“I rose this morning early as usual, and went to my desk. But it's spring, and the thrush is in the woods, somewhere in the twirled branches, and he is singing. And now I am stepping down onto the grass. I am touching a few leaves. I am noticing the way the yellow butterflies move together, in a twinkling cloud, over the field. And I am thinking: maybe just looking and listening is the real work. Maybe the world, without us, is the real poem.”
-Mary Oliver
Where I live right now, it's actually deep autumn, but the passage above by one of my very favorite poets, Mary Oliver, mentions spring, which to me is not necessarily the opposite season, rather its counter: one season is about Mother Nature going to sleep, and the other is Her waking.
This time of year I always seem a bit more introspective than usual. Facebook friends post daily "I am thankful for..." lists in anticipation of the Thanksgiving holiday. I'm usually too depressed about summer leaving to be grateful for anything. And so this year rather than struggle to give thanks for a laundry list (because I'm that person who will end the month by saying I'm thankful for a 5-blade razor so my legs stay shaved longer...), I've decided to cultivate presence.
present (adj.)- being with one or others in the specified or understood place; being here. presence (noun)- attendance or company.
How many of us have gone somewhere with a group of people- friends, family, co-workers- and at one point or another checked our phone? And then noticed that everyone else is checking their phones, too? It's a ubiquitous habit. I know I'm guilty of distracting myself with technology when I'm bored or uncomfortable or anxious. But I also know my parents taught me better manners than to ignore invited company.
What about presence in our work? Hopefully we're spending our days doing work that we love (and get compensated for in one way or another). I happen to have two jobs: one that provides me with opportunities to connect and learn from a culture that is not my own, and one that allows me to connect and learn from a culture of my own making. My "real" job is chaotic and unpredictable, and I know it is where I need my presence most; some days it is the most difficult thing for me to reel in my monkey mind and focus on whatever task is in my hands. With my "fun" job, it is much easier to be present because it's what I'm trying to share, the benefits of being all in.
So why is it so difficult to be present at one job and not the other? Honestly, I've been doing some deep searching for an answer to this for quite some time. If I know what to do (because I do it in one place), why don't I do it no matter where I am? TRUTH: its easiest for me to be present at my "fun" job because I'm wholly invested in the outcome my presence generates.
Being busy with something other than the task at hand physically shows that you are interested in something else besides what or who is in front of you. My goal is to train myself to place what- or whomever is most important to me in the closest proximity. New habits! Does this mean certain things fan out and away from me? Yes. Does this mean certain people have been edited out completely? Yes, again.
So what of the benefits of practicing presence? How can we do this in our yoga practice? And how can this help us everywhere else?
"When you love someone, the best thing you can offer is your presence. How can you love if you are not there?"
-Thich Nhat Hanh
Question: Do you love yourself? I mean really, really LOVE yourself? How do you do this? Do you treat your body like the miraculous machine it is? Do you fuel it with the healthiest foods? Do you move it enough so that your internal organs, muscles, joints and fascia stay functional? Do you give it enough rest when you've gone off the rails in one of those other areas?
My daily yoga practice helps me love myself and the vessel that carries me through this world. With my concentrated breathing, I am lulled- almost hypnotised- into a state of calm where only the task of moving my body through the different asanas is important. Sometimes, I'm lucky enough that my yoga flow takes me into "flow." The motion of each limb as it settles into place is a "thank you" celebration for my body, the postures themselves turn into a gorgeous dance.
Like any action repeated over and over, my yoga has become a habit. And so loving myself has become a habit. Loving what I do has become a habit. Sharing and celebrating who and what I love has become a habit. Presence then, has become the best present I could ever gift myself.
Until next time,
XO Rachel