Living in the present moment, a way of busting the stress
Author : C.P.Hariharan
email id.cphari_04@yahoo.co.in
Most of the time we find ourselves get entangled and sandwiched between the past which is irreversible or else worrying about the future which is not in our hands and spoil our present moment. Such kind of duality of mind is inherent in our own very individuality .Worries lead us nowhere but to fatigue and incapacitate us like anything. We face extreme situations of good and bad times. In contrast to animals which lead a life of instincts, we have power to think and act and hence our life is teeming with vicissitudes. By maintaining equanimity, composure in all the situations favorable or otherwise and by remaining detached from materialistic pursuits and emotions like fear and anger we reach the point of self realization. As our mind swings, seesaws between the past and the future, there is no present moment for the mind in the time continuum. Present moment occurs during the intermission between the past and future and while shifting from one end of the spectrum to the other end of the continuum i.e. past and the future. Thus, our existence in the present rests on the state and the placement of our mind in the continuum. Had there been no mind we would not have been faltering and flickering between these two extremes of past and the future. We have to come out of our self and forget ourselves. That’s what the celebrities are doing when they excel in their performances, forgetting themselves for the moment. When we live in the present we are in the middle path of the continuum.
When we learn to be in the present, turbulences cannot exert their influences or else play havoc on us. We should ensure that our mind and body syncs while doing any activity. when we are doing something and our mind is elsewhere, we have two people, thinking person and doing person residing in the same body causing non alignment between body and mind in all our manifestations and expressions. Consequently we never live in totality and fail to give our best to the present. One way is to engross in activities with full focus so that the mind is ignored completely and it becomes dysfunctional. We should focus in an unstinted manner on work and try to become the activity itself. This reflects in culmination of our individuality and personality. We should develop some hobbies, passions, pastimes to practice the method of transcending the duality of mind.
Different meditation techniques can be deployed to watch the mind working. Through continuous practice one develops a state of alacrity or consciousness so that any distraction from the present moment can be delineated. Meditation maestros have demonstrated distinct capabilities to remain alert in different states of waking, dreaming and deep sleep.
Mind is like a flowing rivulet of thoughts pertaining to past and future. if we cling to any of these thoughts and tag with them us it will affect our present. There should be a sense of detachment, aloofness and indifference from such thoughts and we should witness the same. Mind devoid of any thought becomes a complete void. Thus, a vacuum is created when we witness the mind. In the absence of any thought mind ceases to exist and duality is transcended.
The heart is an abode of altruism, sympathy, empathy and dedication. These are traits of true human nature. Those who pursue spiritual path possess these traits. Hence, their mind is subordinated to the heart and their activities are dedicated to the world at large. Hence, they find it easier to transcend duality.
We are blessed with mind faculty which is a potent tool to be used for spiritual growth. However, we tend to submit to our mind and live a life with full of miseries .We should realize our internal potential of mind and use the same as a means to explore this truth rather than succumbing to it’s power of duality and wasting life in miseries.
More often than not, we hear about people confronting depression due to fast changing lifestyles.
Many people even resort to counseling and medications like sedative, tranquilizers, painkillers etc. to come out of the grim and grave situations. When we get panic, our body becomes so susceptible to trembling leaving us to struggle for a breath. Breath bridges body and mind. Grief, anxiety, stress and other adversities have a bearing on our body. When we struggle to cope up with adversities, we find it difficult to breath. Our breath becomes shallow. Neurons from spinal cord reach the brain and when the fear and trauma culminates, the body begins to tremble which in turn makes our breathing still more zigzag and haphazard. The heart starts pounding and the Blood Pressure shots up leading to poised heart attack.
Meditation serves as a major healer irrespective of the gravity of the situations.
In a situation of extreme fear, the fastest, safest and simplest way out is to just sit with spine erect and take long deep breath slowly releasing the breath through the mouth. After a short while breathing can be done through the nose. Meditation obviates the necessity of taking harmful medicines and without side effects. Advantages of deep breathing are multifarious. Those who do not pursue any spiritual practice or else meditation are susceptible to submission even at the stir of a leaf of mishap, ripple or wave. They go for sedatives which albeit give them a painless sound sleep still toxins get accumulated in the body.
You may have all the material comforts still the fear may be gnawing you from within. Hence, we need to know how to cope up with fear and anxiety. Yoga should be part of school curriculum and it should teach students how to sit with spine erect and breathe in right manner with equal inhalations and exhalations steady and deep. Even if, students assemble right in the morning for prayers, it does not dispel their apprehensions and anxieties. They fear, judge teachers, use unfair means in exams, compare themselves with peers, all for just securing a comparatively higher grade. They become dishonest, fearful, deceitful and conceited at the very tender age itself and how can we expect them to be good matured responsible citizens when they grow up? No wonder, they always find themselves in tenterhooks.
When the medication as well as stress and depression affect breathing, making it shallow, the ratio of oxygen to carbon-dioxide goes haywire. Sufficient oxygen does not reach all the organs uniformly. when the mind gets perturbed, it leads to erratic breathing causing diseases and ill health. Unconsciously one exerts the body and holds the breath in times of perceived stress. This leads to trembling and weakness in the limbs, in fact all over the body.
One has to be actually taught how to breathe properly. During inhalation the stomach should expand protruding a bit due to the movement of diaphragm whereas during exhalation the stomach should move inwards. But, most people just do the reverse and if prolonged for a longer period it will damage the health. The solar plexus is where we tend to hold our deepest emotions and therefore it is important that flow of breathe should be smooth and easy in this region. Breathing in meditation is of full length involving expansion of the chest as well as the stomach.
If we cultivate the habit of paying attention to the breathing while doing any activity breathing becomes harmonious .We remain in the present moment and we will remember that the breath is the tool which stabilizes both body and mind just as a stabilizer controls flow of electricity. Thus, we can drive away our depression and relax.
Author: C.P.Hariharan
E mail id.: cphari_04@yahoo.co.in
