The Power of Now

We spend much of our lives fixated on the past and the future, and this habit has a tendency to perpetuate suffering. We rehash the past. We fret over the future. Our minds spin round and round trying to make sense of the world yesterday and life tomorrow.And yet, the only place we have true agency and power is here. The only time we are able to take action is now. With feet firmly planted, with eyes open wide, we change the world one moment at a time, in acts large and small. We counter hatred with love. We answer deception with truth. We combat disregard with deep care. And no matter what, moment by moment and step by step, we remain committed to our primary mission here on earth: to ease suffering and cultivate love on behalf of all beings everywhere.Sages the world over have taught us that the present moment is the ideal touchstone. Whenever we feel stressed or lost or uncertain, coming back to our senses right here and now can help us find our way. We breathe in and we breathe out. We sense our fingers and our toes. We move our bodies this way and that, paying close attention to the sensations that accompany each stretch.Through these actions, we settle the nervous system and steady the mind. Life comes back into focus and we see more clearly who we are and how we want to move through life. We return to the loving, wise, clear-hearted beings we are always meant to be. We recover the unshakeable peace and unbreakable wellbeing that allow us to live with wisdom and compassion. In being fully present we see most clearly the proper path forward.This 30-minute practice helps us settle into the balm of the present moment. We rest a little, we move a little, and then we settle into stillness some more. We watch what happens as we return our attention to the sensations of life passing through us. Breath by breath, we are returned to ourselves: bright, vital, potent and clear. We shift out of then-time into now-time. We climb out of fear and we return to love. We relinquish small-mindedness and we sense deep communion. We expand our identity, our compassion, our care, out beyond little time-bound mortal me and into the wide open sky of we, of us, of the whole wide world. Get full access to At Home in the World at claudiacummins.substack.com/subscribe