The Power of Now

I hope you all are doing well. I am just a few days home from my retreat and it was wonderful. I included some pictures below but it is truly hard to capture in photos.

I can only describe my re-entry as arriving home in a stupor of amazement that I get to do this work. And as I emerge from the stupor, the glow continues to be with me.

One of the key insights from my retreat centered around our relationship with impermanence. In our attempt to control what is unknown we actually relinquish that which we can actually control; our thoughts, feelings and actions in the present moment. We negotiate with the universe and frustrate ourselves and cause extra suffering as we try to wrangle the change that is inevitable.

Instead we have the power to ride the waves of change with a bit more grace as we connect to the power of now. The power is now; in this moment. We have full control over our thoughts and feelings in this moment.

We practiced this in our physical practice on the mat this week as well; using the power we have in the present moment to meet our bodies with compassion, regardless of what we might encounter. Learning to ride the waves of uncertainty with a bit more lightness is how we begin to develop a friendlier relationship with impermanence.

My retreat participants embodied this on our trip together. Several of them were in the midst of difficult emotional circumstances and physical limitations but they showed up fully to be present in the moment. They weren’t waiting for “everything to be perfect” to come on retreat; they knew the power they had over the present moment and they fully embraced it. It was truly inspiring.