How to Better Connect with the Present Moment

An essential element for my meditation practice is connecting to the present moment, which doesn’t always equate to mindfulness. When I’m in the zone of a meditation exercise, one of the most frustrating obstacles for me is when I get distracted or stop being present and allow myself to wander from the exercise. I’m not talking about getting sidetracked in my visualized exploration, but rather, allowing troubles or other distractions to take me out of an experience. When this happens, it’s because I became disconnected from the present moment. Being connected to the present—really immersing yourself in what you are experiencing—is a key element of a successful meditation exercise. This isn’t quite as easy as you might expect. Luckily, I found some tricks that help me stay in the present moment of any exercise, and I’d like to share them with you here.

A strong preparatory process that grounds you

When we explore expanded states of consciousness, we can quickly become ungrounded. So, having a preparatory process that grounds you is a great way to ensure a fulfilling meditation. This way, you’re paying attention to the exercise at hand rather than off in the clouds somewhere (which can be a great place to be, occasionally). To avoid wandering off, I tend to focus part of my preparatory process on mindfulness, starting with some form of centering practice. I make sure that I engage my body by humming or taking deep breaths so that my body is involved in the prep work. This small bit of physicality helps me stay in the moment. From there, I try to do a bit of a check-in with myself physically and mentally as the exercise starts. What do I hear around me? What do I feel? Can I still feel my body connected to the chair or bed?

Some meditation practices include gentle reminders throughout the exercise that nudge you back to your intention. Having gentle cues throughout the exercise like this is a great way to stay in the intended exploration. This doesn’t mean avoiding grand adventures within yourself as you meditate. I constantly experience my meditations visually and go off to far places in my mind, and they usually teach me something that relates back to my overall intention. Be ready and willing to play in the moment and see where it takes you. It’s just important to also have your intention at the forefront of your mind and keep yourself present rather than getting distracted with worldly troubles or thoughts. But if you do drift out of an exercise and somehow don’t remember what happened or potentially find yourself falling asleep, that’s okay. It happens to all of us. These tips just suggest ways to prevent it.

A walking meditation

Walking meditations can be great ways to stay present in the moment. Walking is a perfect example of mechanical activity. We don’t think about how to walk or place each foot; we generally do it without thinking. So, putting yourself in a meditation that helps you process each and every nuance of something as simple as walking is an eye-opening experience in mindfulness. Feel your foot rise and then fall back down and hit the ground and then push away from the ground and rise again. Feel your hips and thighs moving to propel your body forward. Do your arms swing when you walk? Calling attention to these movements that have become purely mechanical is a great way to be grounded and present in any meditation exercise—and daily life. When it comes to a sitting or relaxed meditation, you can feel your back against the chair or the bed, and feel the pressure your body makes against the chair or bed. Feeling things you usually ignore, such as a chair touching your thighs or your lower back pressing against the bed, can help you be more present in the moment.

Disconnect from technology

Finally, practicing being in the present throughout your daily activities is a great way to disconnect from mental chatter and be rooted in reality. Specifically, try to disconnect from technology for large chunks of your day. Instead of looking at your phone, take in each sight around you. Notice all the hidden crevices of your home. Hear the sounds around you. Be fully present in the moment by allowing yourself to pay attention to all visual and auditory stimuli around you that usually get overlooked. Perhaps, after you’ve done a meditation, when you need to be more grounded, you can take a nice brisk walk and focus on the mechanics of it. Then, come home and note each room of your house and what it looks like in the present moment. By living firmly in the moment, you suddenly notice the array of details in the real world.

Why be more grounded in the moment? When lost in thought (or on the phone), we are not present for family and friends. We are here for those we love, and who love us. And we are here for ourselves. By being more rooted in the present, we are more readily available for opportunities that may surprise us. Our lives may become more enriched by beautiful details and textures of the world instead of falling into a mechanical slump of daily life. And this translates into our meditation exercises. The more we know how to be present, the more we will understand and have valuable experiences while meditating.

While being up in the clouds can be refreshing sometimes, I hope you’ll join me in an attempt to be more present this year!