Finding joy is as simple as living in the moment

Guest Commentary:

I have always been the type of person to try and find meaning in just about any given situation. I want to know why (good or bad) a situation has risen, how I should deal with it and what it is going to mean when I am through with it. I like to think that my life has meaning; that my days are filled with meaningful actions and that the time that passes is tainted with positive and sweet marks of myself. The second I feel like what I am doing contains even the tiniest bit of stagnancy and non-meaning, I feel rushed to do something different. Something “better.”

The further I grow into this life, the more I realize that love is everywhere and the extraordinary is waiting quietly beneath the skin of all that is ordinary. Love is under the porch as well as on the top of the mountain and joy is both in the front row and in the bleachers if we are willing to just be where we are. I always forget that mindfulness is a life time practice. I don’t know how to live “in the now” naturally – I just don’t. I jump ahead, I plan, I ask questions, I just like to know. But when I can really delve into a strong mindfulness practice I can begin to see the truth, and the truth is that things are really quite good. Things are never that bad. 

I feel like if we are willing to take an unbiased look, we will find that, in spite of all of our problems and confusion, all our emotional and psychological ups and down, there is something basically good about our existence as human beings. Every human being has a basic nature of goodness, which is undiluted and unconfused, and that deserves our attention. The more mindful we become, the more bold all of the good people around us will become. We can start to view most people as good and less as bad and if someone is acting off we will be strong enough and mindful enough to not take it personally and assume they are just having a rough day.

The days are shorter now, and its an extremely bold reminder that darkness is as much of life as light is. Every single day we have moments of birth and moments of loss no matter how significant or insignificant they are. These are all opportunities for us to practice accepting what is happening, and then letting go. You will actually begin to notice your brain shifts consciously in these instances. You will learn to accept the “here” in every situation even if its uncomfortable. Our minds are trained in dissatisfaction and distraction. Almost always our focus is on something else — not this. We seek another moment for greater happiness — not this. Contentment seems always elsewhere — never here. So I challenge you to focus on this. And today’s this will be much different than tomorrow’s.

Danielle Spillman is a local certified yoga teacher, health enthusiast, and writer. She is known for her accessibility, humor, and ability to empower her students through her teachings of yoga and the arts. You can find more of her musings at www.findyourlightyoga.com.