the ability becomes more natural and in turn can heighten your self-awareness and intuition.
From birth, we are blessed with the freedom of moving and acting on intuition and feeling. As we get older and are converted into the norms of societal behaviours. Majority of people tend to suppress this childlike side. But is there anything more present than acknowledging our current state? Physical or mental, this is what children always do. There is something for us to be re-learnt, something from that state in which unlocks a creative, happier and coincidentally enough, more clearer state.
I once found a beautifully written peice on a blog online. Unfortunately I didn’t save the name of the author or website. Yet, I had printed it off and years later it still sits above me at my desk. A young woman had written about how she enhances her intuitive skills. Here is an excerpt:
“When people ask me how I enhance my intuitive skills, I will tell them; it is and always will be keeping the wonderment and humble heart of a child. Be open to being non-judgment always, be open to the unknown, allow yourself to believe in magic and miracles. Connect with nature and listen to the story she has to tell. These are the real life constructs of my constant reality. I have NEVER needed any type of psychedelic, my world is already holographic and always has been.
You have been told that logical processes are what got humanity where they are today. You have to ask yourself just like I do, is the logical mind really serving us? It has always been the absurd, the unthinkable and bizarre mind that has brought our consciousness and society to another level of existence. When you listen to the deepest part within you; you tune into the same radio station of all the greatest minds in history to bring forth through your unique imagination, a completely different world. If I were to tell someone how to become extrasensory, it would be as easy as this: Open your heart to the everyday magic all around you, soon you will start to see.”
Part of the reason I enjoy escaping to lifestyle festivals is exactly for this reason. It is ultimately a giant playground for adults, with energetic and visual stimulation as well as an array of workshops and teachings. There aren’t any places within city living which offer such spaces. On top of that, you’re surrounded by people all there to escape the life we call reality; work, traffic, confined homes and routine. When you have a bunch of humans who are expressing freedom of style and movement, without the worry of judgement, what your left with is a truely beautiful community based on sharing and unity, where no one is a stranger, and all are filled with love and happiness. When you connect with nature and the inner child, away from judgment, boundaries and constraints, another sense of life opens up. You become a construct of the environment. This immense sense of connectedness and belonging I feel there is not as readily available in the society we have built around us.
The digital world around us is changing the way we perceive reality and its frequent distraction means we are loosing our connectedness, clarity and imagination. An excerpt from iBrain says, “Our overuse of social media hampers the development of the brains capacity to support empathy, complex thinking, and moral decision making.” Stillness is where creativity and discovery occurs. Frequent technology distraction is pulling us further away from the self. Of course technology is serving a great purpose, however, majority of us (I, guilty), get so swept up in it, that our inner voice and the world around us is being neglected. How often do you feel like you’re 100% focused on what the person in front of you is trying to say? I would guess it’d be a lot less than you think. That is your body showing you, you are not present.
Our minds are becoming numb and caught up with material and meaningless data. Example one, Do you remember the last 10 Instagram stories you flicked through? I bet you don’t. Example two; You’re out for dinner. Your friend goes to the toilet, so you immediately pick up your phone. In that moment, you are missing opportunities life is presenting you. You might miss eye contact (connection) with a stranger, you might miss the painting adoring the wall in front of you, (potential creative inspiration), you might miss the creme brûlée go past your table (your potential new favourite desert ;). ) Basically, you are missing life. We consume content at a non-graspable pace. Content which generally will only be of interest for a fleeting second. So what if we slowed down and grasped the real ‘stories’ occurring around us.
It can be easy to say, well I’m already happy and productive, and I don’t believe working on improving my relationship with the present state is really necessary. But what if I told you, there was more. More productivity, more happiness and more clarity to be gained in your life; would you not want that? Do you not want 110% out of the life you’re living? Why not strive to always be better and maximise the full capabilities of your mind and body? Let yourself be free, disconnect from the world. Switch off from your tech devices and connect to your ‘self’. Observe what’s around you and what’s inside you.Release your inner child and bring an aspect of him or her into your daily life. Do not think that this will slow you down. Watch as the creativity, awareness and happiness expands.
