"Breathe deeply and appreciate the moment. Living in the moment could be the meaning of life."
I'll be honest, when I first joined lululemon and read the manifesto, my reaction to this statement was "That's great, but I already have my list of everything to do today!"
Ever wondered if we've organized ourselves out of appreciating what's around us? I am a relentless planner and a bit of an organizational powerhouse (it's when you start to make lists of lists that you know you have a problem). Recently, I realized that I rarely had a day off in my diary that wasn't already planned to perfection. What would happen if I went off the map a little more, I wondered?
day one:
I left my day off completely open (this gave me mild heart palpitations), and got a last minute tweet that Olympic freestyle skiers were giving a demonstration of their aerial skills downtown. I was there, camera in hand, 10 minutes later! I would never have caught this awesome event if, as usual, I had planned my day to perfection.
Score one for living in the moment...
day two:
Waking up to sunshine in Vancouver, I resolved to spend a morning appreciating the small things that make living here so amazing. Along the way, I spent some time with the fall leaves in Stanley Park, noticed that there is a great little cafe two blocks away from me where you can get a mean game of bocce, and chatted to a total stranger on the bus about my love of all things Twitter (only possible because for once I wasn't checking my planner en route). In the groove...
See what happens when you have time to look down?
day three:
Now in the swing of my new mindset, I flew by the seat of my pants and attended a brand new type of yoga class- possible only because I hadn't previously scheduled myself one to go to! When a friend of mine called one night and suggested I try Anusara, I swallowed my nervousness (partner yoga? what if I knocked them over?), and faced my biggest living in the moment challenge yet. One hour later, I couldn't believe it as my partner helped me into an inverted standing split. For once, my brain was not spinning out of control, anticipating the next few hundred things I was going to do. I was able to relax and just be in the physical moment, working with my body and setting no limits for where I could go.
What helps you to stay in the moment? I'd love to hear your tips!
