No. 15, May 17, 2018
THE WELLNESS SALON
Musings on wellness from Donna Simmons, Feldenkrais ® Practitioner
When was the last time you did something for the first time?
Be here now.
When Ram Dass (aka Richard Alpert) first issued his dictum for a full life in 1971, I was skeptical. That’s it? Be here now? Come on…three words, however profound, do not a life make. Cogito ergo sum.Veni vidi vici. Be here now? Of course, be here now. Where else?
At the meditation roundhouse in Esalen (Big Sur), there once was a plaque bearing the following inscription:
Tao
follows the Way
of
the
Watercourse
as the
Heart/Mind
through meditation
Returns
to the
Sea.
I often return to this place (not physically, but rather in my Heart/Mind) and find that I can, indeed, Be Here Now. In the sun, in the fog, under the stars, on a crowded flight, in my car. It is not only a matter of letting go, but of not attaching to the outcome. Not the striving and grasping but the freedom that comes from not holding on to the preconceived, that makes the here and now easier to find.
For those of you who have wondered when you could re-engage in mindfulness, in finding your center, in making peace with your physical self, perhaps now is the time. Perhaps I can help you find your way to changing the narrative from one of struggle to one of ease and well-being.
Consider the following definition for mindfulness:
A quality or state of being conscious or aware by focusing on the present moment. Accepting without judgment one’s feelings, emotions, and sensations without a sense of “right” or “wrong”. Being mindful of the wisdom of the body can lead to heightened states of calm and ease as well as increased pleasure in activities of daily life. Mindfulness can lead to more empathy, compassion, health, and happiness.
Be here now, indeed.
Namaste,
Donna