Living in the moment……practising Mindfulness

Nowhere to go, nothing to do. This is a simple mantra that I often use at the end of class during savasana. Of course we all have lots to do and places to go but I like to remind everyone that just for a moment none of that matters. I realise this is easier said than done because the first time I heard the mantra my reaction was to immediately think of all the things that I must do and cursed the teacher for reminding me. However, what we need to accept is that none of these thoughts entering our minds do matter, at least not for the time we are in Savasana, not if we are practising Sati or Smrti (mindfulness) and living in the moment.

In the Yoga Sutra, the sage Patanjali defined yoga as citta vritti nirodha, which translated roughly means when you cease to identify with your ever-changing thoughts, you experience the state of yoga: the heart, body, and mind unify, and you recognize your true nature. Practising Vinyasa Flow Yoga which can be seen as a moving meditation is a means of experiencing this.

It’s not easy to lessen the flow of mind traffic. Our minds are always on the go these days and constantly looking for stimulation. We worry about the future and our past actions and it can be difficult to just be and seize the moment. As John Lennon said “life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans”. If there is one thing I’ve discovered on my Yoga journey is that I’m guilty like most people of this. So my Sadhana (dedication) on this journey is to practice living in the moment, not worrying about the past or the future and reminding myself that during Savasana there really is nowhere to go and nothing to do.