Practising The Power Of Now
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Practising The Power Of Now
Here's how I started practising The Power of Now: When I initially discovered mindfulness I was at a stage in my life when I wanted to find and absorb as much information as I could about self development and personal growth and to be frank, at that time, mindfulness was another interesting "tick in a box".After my first reading of Eckhart Tolle's "The Power of Now" I thought "OK done that, got it, what's next?"
But after a few months I read it again slowly, I found that that rather than just processing the words as information I was increasingly absorbing the energy behind the words.
I realised that being informed about mindfulness is not the same as living it and that I needed to apply the insights in "The Power of Now" and put this into practise in my everyday life.
Practising The Power Of Now - 6 Core Practises
I identified the following core practises:1. "WATCHING THE THINKER" - START LISTENING TO THE VOICE IN YOUR HEAD
Pay particular attention to any repetitive thought patterns, those old audiotapes that have been playing in your head perhaps for many years.
2. FOCUS YOUR ATTENTION INTO THE NOW
You can also create a gap in the mind stream simply by directing the focus of your attention into the Now. Just become intensely conscious of the present moment. There is one certain criterion by which you can measure your success in this practice, and that is the degree of peace that you feel within.
3. LOOK AT YOUR EMOTION: THE BODY'S REACTION TO YOUR MIND
The more you are identified with your thinking, your likes and dislikes, judgments and interpretations, which is to say the less present you are as the watching consciousness, the stronger the emotional energy charge will be, whether you are aware of it or not.
4. WATCH OUT FOR ANY KIND OF DEFENSIVENESS WITHIN YOURSELF
What are you defending? An illusory identity, an image in your mind, a fic¬titious entity. By making this pattern conscious, by witnessing it, you un-identify from it. In the light of your consciousness, the unconscious pattern will then quickly dissolve.
5. END THE DELUSION OF TIME + LETTING GO OF PSYCHOLOGICAL TIME
End the delusion of time. Time and mind are inseparable. Remove time from the mind and it stops - unless you choose to use it.
To be identified with your mind is to be trapped in time. The compulsion to live almost exclusively through memory and anticipation. Step out of the time dimension as much as possible in everyday life.
If you find it hard to enter the Now directly, start by observing the habitual tendency of your mind to want to escape from the Now. Notice also how often your attention is in the past or future.
6. CONNECTING WITH THE INNER BODY
Direct your attention into the body. Feel it from within. Is it alive? Is there life in your hands, arms, legs, and feet - in your abdomen, your chest?
Can you feel the subtle energy field that pervades the entire body and gives vibrant life to every organ and every cell?
Can you feel it simultaneously in all parts of the body as a single field of energy?
Keep focusing on the feeling of your inner body for a few moments. Do not start to think about it. Feel it.
When your consciousness is directed outward, mind and world arise. When it is directed inward, it realizes its own Source and returns home into the Unmanifested.
As you go about your life, don't give 100 percent of your attention to the external world and to your mind. Keep some within.
Practising The Power Of Now - Download
Applied daily, these practices have transformed my life, I commend them to you.6 Key Mindfulness Practices From Eckhart Tolle in “The Power of Now”
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