Cecília Garrigós Castro
In a world where the dizzying pace of life constantly drags us towards the past or the future, the great challenge is learning to be in the present moment. Living here and now is a practice that brings us closer to authentic inner peace, a state of being in which we leave behind the story that our mind tells us and connect with the deep reality of our being.
Yoga and meditation are two powerful ways to train this presence. When we practice yoga, we work not only the body, but also the consciousness. We move slowly, observing the tensions that manifest, breathing through them, and releasing. This process teaches us that the body stores emotional and mental states, and when we are able to relax it, we open ourselves to a state of peace. Meditation, on the other hand, leads us to investigate the mind. It is like a space of silence, where emotions and thoughts appear, but we do not identify with them. We let them be and gently return to the now.
It is fascinating to realize that the mind often becomes our master, sending us thoughts that transport us to past moments or future fantasies. In doing so, it distances us from who we really are at this very moment. But when we practice meditation, we learn to observe those thoughts without believing them. We train ourselves to see the mind as a servant, not a dictator. We stop being slaves to these mental stories and return to the present moment, where true reality occurs.
The key is this: the only reality is what you are right now, without the filters of the mind. It is in these moments of total presence where we truly live life. When we are immersed in nature, in lovemaking, in dancing, in singing, or creating a work of art, we let go of the mind and simply be. This is the pure experience of being, freed from the weight of expectations or memories.
The big mistake is believing that the emotions and thoughts generated by the mind are our truth. But emotions are just energy in motion, part of the mind, and are not intrinsically bad. We do not need to reject them or cling to them; We simply let them be and return, again and again, to the now. In this present reality there is a deep peace that goes beyond the stories that our minds want us to believe.
Being in the present moment is remembering that we are already awake. We already have everything we need within us. It is letting go of the illusion that our mind sells us and embracing the unique reality of who we are now. Living with this awareness, we experience the greatest freedom: the freedom to be fully ourselves, here and now.