Are We in the Present?

 

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Are We in the Present?

Here is a strange question to start with: When was the last time you took a shower - and really just took a shower? Or felt the warmth of the sun on your skin on an ordinary afternoon?

Most of us will struggle to remember. When the water flows over our shoulders, our mind is miles away, rehearsing an upcoming meeting, arguing with a colleague in our head, or reviewing yesterday's mistakes. When the sun touches our face, we are preoccupied with a mounting to-do list, our phone vibrating in our pocket. We were not there for the warmth. We were not there for the breath. We were not there for our own skin.

We inhabit our bodies, yet we rarely inhabit the moment. The tragedy of modern existence is that we are physically in the present, but psychologically lost in transit. The mind behaves like a frantic pendulum, endlessly oscillating between the regrets, guilt, and conditioning of the past, and the anxieties, projections, and ambitions of the future. In doing so, we bypass life entirely. Yet, something as ordinary as bathing, sipping water, or listening to the wind can instantly become meditation - if only we are actually there for it.

The challenge is that we cannot force the mind to stay in the present through sheer willpower. The intellect cannot stop the intellect; trying to silence our thoughts by thinking about silence only creates another layer of noise.

This is where the profound path of Himalayan Samarpan Meditation, guided by self-realised Master Shree Shivkrupanand Swami (Swamiji), offers an effortless breakthrough. Samarpan does not ask us to wage war against our thoughts. Instead, it invites us into the sacred space of unconditional surrender at the lotus feet of the Satguru. Swamiji says just witness the thoughts like we are watching a movie. Clinging onto thoughts – which are usually negative – makes us go into the past or the future. Witnessing makes us distance ourselves from our thoughts – thus giving a feeling of watching a movie.

When we sit in morning meditation, we do not wrestle with the mind; we simply hand over our worries, our ego, and our unending internal monologues to the divine consciousness. By placing the holy lotus feet of Swamiji in our chitta (inner consciousness) and focusing our attention at the Crown Chakra (Sahasrara), a natural stillness descends. The frantic movement of thoughts begins to dissolve, ushering in the state of nirvichar samadhi - pure thoughtlessness.

Living in the present is a direct consequence of this thoughtless state. When the mind ceases its relentless oscillation between yesterday and tomorrow, a massive leak of vital life force (prana) is plugged. An agitated mind burns through immense reserves of vitality through pointless worry and mental chatter. By resting in the 'now', that scattered energy is conserved, integrated, and drawn upward.

In this conserved, silent state, the illusion of separation fades. The small, anxious 'I' merges into the vast ocean of universal consciousness. We discover that peace is not an accomplishment we must achieve; it is our fundamental nature when we stop running away from the present.

The fruits of this inner communion spill naturally into our daily routine. When we leave the meditation mat and re-enter the world, we carry that presence with us. A shower is no longer an automated chore - it becomes an experience of pure presence. Conversations become deeper because we are truly listening, unclouded by internal commentary. Work becomes effortless action because our attention is single-pointed.

Life is not waiting for us ten years from now, nor does it linger in memories of the past. It is beating in our heart and moving through our breath right now. Surrender to the living grace of the Master, allow your awareness to settle at the Sahasrara, and discover the boundless joy of finally being in the present.