One Moment at a Time

Albert Einstein is famously quoted as having said that "the only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once"... Confucius gifted humanity with the reminder that "a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step"... Even President Obama calls us to action by reminding us of "the fierce urgency of now". We all know the feeling of the future pressing on our consciousness, pulling our attention from the moment we are in into the whirlwind of possibilities that float unformed ahead of us.

Worry is practically a virtue in Western society, and we live at such a pace that it seems impractical not to fret a little, since the future is coming hard on the heels of a present that presents very little time to prepare. The constant evolutions of relationships, the sameness of our daily routines, the frustrating world of politics, the moods that fall over us in the gray of midwestern winters, all steal our attention from the sacred and fleeting gift of this entirely unique moment.

One of yoga's most invaluable contributions to the way my brain works has been to bring me regularly back to my breath, and into this moment. Since our bodies are different every time we come to the mat, we get an unmatched kind of practice at meeting each breath, each motion as a completely unique experience... a discovery, an exploration, and a lesson in how to attend to all of our moments with that kind of calm attention.

I had a conversation with a friend whose life has been a whirlwind of change for the whole past year, and who still sees in the world in front of her a dizzying number of equally possible futures. Having come to the end of the usefulness of just shaking our heads at the overwhelm of our early 30s, we concluded that all we can do is to live attentively and with integrity one moment, one conversation, one breath at a time. Not only is living well in this present moment all we are able to do, it is our most sincere act of gratitude for the moments we are given. What other way is there to create a future we will enjoy than by living in a way today that keeps a garden of healthy relationships, happy memories, and work we can be proud of? By learning to learn what each moment has to teach us, exploring where each moment as the potential to take us as if we are on, not waiting for, our life's great adventure.

Yoga teaches that our only responsibility is for the spirit in which we act: our intention is all we have the ability to choose. Then, we lay control of the outcome of our actions at the feet of God. Ishvarapranidana. So I invite you to think about your intention, the attentiveness you bring to this present moment, the next time you are on the mat. If you don't already, start to think about the pace at which you are breathing, and the sensation of each individual motion as you practice. Then see how far beyond the mat you can keep your attentivenes in the here and now. Live in your five senses, enter into the stories of the people who surround you and let them be invitations to learn and to teach. Let each moment be just as valid and wide open an invitation to peace and clarity as the moments of full breath and fluid motion you practice on the mat.

I'd love to hear your stories as I train my attention to one moment at a time, as well... and I'll leave you with the words of Toni Morrison: "if you surrender to the wind, you can ride it!"

Namaste!