The notion that it is important to be centred, or internally balanced, to cope well with the stresses and pressures of life, is not new. Nor is the idea that to more effectively assist others to deal with conflict, it is crucial that we have developed self-reflection and learned to manage this ourselves. The ability to be mindful, to be present in the moment, is described as an essential ingredient. This is difficult to achieve in the modern world, but there are various strategies to promote this state of being. Such efforts are worthwhile, not only for our own well-being, but to support our work in the area of dispute resolution.
Eckhart Tolle 1 regards the mind as an instrument or a tool, to be used for a specific task and when the task is completed, to be laid aside. While most of our thinking is repetitive and useful, much of it is also dysfunctional, negative and harmful. The constant barrage of sensory information from devices, auditory and visual, results in compulsive thinking which causes a serious leakage of vital energy. Tolle describes this as an addiction.
We identify with this sensory stimulus, the images conveyed, the messages sent, and the information provided. We derive our sense of self from this content and activity. Our ego rests on the bed of this information, and our sense of personal security depends on this flow of activity. We are constantly picking up our phone to see who has liked our messages, and who has shared our posts. We gain our sense of self satisfaction and achievement from our ability to trawl through this steady flow of information and images.
This is a false Self and is created by the unconscious identification with the mind. This is our ego, for which the present moment hardly exists. It is consumed by keeping the past alive, and projecting itself into the future for continued survival. When it does focus on the present, this is through the eyes of the past and as a means to an end-to be projected into the future.
Living almost exclusively through memory and anticipation identifies you with the mind and traps us in time. The endless preoccupation with past (an identity) and future (promise of salvation) leads to an unwillingness to honour and acknowledge the present moment and allow it to be. But everything arises out of a moment in the Now and is experienced in the here and now-the past is a previous Now and the future a yet to occur Now. There needs to be a shift from a sense of time and thinking, to Being and Presence.
The Now is an intensely alive state that is free of time, free of problems, free of thinking, and free of the burden of personality. Directing the focus of attention onto the Now, provides a way of becoming intensely conscious of the present moment. By creating a gap in the mind stream, you disidentify with your mind. This allows for the ability to rise above thought, beyond the chatter of the mind, to achieve true peace from inner stillness.
I recently travelled to Hepburn Springs for a yoga retreat over the Easter break. Getting away from the city and reconnecting with nature, enabled me to escape from the constant stream of sensory input from phone, computer and internet. I had the time to appreciate the beauty of nature and simple things, like sitting in the sun, walking in the forest, and savouring the autumn colours. Regular exercise of asanas each day, with good food and plenty of sleep, allowed my body to feel nurtured and rested. Meditation and the relaxation practice of yoga nidra, provided the opportunity to quieten my mind and search for that inner stillness and peace. Satsung and the teachings of a spiritual leader gave me ideas and inspiration to contemplate what I already know, but had lost sight of in the hustle and bustle of daily life. All of this brought me into the Now, recharged my spiritual batteries, and enabled me to return to my work, more mindful and better able to assist others.
1 “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle