What is being mindful?
The other day I came across an article on mindfulness in the papers which, well, talked about the benefits of living in the present. Accepting and acknowledging our present ensures a tomorrow with both our past and future in harmony. The piece basically conveyed this idea. It was a good read and even made sense to me to a certain extent. But there were parts of it which bugged me. One being the difficulty in achieving this state of being. How does one concentrate only in the present without thinking about the past or worrying about the future? Is living in the moment, in the present so to speak, so easy?
“If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath.” ― Amit Ray
Haven’t we all been taught to learn from the past? Now for doing so, don’t we have to keep the past within reach? Yes, not live in it certainly but not turn our backs to it either. History, for example, teaches us so much. Why do we study it, chronicle it? Is it not to go back in times of crisis to employ lessons, sidestepping mistakes already committed by humanity?
“Study the past if you would define the future.” ― Confucius
About the future, well, isn’t planning for it absolutely imperative to leading a life full of awareness? Life’s air bags for those horrible accidents, if and when they occur, are absolute musts. I cannot find one activity that we engage in which doesn’t involve an outlook for the future. Being far-sighted and planning for those rainy days are considered preconditions to a good life, aren’t they?
“When you do the things in the present that you can see, you are shaping the future that you are yet to see.” ― Idowu Koyenikan
So, how can we be mindful yet at the same time keep the past and future in view, for apparently, and from experience, that is needed too? It could be that I’m completely off the mark here. But we can’t drive without a rear-view mirror or without the visibility of what lies ahead, can we?
What is mindfulness really?
Is it only about the present?
How do we strike a balance between the past, the present, and the future?
Thought provoking, Naba. To me mindfulness is when I can be present in the present keeping the distractions from the past and the future at arm's length. It's when I am crying one moment about something from the past, and the next moment I smile because he told I love you. Mindfulness is living in the present, at the same moment acknowledging the past and the future as it is, or so I think. 🙂 You know, you have give me food for thought. Thank you. 🙂
I believe to live fully in the present moment means that your awareness is completely centered on the here and now. You are not worrying about the future or thinking about the past. Of course, the learnings from the past are there with you and you are not negating that in anyway.
Such an interesting question, Naba. I think Vinitha's response is great too.
From my experience and reading of mindfulness, I understand that it calls for us to be aware of what goes on within us. Let me give you an outrageous example, I am rude to a bearded man just now, because in my past another bearded man was mean to me. Mindfulness shows me how the past is influencing me negatively and I change my behaviour. The same applies to the future. I might allow my fears and worries for the future, colour my choices in a negative way today. Mindfulness allows me to enjoy the present in all its fullness.
I love this quote about mindfulness: Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves – slowly, evenly, without
rushing toward the future. Live the actual moment. Only this moment is life.’ ~Thich Nhat Hanh
PS: Sorry for 'post' 😉
To me mindfulness is about not letting our past (bad) experiences influence or judge our decisions in the present. It is also about not indulging in excessive planning about the future which can pile up worries and affect our sight of the present.
"But we can’t drive without a rear-view mirror or without the visibility of what lies ahead, can we?" is a great point, Naba. Mindfulness is about finding peace and happiness in every moment by focusing on it. We cannot forget our past, but we can certainly learn from it by taking away the good points. 🙂 Loved your post.
This made me think. I think to move forward a person must learn from the past, but move forward. You can't live in the past if you ever expect to get the most out of the present and have the best possible future.
Being in the moment, being fully 'present' now is much easier said than done, I agree. But if we think deeply about it for a moment, the moment we finish the word "moment" or "present", it is gone, really gone. That's how brief the moment is, can we be present in that space without bearing the burden of the moments gone by or moments yet to appear. Ultimate awareness or mindfulness is about being present and self-aware like that. I also happen to think being too mindful can also take away the joy of being spontaneously self-aware.
I don't know if I have added more to your quest, but yes certainly it is part of my quest too – how to be in the moment and not let the past impact my judgement or present behaviour, while at the same time not allowing the past become a burden on my present peace of mind.
You are quite good at posing some interesting questions for readers to ponder upon! Good one, Naba!
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Naba, this is a very thought provoking issue which you have raised.I believe that we must not dwell too much on past memories.Whatever has gone is gone and will never come back.Living in the past glory or repenting for past drawbacks will not do any good.
What an intriguing post you've written Naba.. And it happens with all of us as that is how it is meant to be.. Going too much into the past and peeking too much into the future would definitely spoil the present but yes, a bit of a peek at the both of them does no harm at all..
Well written Naba..!
Cheers
Very interesting question. My thoughts are that mindfulness is basically an acceptance of one's emotions, thoughts and sensations occurring in the present moment, as a technique to focus our attention on our mental and physical well-being. It is often used as a tool for harnessing creativity by management trainers and I have myself been on one of them, Nabanita! From what I know, mindfulness based on the theory that undue worry of the future and constantly living in the past contribute to mental illnesses (like depression and anxiety) in a big way and mindfulness-based interventions are an approach to encourage us to be conscious of our present – the 'here' and the 'now' and intend to help free ourselves from the 'baggage' that comes with the past and 'worries' about the future. Essentially, it means we could have wonderful memories from the past and ambitious plans for the future and still be mindful. Hope I am making sense! 🙂
Very good questions Naba. I like to think of mindfulness as living life one day at a time – not worrying about a future you can't see, not dwelling in the past but using past experiences as and when necessary.
You know Vinitha, this 'living in the moment' phrase is what confuses me…How to do that? Like you said we still somehow acknowledge the past & future while living in the moment..Oh I don't know if I'm making any sense at all! 😀
Thank you for stopping by and attempting to resolve this confusion for me !
