There is something all spiritual leaders shared, and that was the acknowledgment of living in the now. You will find references to it in almost any spiritual practice. Christ said, "I Am" to identify with it. Buddhist, Taoist, Zen, Hindu, Egyptian, and on it goes.

Have you considered why it is so important? What does one get out of the now that you do not get by closely analyzing your past, so that you "do not repeat mistakes", or plan for the future, so that you have something to fallback on when unseen circumstance unfold.

Maybe, and I'm probably wrong, it has something to do with the fact that you cannot access or change the past, no matter how hard you try. In the same breath, the future does not exist, or everyone of us would be pretty incredible prophet's by our own right.

In both cases they have a gigantic effect on your present moment, psychology, and physiology. The mind must be wrapped up with so much nonsense that is fundamentally flawed. In actuality, the moment of now is the only moment you can truly feel and experience, forever, and always. Man will never be able to access the past or future and yet we all try on a daily basis.

Is that not a gigantic WTF?

steals your experiences in the present moment. you can not fully appreciate and find peace by dwelling on the past or anticipating the future.


this is about yoga. the whole purpose of yoga is to be able to be in the present moment. you might find this helpful to explain the importance of being present without tying it to religion


http://healthyogalife.com/the-present-moment-where-the-body-meets-the-mind-in-yoga-class-by-aida-bielkus/

Children live in the present moment most of the time, through the day their bodies and mind flow seamlessly. They have a thought and their body reacts simultaneously – present moment reality unfolding moment by moment. Their past has been short and their future is unknown. As we age staying present becomes more and more difficult, our past is extensive our future appears predictable.

So how do you know you are, or are not, living in the present moment? The present moment feels peaceful, authentic and free. The present moment unfolds moment by moment with infinite creative possibilities! In the present moment our mind and body work together harmoniously and health abounds. You will know when you’re not living in the present moment when you feel stuck, worry and anxiety filling the mind- the body reacts with imbalance.

In a yoga class our bodies are challenged to hold asana (postures) and suddenly thoughts flood the mind. Buddhist call these thoughts Monkey Mind (restless thoughts that jump around like a monkey). These thoughts are natural. Sticky thoughts that come to our mind during Yoga or meditation are helpful. These thoughts are the beginning stages of your body processing stress. Once we realize we are “thinking” in Yoga class we need to return attention to breath and asana choosing to focus our attention is what creates the meditation.

Throughout Yoga class we also have opportunities to go completely inactive. Our bodies come to a place of stillness, for example in Savasana (Corpse pose) in which we lie on our backs and close our eyes. We are not sleeping. In fact our awareness of the present moment is heightened as we consciously still all muscle activity. We are challenged to go from activity to inactivity. My daughter goes from playing actively with her friends to concentrating on her math… to eating… to resting… to sleeping… her only experience is the present moment. This is what we do as we flow from one asana to another in our yoga class, breathing rhythmically our mind is still but acutely aware of the present.

Yoga students often remark that Yoga class goes by so quickly. Perhaps it is because they are actually staying more present to the present. Unlike other forms of exercise when the clock becomes an enemy, in a yoga class clocks are usually not visible. Going to a yoga class takes us off of the treadmill figuratively and literally. Take a journey whilst reading this blog, observe how your body feels. Set an inner soft intention to let go of any tension and external thoughts. Soften your jaw. Release all facial expression. Notice your breath at the tip of your nose. Notice where you are. Notice your computer, your clothes, the light in the room. What do you actually see in front of you? As Ram Dass wrote, “be here now”. Here in the present moment you realize that a New Year is unfolding every moment of your life.

Affirmation: I am present and aware of this moment it is full and it is great.

I enjoyed reading that. Children definitely embrace the now in ways adults find difficult. A common zen axiom states: "Eat when you're hungry and sleep when you're tired." What truly fascinates me is the power we give to the past or future, and how much it affects us in the present moment. It is a behemoth that sits on our mind's and hearts and whispers unsettling thoughts into our ears. I have been researching on a cool spot to experience yoga lately and excited to start learning. Yoga is not only good for our minds but great for our bodies and has the potential to aid in cardiovascular health. Thanks for your response.

Many do this. You have probably not encountered these people because they do not broadcast it or seek social acceptance. Living in the now is being humbled by the process of being, and realizing that all human life is one process with a multitude of perspectives and insights. I just read your post about choosing your career goals, and I think all those are good things, but have you considered how much your present day is affected by focusing on the future? Everything you are doing right now is projected into a goal which may or may not materialize. You are investing a lot of emotion and thought into the unknown. For some, that can have stressful results if expectations of the self are not met, especially when they are based on external forces or rewards.

nobody can understand what it is to live in the now. either you live in the so called now or you don't. there is no way of knowing the now because it is a state of unknowing. the moment you describe something in the now it is the wrong description. words are always limited. descriptions are made by humans and are never "real" or "correct".
anyway, here is a poem about this that a friend of mine wrote. i translated it but i think it came out fine. note that he doesn't attempt a description of what the now is.

-------------------------------------

THIS MOMENT IS ALL THERE IS

There is only this moment
This moment is freedom from yesterday
You are free in this now
You are truly free
You can breathe
Just take a big breath and breathe in the air that just happens to pass in front of your mouth in this now
It's yours
It is free from sorrow and it is absolutely free
You are worthy to breathe it and you are fully worthy to flow like water through the river of life
You are perfect
Do not listen anymore to the story of yesterday, or tomorrow
They are fairy tales
They are tales of a time that never existed
Tales about something other than this now

You are living now
You will never live anywhere else than in this moment

Now - you can alter
Now
And now
By not even believeing in change in a different time than now
This change will never be a change
It will just always be "be"

Meet me at this moment
Meet yourself
Say goodbye to your nightmares and meet yourself as the perfect creature you are in this being
Now
Forgive yourself by forgiving everybody else
They will follow suit
And you will meet them in just this one eternal moment they so unfortunately missed

As if it weren't a miracle in itself
That you are
All that has happened led to that you now are reading this and can see the content
So embrace yesterday as a finger on the arm of this now that embraces this now
You are free

It is no doubt very foreign to discard the past and future, but I think with some practice, any individual can attain something which is innately inherent to them. Nice poem!

check out his blog. he writes in english too. http://seeingwhatis.wordpress.com