The Power of the Present Moment in Healing

I remember attending a mindfulness workshop years ago, long before it was popular and long before I was ready. I hadn’t a clue what she was talking about. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why you would want to be consciously present when brushing your teeth or washing your hands!

Of course once I came to understand our energetic nature, I began to recognise the true power of the present moment.

What do I mean when I talk about being present in the moment?

If you’ve ever experienced meditation, yoga or tai chi or even threading a needle you will know l what I mean. To complete these tasks requires your full concentration. We can choose where our concentration or consciousness goes.

If I ask you now to focus on your big toe, can you feel it? Can you feel the sock or shoe against it. Can you feel the neighbouring toe? Now focus on your right eye? Can you feel it? What about your breath?

You see wherever your focus goes the energy flows. You can choose where to put your attention.

What is the benefit of focusing on the present moment?

Well consider for a moment where is your focus if it’s not in the present moment? It’s quite often in the past, reliving trauma or regret. Much of the time we are in the future trying to predict what will happen so we can feel in control. Either way we are in a state of anxiety.

What happens to our energy when we are in a state of anxiety?

Our energy system is made up of chakras, meridians and auric fields. The Auric fields emanate from inside our bodies and surround our bodies. They have many functions including receiving and broadcasting information between you and the outside world. When we experience fear or anxiety  we pull the auric fields in close in an effort to protect ourselves. This can be felt in the physical body as contraction, tightness and pressure which can eventually manifest as pain, fatigue and illness.

When we come into the present moment for even a split second the auric fields expand again and we feel relief. If we can spend a longer period in the present moment we spend a longer time in expansion and there is an opportunity to heal.

My conclusion is if we wish to heal, from anything, making the decision to spend as much time as possible in the present moment is the best thing we can do. 

Sounds easy right?

Here’s the challenge. When we are in the present moment we feel…everything. Every difficult emotion we have ever pushed away or ignored comes to the surface and sometimes the present moment can seem quite unpleasant. This is why we turn to our phones, or food or wine or just general busyness, unconsciously actively avoiding the present moment. 

So what can we do?

I like to do yoga online and often my 4 year old decides he needs me just as I’m beginning! I have learnt that if I allow him to sit & watch he is happy enough but no amount of bribery or threats will give me peace. So I allow him there alongside me, but I do not give him my attention. Eventually he gets bored and moves along

In a similar way if we can learn to live alongside our difficult emotions we will find they move along. If we resist them they get louder

Sometimes this can feel overwhelming but once you’ve done this few times you will see that emotions come like waves. They rise and rise and rise and then they fall. When you have experienced this once you will realise that you will not drown, the wave will simply pass through.

If you find this especially difficult it is likely like you may benefit from professional help in regulating your nervous system and to hold the safe space for you to work through these difficult emotions

A perspective change

I always say in my clinic ‘If you’re seeing it you’re healing it’. The wonderful thing is about this is that when difficult emotions arise you may feel excited, instead of afraid. Instead of ‘Oh no here we go again!’  it’s ‘Oh yes, I’m seeing it so therefore I’m healing it.’

If  you are open to healing and eager to release any past hurt or trauma that may be holding you back, every moment that you’re present is an opportunity for healing.