Zen Mindfulness and the Power of Now

By zenful • January 2, 2009

Zen philosophy says Mindfulness means you are living in the now. The past is over the future does not exist. All that matters is what you are doing at this very moment. Easier said than done, especially since the Bush administration finally decided to tell us we’re in a recession, as he makes a quick exit.

We all have a ton of things on our mind. Personally, I spend my days thinking about my dog dying too soon, my next audition, ways to save more money, my car needs new brake pads, and a plethora of other things. With all of this thinking going on, it’s very easy to become stressed on a daily basis.

Zen practices are a great way to break the cycle of stress, and Mindfulness is the focus of today’s article. Mindfulness means you are living in the present and now. Being Mindful means you are becoming more self aware of your thoughts and feelings, without judging them. It’s perfectly natural to feel nervous, afraid or confused, depending on what’s going on with your life. The task at hand is to accept the feelings, but to also let them go and finish the job.

Do not resist or try to cover the feelings. Doing this only makes it harder to let them go. When we are mindful of them we can only become wiser and more insightful. For example: I have to take my drivers test again so I become nervous. I acknowledge the nervousness and welcome it. I then start to take even breaths, which calm me. After I allow myself to feel nervous, the feeling goes away as I complete my exam. All is good in my world with Zen Mindfulness.