Namaste Everyone,
I’ve just returned from the jungle of the Costa Rican rain forest where I have been coming every year to slow down, immerse myself in nature, reset my nervous system and connect with the ease and grace of life.
My intention for this trip has been to stay as closely aligned with the present moment as possible. It’s been a very interesting experiment. I’m realizing that my mind is continually looking either forward or back. Staying in the present requires steady awareness and practice.
I’ve realized we receive amazing gifts when our minds are free from past memories and impressions.
I know for myself, I’ve created a story of who I am, how I am supposed to act, and receive life, the lens that I look through was created from many years of past experiences. Sometimes seeing the present through that lens can tarnish the vision of what is happening in the moment.
If I can let go of the expectations to think or be a certain way, then I am open to receive unlimited possibilities. So, I’ve been practicing wiping the slate clean, trying my best to not act with my usual automatic response, but pausing breathing out the old me and seeing the present unfold with new childlike eyes. The payoff has been well worth the vigilance.
It’s been pretty amazing, I’ve been learning a lot about myself and about others. I’m feeling my feelings more deeply and finding more space to breathe. I realize that I like the quiet spaces, that it gives me more time to think, to contemplate, to create.
Living in the present is spontaneous and liberating. It requires us to be courageous and vulnerable at the same time. It causes your primal senses to be in tune with the moment, which heightens awareness. This elevated perception allows for a deeper experience of life and living.
Being in the present is where our most profound gifts await us, it’s the place of mystery and magic. Yet there is a part of our selves that like the comfort of routine, that rests most easily in the patterns, that holds us in the state of habit and often stagnation.
When we practice letting go and living in the present, we are able to tap into new dimensions both inside and outside of ourselves. We open our minds which reveal to us new landscapes, ideas and visions.
I invite you to join me in this experiment. Practice being present, become the witness, observe your habitual patterns, take a pause, breathe deep, let go of the expected reaction, response, release the old patterns, the old stories.
Sit in the new space that you’ve created. Take time to perceive a fresh vision, letting go of the desire to be anything other than what the present moment is revealing to you. Celebrate the more magnified, glorious experience of being you.
Let me know how it goes.
Sending you all deep sighs and shouts of Joy!
Pura Vida (Good Life)
And Love,
Lauren