That makes more sense really… Be in the present while doing what you are doing and still be in tune with your past and future…So, mindfulness though is about the present it cannot exist in itself and has to be supported by learnings from the past and the planning for the future…?
Well, that makes so much sense Corinne…So, let me try and understand…Mindfulnes helps us ensure that our present decisions and actions do not follow a negative trajectory due to either bitter experiences of the past or the fear of the future?
And that's a lovely quote, I must add!
PS: I love the post 🙂
'To me mindfulness is about not letting our past (bad) experiences influence or judge our decisions in the present.' This sentence simplifies things a lot…Thanks for this Anamika
Thanks Vidya..yes, learning from the past is so important right? So, mindfulness doesn't mean letting go of the past or the future, just making sure that both don't influence the present in a negative manner, right? being happy in the present while still keeping the past and future in view ..
True Kathy, we can't live in the past…I guess as you say we need to learn from the past and be happy in the present while planning for the future
Thanks so much Beloo…You know I feel it's not possible to live in the moment without letting the past or even the future influence our actions…That said, yes maybe we can try and not let the negative experiences of the past cloud our judgement but even then the present cannot sustain without the past and even the future is what I feel..
So true Usha ji..we shoul certainly not remain stuck in the past…but yes we can always learn from it
Naba what a discussion you've prompted. To me mindfulness means enjoying a moment and valuing it for what it is, by appreciating what you have here and now rather than worrying about what you've lost or what you will lose. Of course we also need to make time for learning from the past and planning for the future – but that shouldn't unduly overshadow our present. You need a write a post on how you figured this out. That'll give us all some clarity :-).
You said it Geets, a bit of a peek at the both of them ..yes, that's imperative
Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Ofcourse you are making sense Esha…:)
'Essentially, it means we could have wonderful memories from the past and ambitious plans for the future and still be mindful.' This really does loosen a few knots in my understanding of mindfulness..Thanks for that !
That really simplifies the concept for me Suzy…Thank you for that…I had otherwise got stuck with trying ti understand what living in the present meant!
Yes actually I was thinking the same thing…You know, writing a post about what I make of mindfulness after this discussion…?All in good time…
And as you say we do need to live today without being boggled down by past experiences, bitter ones especially I guess but also make time for learning from the past and planning for the future
Very interesting post Naba, thanks for initiating this…. I found the comments to leading to meaningful discussions. Today I had three counselling sessions from morning; the last one got over just a little while ago and I was helping the student to focus on the present; as he came with a problem of not able to concentrate because of his past,where he has lost out on time; due to various reasons and his friends have moved on…. now he feels stuck and unable to move, because his focus is too much on the past….so I had to help him see the positive aspects of his past in order to help him understand the importance of here and now; and also help him plan a little about his future. I see there is a need for a balance, we cannot get so preoccupied with the past that its robs us of the joy of living in the moment and enjoying the journey, neither should we be so lost in the present that we forget to think ahead a save a bit for future to take responsibility for our own well being, without having to blame either the past or the future…. I personally feel we must live in the present and enjoy every moment as the journey is equally important and yes never forget the learnings from the past, and move towards future with gratitude and optimism…. thanks for helping me reflect
Very interesting post. I believe that past is a part of life. Living in the moment with acceptance of the past, we can walk towards our future. We can choose to be happy in the present moment. Our future depends on our present choices.
I don't mull over the past much, but yeah even if I try hard… keeping the thoughts away from future is quite tough. So I just embrace it… letting it flow with the present. Unless I am eating a huge bowl of ice cream 😛 That's when I am totally in the present 🙂
I think you summed it up beautifully Angela when you wrote 'we must live in the present and enjoy every moment as the journey is equally important and yes never forget the learnings from the past, and move towards future with gratitude and optimism' …Past, present and future all the three are dependent on one another and we need to learn to balance all three and not let either influence in a negative manner
Absolutely Payal… I guess neither is exclusive of the other.We just need to be sure to not let any of the three influence the other negatively I guess
hehe then I'm totally in the present when I'm writing my blog 😀 and absent from it when I'm reading a book !
A simple question which demands a simple answer. A person living his life with passion is told not to have any expectations when he is performing any action. first act with passion and expectations. review the whole experience and then do a similar action with no expectations. Review again. Take a call and decide. Life is about finding your own results and not living by only following teachings and someone else's experience. Do not stop asking questions? like 'why am I alive?'
That's an interesting question. I don't think it's easy to let go of the past. But I think We should just take lessons from it and then just let it go. Thinking of the future just causes stress. If you are thinking either of the past or the future ou are not really enjoying your present are you !
First of all to Nabanita, great thoughts. Living in present all the time is a bit difficult but we must try as much as possible, because we have command only over present.
That makes sense, so much sense actually that the best way to live a good life is to keep asking questions…Because the answers to those questions will bring clarity and solutions…
I guess not Ruchira…I guess as you say it's important to keep the lessons of the past with us and let the past as whole go…and invest in the future but not let go of the present worrying too much of what is to come…
Absolutely Binod, no matter how hard it is the truth is we only have command over the present but that too becomes the past so soon na?
Am I being mindful only about my present? I think not. In fact I believe looking life at a larger perspective is what helps me handle things better. But then again thats me!
And you are the best of you can be 🙂
Introspection and good judgement can help I guess. We need to learn from the past and yet not dwell on it too much.
http://www.istoppedtosmellarose.blogspot.com/2015/09/wise-old-words.html
Naba.. I have been reading this book of Mindfulness by Bante Gunaratna.. a wonderful book. Do pick it up if you get a chance. Wonderful lines – But we can’t drive without a rear-view mirror or without the visibility of what lies ahead, can we?