THE PAST IS A HISTORY, THE FUTURE IS A MYSTERY, AND THE PRESENT IS A PASTRY (A SWEET GIFT)!       Learn from the past, live for today (the present), and plan for the future.

Being in the present as also called "present moment awareness" is probably the toughest but the ultimate method. True being or living in the present is possible only by being aware of the present moment and accepting it. Ultimately this is what matters the most. If done properly, then nothing else would be required for peace of mind. Being in the present almost means being in meditation all the time, and not just for 15, 20 0r 30 minutes a day. Once we get used to it, then this becomes the easiest method; better than positive thinking, and even better than daily meditation.

• Research shows that most people spend the major part of their lives either fretting about the past or worrying about the future, hence missing out on their present. What contributes to these thoughts and feelings? What makes us devote our time and energy to aspects that are primarily negative (as in the past) and often unfounded (about the future)?

The answer, quite horrifying, is nothing other than the fact that over the years we have formed a habit of doing so! We have let ourselves be conditioned to this mode of thinking. There are several reasons that go into the formation of this habit, varying from person to person, but the fact still remains that it has become a habit. The good part is that habits can be changed! And the best way is to replace one with another.

An effective game plan is to -

• Use the past to learn from it instead of brooding over it.
  

• Plan and take action for the future, not be apprehensive or worried about it.
  

• Live life in the present. Today, this moment, now!
  

• Live for the present, and the past and the future automatically fall into place.

If we want to enjoy the present and our lives, then we need to leave our analytical mind and its false created self (the ego) behind. Discover that you are not your mind, hence, you are not your feelings and emotions as well. You are beyond these, you are the true self, the soul.

Take a moment and ponder how often you make decisions or react based on what you are feeling in any given moment. Have you ever been angry at someone and lashed out only to find later that you were mistaken? Do you ever gossip or become judgmental when you are feeling insecure? Do you ever say things when you are angry or in a bad mood, which you would not normally say ? In what other ways might you blindly take action in your life, based solely on how you are feeling? All these negative and stressful thoughts are caused not by people and situations, but by your mind because of your ego, which is very insecure. Once we learn to to go beyond our mind/thoughts/ego, we once again come back to the present, and thereby be peaceful.

• Nature has really provided us only two types of signals - a sense of comfort and a sense of discomfort - and either of these can be physical, psychological, or emotional. When you are feeling perfect in every respect, then you are in the present moment, "one with the self (yourself)," and your behavior would be non-reactive. It is directed towards honoring the internal cues provided by the physiology. This behavior will produce not only success on the material level but balance from the deepest level of being.

When you experience emotions such as fear, anxiety, anger, guilt, or unhappiness, try to understand that these cues are indications that you've come out of the present moment, "out of yourself." You are not in the present moment, lost touch with yourself; you are controlled and dictated by your mind/ego. Therefore, your behavior becomes reactive and stressful. This should not be confused with the sudden adrenaline surge that has come to be known as the "fight-or-flight" response; which, at least under certain dire circumstances, can serve a genuine survival imperative. Ego-based behavior, however, derives from frustration and misplaced emotional discomfort. Behavior of this sort will not only fail to be successful on the material level, it can also create damage anywhere and everywhere in the physiology.

Obviously, everyone experiences negative emotions on a regular basis, but much can be done to free you from the grip of these feelings/sensations and to return you to your true self. The first step is an awareness of the fact that every emotion includes both a thought and a physical sensation. Every emotion, no matter how weak or strong, has these two components because every impulse at the level of the mind has a simultaneous impulse in the physiology.

Remember, your mind is your servant and not your boss, hence, keep your mind in control; don't allow it to control you and your emotions. Be the master of your mind. Mind is ego-based, and most of the time it lies and gives Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTs), which are not only useless but also harmful. Don't listen to your mind much, rather use your intellect as a filter to come back to the present moment.

Learning to be present in the moment with our emotions is a critical part of any genuine and lasting personal or spiritual growth effort. All we ever really get out of this life is our experience of it. That experience is largely defined by our perceptions, which are realized by the feelings those perceptions create. If we want to improve our experience of life, then getting a clear understanding of our perceptions, the emotions they trigger and how we behave in the face of those emotions is an enormous step in the right direction. Or a simpler way is to get back to the present, get in touch with the self.

