Week 1: Presence

How many of us are really awake to who we are, how our emotions play a role in our life and how the cycle of thought and emotion directs our actions. 

Eckhart Tolle says that Presence is a state of being that is always accessible to us. We reach a state of presence (become fully present)by tapping into our inner awareness (beyond ego) to become fully conscious of the present moment.

What keeps us from presence? Our mind as defined by our ego.

The ego by definition is our sense of self-esteem or self-importance or the lack of...We use the term ego in yoga quite often. The ego is our perception of who we are or who we think we should be. The ego who we show the world, but if we are not careful our past experiences can influence our ego and  bombard us with judgments or narrations of the present that aren't true. 

The ego can often be an obstacle to meditation if we are not able to see beyond it. When we let go of attaching to our own preferences and judgements we will stop resisting what is. This happens when we get present and see beyond our attachments. Once we fall back into auto-pilot our old behaviors take over and the ego is revived once again. Through the regular practice of meditation we can begin to peel back the layers of the ego that do not serve us and step boldly into our full potential. 

In order for us to become fully present we must learn something called radical acceptance. Radical acceptance is the balance between acceptance and change.  Radical acceptance means that you accept something without judging it. For instance, After a long day you find yourself getting short with your partner or lashing out at your kids and feeling remorseful later. Radical acceptance would be first, accepting your behavior for what it is, instead of blaming the kids or your partner for making you lash out. By accepting that your behavior is yours along and not judging it, you can see the truth of the circumstances.  At the end of the day, you're likely tired, hungry and maybe struggling with physical aches and pains. Changes to this situation like meditating, going to yoga, getting a massage, or having a snack will probably intercept the behavior and allow you to spend more quality time with your family.   

Radical acceptance depends on acceptance and change, not acceptance or change. 

This week as we enter December I want to encourage you to focus on getting present.  See your surroundings with your eyes, feel sensations in your body, and be present with your thoughts, notice your actions. 

Without judgement, allow things to be as they are.