13- Now here or nowhere

Really, if you are here, be here.  If you are not here now, you are nowhere.

In my life I find myself being physically all the places I need to be.  When I am there, I am doing what needs to be done.  I 'do' well. I often times 'do' more than most.  I suppose thats a good thing with a family of three kids, a business, and a yoga blog to write.

But then there's the process of being here.  Often times I am so busy doing, I forget to be. I forget to actually arrive in my mind, at the same place as my body and be fully present.

Be fully present.

I will be working with the kids on homework while I am thinking about what to make for dinner and while making dinner I will be thinking about what to write in my blog after dinner and after dinner I will be thinking about when the next yoga class is that I can catch and when I am writing my blog I will be thinking about what tasks I need to address in my business and while I am eating breakfast I will be plan what I will make for my GF for a surprise dinner and while I am clearing the breakfast dishes I will be thinking about wanting to play more music and while I am vacumming I will think about the gutters I need to clean and while I am laying in bed, exhausted, I will think about the dog poop I need to pickup before I mow the lawn..

Was that tiring to read? It's tiring to live for sure.

Not being present leaves me distracted and disconnects me from the joy that exists in each moment.  Yes, even the dog poop can have have moments of joy..  barring the aromatics. Foul aromatics and I really don't agree.

Yoga gives me an hour or two where I simply am 'now here' or for the purpose of the blog, I should say 'now there' but that wouldn't work with the now here/nowhere play on words.

I am deeply in the process of connecting to the practice, to enjoying all the sensations.  I enjoy the depth of the stretch and the shudder of my muscles. I enjoy the musings of the instructor as it connects all to my time on the mat. I enjoy the thought of "I will do yoga until I am no longer able... and that will be for a very long time."

I connect to the discomfort of the heat. I connect to the sometimes foul stench wafting from others bodys as they sweat out garlic, beer, booze and pachuli (sp?). I connect to my own dissapointment that I missed 43 years of yoga.

At the end of each thought I find myself right there, on the mat. Smiling.  My mind may be monkey in nature but I take pleasure in knowing it is at least confined to my mat. I have caged my monkey for an hour. I have managed to be 'now here', on my mat, in my practice and in my life. If only I could stand on my mat the other 23 hours of the day.

The mat is a launching point for the balance of my life.

Namaste-