The other morning I was doing my yoga and meditation, like every day, and I had to drag my mind back to my breath over and over again. The thought drifted through my head that I’m all in favor of being present in the moment, but do I have to KEEP being present? There are an awful lot of moments.
The answer, of course, is yes, but it is also no. Yes, I need to keep trying to be present in this moment and no, I’m not going to succeed every moment.
Being present to our workouts helps in a lot of ways. When we are doing something difficult, staying focused on the present moment increases our likelihood of using good form. We learn more when we stay present, which can, in time, make what is difficult today easier on another day. Also, by being present, even when the exercise is unpleasant (hiya, lunges!), we implicitly recognize that we will not always be doing lunges, so we can take heart. Staying in the present helps us manage our fatigue; we can recognize when we have had enough and when we might be able to do a little bit more instead of assuming we are done when we finish the tenth rep of whatever we are doing. Finally, using breath as a technique for staying present reminds us to breathe. Too often we forget to breathe while working out.
Presence is a skill, just like squats or downward dog. The more we practice, the better we do.
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