Being present in the moment is a simple daily practice that we can do anytime and anywhere. Being in the Present – A Simple Daily Practice that Works by Jim Dreaver The beauty of the simple daily practice is that there is no special, eyes-closed meditation; no yoga or other exotic body movements; no restrictive diet; and no chanting, sacred rituals, or esoteric rites. It is just a matter of whenever we find ourselves lost in or getting distracted by a thought or “story,” or are having an emotional reaction to someone or something; we remember to come down out of our heads and back to the present moment. We come back to see without a “story” in the way, interfering with our clear perception of what “is” at this moment. To help us embody this, make it real in our lives, we can affirm the liberation mantra: “We are pure presence…” Then we take a few deep, slow breaths down into our belly, unlock our knees if we are standing, and feel our feet on the ground. Be alert, yet relaxed, and feel the alive presence in our body, the fact that we exist, here, now. Do the stepping-back practice if it helps. Step back a few inches above and behind our heads, which is more the real, “pure awareness” us. Then notice how everything in our awareness—our thoughts and “stories,” the “I” thought with its endless worries and concerns, and our feelings and emotions—comes and goes, yet we are always here. Become aware of our true nature as awareness itself, the alive existence in which all sounds, sights, sensations, thoughts, and “stories”—even the most personal of stories, the “I” and “me” story—come and go, arise and disappear. Realize or feel ourselves to be the awareness in…
