Being In The Moment.

We all have that one teacher that sticks in our mind. The teacher that made a difference in our lives. Maybe their encouragement sent you on a certain path or they knew how to get the best ‘you’ to step forward.

As we get older, for some of us, teachers drop away and we believe because we are all grown up that we have to figure things out for ourselves with no guidance. I am very lucky to have a wonderful teacher in my life right now. She has turned out to be a great role model and she gives me so many opportunities to grow. Her name is Nell and she is six years old.

My daughter Nell is probably one of the best teachers I have had. There have been so many valuable lessons she has taught me in her six years of being by my side. Today, I would like to share just one of them with you. Presence.

If you want a lesson on how to live in the moment and be fully present just look down. There are little gurus running around everywhere showing us the way! A child always fully commits to the moment they are in. That’s why it is so hard to get them out of the bath or down the stairs because they are in their moment - the most important moment of all. And this is where we as parents struggle because we live in the future most of the time. We have to quickly get through the now because we can’t be late for the future. We can’t finish this moment because we are already onto the next. It is a horrendous condition and we are slowly seeing the terrible effects it is having on society - we can’t be present and happy in the moment because we are always chasing and seeking something better and we are teaching our children to do the same.

Watching Nell live her life in the present made me ask myself how present am I?

I got an opportunity to practice this for the first time a couple of years ago. I had a sinus infection and to cut a long story short, ended up bursting my ear drum on a flight to Dusseldorf. The pain was unbearable, I honestly believed as the plane started to descend for landing that my head was going to explode. I was petrified. We landed and the pain eased but I was in for a whole night of crippling agony which would lead to me having to find a German doctor to help me understand what was going on. I had to wait to see the doctor for over two hours in a tiny room full of strangers with tears streaming down my face. I had to lock myself in a toilet cubicle as I started to hyperventilate due to the agony. Then all of a sudden a thought flashed into my head. What am I feeling right now? How bad is the pain in this very moment? I was able to calm myself down when I realised I could cope with it. It dawned on me that the anxiety and fear I had about how long this pain could possibly last was adding to my trauma. I was living in the future. Worrying about how long it might take me to recover, how I had ruined our trip, having to get back on a plane but when I focussed on that precise moment, me standing in a bathroom cubicle in Germany, I could cope with what was actually happening in that split second.

Since that day I have tried to practice this ‘presence’ more. Using it as a tool to ease pain or unhappiness. I did it the other night. After having a tough day and feeling a bit blue, I disappeared for 20 minutes, lit some candles and soaked in a bubble bath of lavender and epsom salts. I asked myself as I lay there in one of my favourite places, how I felt that precise moment and I could only answer ‘blissful’. My mood lightened and I enjoyed the rest of my evening as I pulled the plug on my blueness.

So Nell is my Guru. The true definition of a Guru is someone who helps you find your way and then lets you go. My dream is to do the same for Nell.

Without teachers there is no growth and without growth we are not really living. So who will be your next teacher? We are surrounded by them if we just take a moment to stop and look around. And remember, they don’t always come in the traditional packaging.

Namaste.

Laura x