Everyone wants to live forever. That’s why there have been countless searches for a magical elixir that offers immortality. The reality is we are surrounded by birth and death, both a natural fact of our human existence.
I recently read that “Ram Dass often quotes Carlos Castenada’s books, where Don Juan says to keep death over your left shoulder – just staying with each moment as it is, realizing that life and death are right here all the time. Death is the only wise advisor that we have, according to Don Juan. Remember that life is precious. Preciousness doesn’t mean that it is supposed to go on forever. It means that when you are in the present for even a moment, it’s precious. There’s no time and space in the moment, but there is immortality.” (Walking Each Other Home, Conversations on Loving and Dying, by Ram Dass & Mirabai Bush, ©2018 Sounds True, Boulder, CO)
This struck me profoundly. It ties together the essence of yoga: to live fully in each and every moment. Because immortality exists in the present moment. When we are fully present, we yoke together our mind, body, spirit, soul – every aspect of our existence – and experience the precious gift of life.
How do we achieve being present 24/7? We practice. We cultivate our witness self. We breathe in. We breathe out. We pay attention. We notice that when we are doing one thing, yet thinking of something else, we are not present.
We notice that when we are in conversation, listening and formulating a response before the other has finished speaking, we are not paying attention to what is being said, and therefore, are not present. We recognize that we are not our thoughts, yet we can observe our thoughts. We recognize that 99% of the time our unhappiness is caused by attachment.
For example, perhaps you are unhappy because it’s a rainy day and you had outdoor plans. As soon as you let go of the attachment to a sunny day, you will be happy again.
We practice the teachings of yoga on and off the mat, increasing our awareness of the immeasurable value of our time on this planet. We practice loving kindness and compassion.
We don’t have to search for the magical elixir. It exists in every moment. We just have to be present to experience it.
Jo Kirsch ©2019