Through developing our ability to stay present with our emotions, they can become less overpowering and we can then have the opportunity to choose how we will behave in our lives instead of habitually reacting. Emotions are how our minds prepare our bodies to navigate us through life. We can feel them in almost every part of our bodies as a collection of sensations of varying intensity. Our brain prepares us differently depending upon the perceived situation we are in. Fear feels different in the body than does love. Rage is a far more demanding feeling than annoyance. Grief and terror can be equally overwhelming, but they manifest in the body completely differently. So why is it that these collections of physical sensations can have so much control over our lives? It is because how we feel about a situation is usually accepted as an undeniable indicator of reality.

Our experiences, especially those early in life, create neural connections in our brains that become the instructions for how we should deal with the variety of life situations that we encounter; they create our perceptions. These experiences literally define how life feels for us. These largely unconscious perceptions exert enormous control over our lives by triggering pleasurable or non-pleasurable emotions that push us towards what our conditioned perceptions tell us is "good" and away from that which is perceived as "bad" Sometimes this is very obvious, as with an angry outburst or an overwhelming urge or compulsion, but most often it is incredibly subtle. It's usually so subtle that we don't even notice it happening, like the programming for a robot. This is why so many of us find ourselves gravitating towards the same kinds of experiences, friends and relationships as well as battling the same kinds of problems and difficulties over and over again.

All too often we simply cater to the demands of our emotions without first questioning their validity. Even though it may sometimes seem impossible, we always have the ability to choose our actions, regardless of our emotional state.

Here is a great exercise to practice for learning to be more present in your life. Do this each time you "wake up" from past guilt or future anxiety, or when you find that you are being controlled by your emotions or when under stress. It only takes few minutes, and can help you to get a calmer and clearer perspective. It goes as follows:

• Take a deep relaxing breath.
  

• Be aware of and observe the negative thoughts that you are having at that point of time.
  

• Say in your mind, "it's ok"  or "so what?"
  

• Be aware of and fully acknowledge whatever you may be feeling, and remember that even though our thoughts and emotions might not be (hardly) based on the reality of that moment, the resulting physical sensations of emotion are very real. Are you angry, bitter, resentful, fearful, sad? Do you feel insignificant?
  

• Turn your attention to the emotion's physical component, i.e., to bring your awareness on the sensations occurring in your body. Where do you feel the physical sensations of the emotions you are experiencing? Do you notice any tension? Are your shoulders or your chest tightened?
  

• You may even close your eyes. Your mind will immediately be attracted to some particular area of the physiology, perhaps your stomach or your heart, or some other area.
  

• Just allow the attention/awareness to remain on that area for about half a minute or more, that too without thinking anything. Simply being aware of the feelings/sensations. Gradually you'll discover that the physical sensation begins to moderate. When you open your eyes, you'll find that the emotional component has also diminished.
  

• If the situation you are in is too intense, then focus on your breathing, saying mentally "Peace" when you inhale, and "Love" when you exhale. Continue this until you are able to calm down and be objective.

With regular practice of the above described mental exercise, almost perfectly correct response becomes a spontaneous and automatic part of the mind-body system. Even if negative emotions arise because of stressful situations in your life, you can become a silent witness/observer/watcher to them, with a firm balance remaining deep inside.

As we learn to be present in the moment with our emotions, we gain a new freedom to choose our own way in life. We discover that we have the ability to mentally step back from any situation and honestly evaluate both it and our response to it. In this way, our emotions can become our advisors rather than our rulers.

Live in the present, for it is the only moment you have. Keep your attention on what is here and now; look for the fullness in every moment. Accept what comes to you totally and completely so that you can appreciate it, learn from it, and then let it go. The present is as it should be; hence, rework on your expectations. Do not expect things or people to be the way you want (always). This moment is as it is because the universe is as it is. Don't struggle against the infinite scheme of things; instead, be at one with it. Only then you will become peaceful and happy, and thereby healthy as well.

READ THIS TOPIC AGAIN AND AGAIN TO GET IT INGRAINED IN YOU!