The Problem Of Sleepwalking
"Sleepwalking is a fascinating phenomenon. The Buddha would call all of us sleepwalkers. We go through the motions of living with little more awareness than someone who is dreaming. If we could watch our thoughts, we would find that instead of being here and now, our attention is constantly wandering everywhere–to the past, to the future, to fantasy lands where reality has never visited. Living in the present is simply a matter of being fully awake...We live where our attention is. When we direct our attention fully to the present moment, we are fully alive."
Being present and attentive, as Eknath describes above, is the primary principle of yoga practice.
As you move your body with awareness, you discover where you have tight places and where you have open spaces. You begin to notice very simple and basic things that make a big difference in the way you show up in the world.
You may notice that you breathe in and out.
You may notice your feet touching the ground.
You may notice that your shoulders and back tense when you are driving, or when you have a stressful meeting.
You may notice how distracted you get while someone is talking to you.
You may notice that you soften your muscles when you are near those you love.
A regular and consistent yoga practice strengthens your ability to be present with your body and to notice your environment. It is a practice of not letting your thinking and judging mind run the show 24/7.
And wow, that is a lot to practice!
Sure, the mind has an important job, making plans and getting all the things done. But the mind sometimes forgets that without the body, it has nothing at all. When the mind forgets to step back and simply notice the present moment and the space we inhabit, we may suffer from myriad ailments and stresses.
That is one of the reasons why yoga feels so good. Yoga's primary purpose is to quiet the constant chattering of the mind. One of the very first lines of the Yoga Sutras, the essential scripture of yoga, states: Yoga Citta Vritti Nirodha--Yoga is stilling the thought waves of the mind.
But it doesn't work if we don't practice.
Regular and consistent practice brings great results. I am fond of saying we get good at what we practice. So, if we spend hours scrolling social media, we will get good at doing that. When people spend all day long playing video games, they get good at doing that.
And of course, if you practice nothing, you will get good at that too.
So how are you going to commit to being more present?
What is it you will choose to practice? As Mary Oliver said: “What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
I'll close with one more quote by the master teacher:
"Steadiness of mind is one of the most practical skills. Nothing is more vital than learning to face the turmoil with courage, confidence, and compassion...Fortunately we already possess these capacities. But we need a calm mind to draw on them. That is the practical importance of practice." Eknath Easwaren
