Tune in to the wisdom of the present moment

Have you ever been in a crisis situation? If you have, you must have experienced complete alertness and awareness at that particular moment when the situation demanded that you forget all unimportant matters and give undivided attention to what was happening then and there. This implies that we have the ability to focus on one task with great attention and not let other things linger. Unfortunately, we only use this skill when forced to, during a difficult situation. But, can we train our minds to make this a  habit, without the stress and panic?

As you read this, leave everything else and focus entirely on what is written here. Do not negate, agree, judge, or react; simply tune in to the present moment and read. Now, you are engaged in some mindful reading. Mindful reading is not just about understanding the words that you are reading, but about being aware of the experience of reading itself. When you are tuned in to the ‘now’, you absorb and learn more, and you appreciate each moment. This allows you to take in information deeply and meaningfully, and you effortlessly notice even the minutest details that you might otherwise overlook.

Now imagine expanding mindfulness to things you do regularly—walking, sitting, watching, listening, talking, cooking, eating, drinking. You can absorb so much more from each of these regular life activities by being mindful. We usually let these activities run on autopilot. We think about heading out when we wake up; when we head out, we think about the place we are heading to; when we reach the place, we think about the next planned activity; when we get into the activity, we think about lunch; during lunch, we think about our evening plans; and in the evening, we think about the plans for the next day. The entire day goes by mindlessly, without noticing a single moment or the learning it has to offer.

I used to sit in the kitchen and chat with my mom as she cooked. While we talked, I carefully observed her cutting the vegetables, mixing all the masalas, adding salt to the food, stirring the pot, etc. Years later, when I started living alone and cooking for myself, I realised that I knew a lot about cooking without actually learning how to cook. I knew how to chop vegetables, what ingredients to use, how to check if the food is cooked well, etc. Some people usually take classes to learn these things. My mind absorbed all of it through mere observation. That is the power of being in the moment.