HEALTH
Health is wellness of the body, the mind, and the soul; their alignment with one another is the art of living well.
and
TIPS
WISDOM
Wisdom is understanding of the self, others, and the nature of things; it is essential to living as if everything is a miracle.
In the Now
Living in the now is not easy in this day and age with the advancement of technology. Speed is everything, and performance is based on speed and efficiency, such that the human mind becomes naturally compulsive.
We are also living in an assumptive world, which means we all tend to assume, predict, and expect certain things to happen in our lives. So, we look back at the past, and hope against hope that will help us predict the future.
Our actions or inactions are derived and driven by our thoughts and memories of our past experiences. If those experiences were negative, our conscious and subconscious mind will tell us to avoid them in the future; on the other hand, if they are positive, they tend to instruct us to repeat them in the future. Accordingly, the human mind will constantly be shuffling between the past and the future. As a result, it seldom stays in the present moment. To illustrate, while talking on the cell phone, how often do we talk about what happened or what we are going to do next? If we think more deeply, the subject of our conversation mostly involves the past or the future. In a worse scenario, if you are talking or texting while driving, your mental focus is certainly not on the now-which is driving your car.
The first step to train your mind to focus more on the present is to concentrate on your breathing. Most of us are totally unaware of our breaths, unless we are short of breath after running or climbing stairs, or due to some medical conditions that may cause difficulties in breathing. Concentration on how you breathe in and breathe out, as well as your body’s sensations during the inhalation and exhalation trains you to develop mindfulness, which is concentration on the present moment. Understand that your body is yours only, and it is always with you. Finding the moment-by-moment relationship with your body through your breathing is your pathway to wellness of the body, the mind, and the soul.
TIPS: We are not in control of our fates and destinies. Do what we can with what we have, and let God do the rest. Remember, everything in this world follows the laws of nature: what goes up must also come down, just like the four seasons.
Stephen Lau
Copyright© by Stephen Lau
Living in the now is not easy in this day and age with the advancement of technology. Speed is everything, and performance is based on speed and efficiency, such that the human mind becomes naturally compulsive.
We are also living in an assumptive world, which means we all tend to assume, predict, and expect certain things to happen in our lives. So, we look back at the past, and hope against hope that will help us predict the future.
Our actions or inactions are derived and driven by our thoughts and memories of our past experiences. If those experiences were negative, our conscious and subconscious mind will tell us to avoid them in the future; on the other hand, if they are positive, they tend to instruct us to repeat them in the future. Accordingly, the human mind will constantly be shuffling between the past and the future. As a result, it seldom stays in the present moment. To illustrate, while talking on the cell phone, how often do we talk about what happened or what we are going to do next? If we think more deeply, the subject of our conversation mostly involves the past or the future. In a worse scenario, if you are talking or texting while driving, your mental focus is certainly not on the now-which is driving your car.
The first step to train your mind to focus more on the present is to concentrate on your breathing. Most of us are totally unaware of our breaths, unless we are short of breath after running or climbing stairs, or due to some medical conditions that may cause difficulties in breathing. Concentration on how you breathe in and breathe out, as well as your body’s sensations during the inhalation and exhalation trains you to develop mindfulness, which is concentration on the present moment. Understand that your body is yours only, and it is always with you. Finding the moment-by-moment relationship with your body through your breathing is your pathway to wellness of the body, the mind, and the soul.
TIPS: We are not in control of our fates and destinies. Do what we can with what we have, and let God do the rest. Remember, everything in this world follows the laws of nature: what goes up must also come down, just like the four seasons.
Stephen Lau
Copyright© by Stephen Lau
