Being present isnāt something you do. If it were a doingĀ then it would be much easier to get the hang of. Being present means not wandering off elsewhere mentally. Itās allowing yourself to be where you already are. Staying.
Although you may begin the access the present moment by paying attention to things that exist in the present, such as your breath, the feeling of your body, or the sensory input from your surroundings, ultimately the present is all that exists. Being present is an effortless reality.Ā
Before it can be effortless, it may require effort for you to overcome the mindās restless habits. It can take energy to break your cyclic patterns and fixations.Ā
The present is the only place in which all of āyouā exists. It is where your wholeness resides. The past is made of fragments of reconstructed memories. The future is limited imaginations. Preoccupation with either past or future leaves you powerless because it is only from the present moment that you can act.Ā
If burdens from the past are troubling you and occupying your mind and heart, then you must come back to yourself here and now. You cannot deal with the past on the level of the past. You can only deal with the past in whatever ways it appears in the present. If concerns about the future plague you, it will manifest as a lingering anxiety and again it will be something you canāt do anything about. Deal with the future from the present moment and let the rest go.Ā
In other words, the present moment gives you home-field advantage over time itself.Ā