Five Ways to Be with the Present Moment

Photo by Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels

What is happening around you right now?

Are you sitting next to a stranger on the metro-ride home? Are you cozying up in bed or sitting at your desk?

Wherever you are, take a deep breath. Notice the weight of your body against the surface beneath you. The sounds, near or far away. The rising and falling of your chest as you breathe. The temperature of the air against your skin.

While the brain has an amazing capacity to peer back into memory or forward into the imagined future, there is a deep relief in grounding yourself in the here and now.

The present moment is the only thing we have and it’s the only place we can live.

To live in the present does not require some herculean effort. It doesn’t mean psychoanalyzing yourself or hours of journaling. It is a habit cultivated by simple, mundane practices.

Here are five of those practices. They don’t take long — maybe a few seconds each. But don’t just read about them. I would encourage you to actually do these while you read this article. (You’ll be far more likely to use them again later.)

1. Sigh

Heave a sigh. Maybe even a guttural one. Notice the difference, however slight, in your body.