The Tug

Imagine this scene. A couple is having a dinner party at their house and in the middle of a deep and thoughtful conversation with another couple. Almost imperceptibly, their 3-year old, who is meant to be in bed, is at Papa's side tapping on his thigh. The Tug...the moment that pulls us away from what we were currently focused on. Papa's a loving father and responds to the child's request for some water and leaves the conversation. Upon returning, he might say something like..."What'd I miss?" or "So, where were we?". The train of thought got derailed.

I've been talking about "the tug" throughout the week as it happens all the time. We especially notice it when we're sitting quietly in meditation and every conceivable thought seems to appear. Each thought is like that child trying to grab our attention and pull us away from our intention-that of staying focused on one thing. Our practice this week has been to honor "the tug" as we know it's coming and to recognize it as that moment of recognition in which we've been pulled away---the magical moment. We awaken to the moment of no longer being present. And when we wake up, how do we regain our focus?

Try this. Close your eyes and simply listen to all sounds you can hear. See if you can do so without attaching any judgment to the sound, just hear it. Every sound you hear is happening in the present moment. Have you ever heard a sound from the past or in the future? You may have a memory of past sounds, but those are living in our minds and not in the present moment. Now connect to sensations in your body. What does it feel like when the air moves in and out of the nostrils? Can you sense tension in your shoulders, jaw, or abdomen? Whatever we can feel in our body is happening in the present moment. Another way to find presence is to notice where your eyes are looking. In a yoga practice, this is called Drishti (the focal point of a held gaze). When on the mat, can you find only a few points that anchor your gaze as you practice? All of these techniques are ways in which we experience the NOW.

So why is this important? Why do many wisdom traditions, including yoga, emphasize being present? What's wrong with projecting into the future or reminiscing about past occurrences? Well...nothing. Unless you spend most of your time in those states of consciousness. The only place our life is happening is in the present moment. All moments that have gone by and all moments yet to come only live in our minds. It can be thought that anxiety is a projection of the future, and depression a reflection of the past, so we can begin to connect mental states to our current state by focusing on the living in the present moment. This is often referred to as mindfulness, where our current experience is one to which we are fully connected.

Mindfulness can find its way into all aspects of our day from how we pay attention to our morning rituals of getting dressed, grooming, and eating to connecting to one task (uni-tasking) at a time throughout the day. Just eat when eating rather than watching TV, being on a device, driving, or having a conversation. Pay attention to how your body moves through the day and what it touches (feet on the earth, clothes on the skin). Do one task at a time and really notice what it feels like to fold clothes, drive a car, wash a dish, or touch a keyboard.

The more we practice being mindful the more it gets infused into a way of being, rather than just a passing sensation. We can begin to truly live fully in every moment and not miss the extraordinary mundane moments of our lives. We'll begin to get better at recognizing "the tug" and honoring it for reminding us that we are always in a state of practice, coming home again to the moment of NOW.