At a recent dinner party I was hosting for some friends I listened to one of my besties as she related her experience of walking on the Camino trail for 8 weeks 2 years ago. I have heard her talk about this many times but this time something she said really triggered me. She was explaining that with all the incessant input from the world with everything from cell phones, TV, movies, emails, news, employees etc. that she initially found it extremely difficult to turn off her brain and just walk. She said, “It felt almost as if she was withdrawing from a drug.” She related that at times she even found herself making up conversations in her head just to feel the stimulation.
What she realized was the thing that was uncomfortable was that all she had was the present. She was completely present to everything around her because that is all there was. Most of us spend a very small percentage of our day being completely present and you could understand how this would take some getting used to.
As I listened I found myself longing for what it would be like to totally turn my brain off and just be so totally immersed in the present. I am a regular meditator and meditation does indeed help to turn down this noise but this seemed like so much more. My current life situation isn’t conducive to a 2-month absence so I started thinking about how I could create that feeling on a smaller daily scale.
I began practicing and devoting minutes and then hours to being 100 percent present to everything I could pay attention to without external influences. After practicing a bit and getting more efficient at it I decided I would have a “practicing presence day”. I picked a beautiful sunny Sunday that was 75 sunny and a light breeze and a Sunday and it was a rare day that I just happened to have all to myself. Since it was my trial run I wanted to set myself up for success as much as I could.
It wasn’t about sitting in meditation for a day but living 100 percent in the world in presence while I moved through it. Instead of taking my dog for a walk with headphones and listening to a podcast I went technology free and focused on a much as I could take in at once to all the things going on around me. I felt the wind on my face, heard the birds, appreciated the movement in my body, heard kids squealing in the background and was filled with gratitude for my goofy, happy love muffin of a dog.
I had to run a few errands and instead of driving I got on my bike and again drank in everything around me. With my intention focused on the present I was more attentive to the people around me, had great conversations and in general was a whole lot happier. Choosing to focus on what was happening or who was in front of me made me more productive and sensitive. It was creating more space for me to live in what I call my loving supportive brain instead of my fear based limiting brain.
I found as the day went on I was feeling really relaxed and present despite getting so much done. I had thoughts and ideas about how to work differently with a client. I got clear on solutions to problems I had avoided dealing with and most of all I felt deeply connected to the people around me.
I don’t want to imply this was easy. I constantly had to reel myself in but that too got easier as the day went on. Presence is truly a muscle that needs to be developed but it is more than worth it. I encourage you to take a day or an hour or even a minute and enjoy the beauty of presence. In my experience it will be more than worth the effort.
With Gratitude,
Pat