It’s week 36 and I had to do my hike on a Wednesday because I spent the last six days in San Diego, hanging with some of the most wonderful people on the planet…fellow life coaches.  The focus this trip was on exploring mindfulness…being fully present in the moment as much as possible… and it was life changing.  I truly believe that the only place we can experience God’s presence is in the present (I think that’s a famous quote, but a half hour spent Google-searching it failed to yield a source).  So the more I can stay in the present moment, the more I am aware of and drenched in His presence.

It was an unbelievable experience…and one I plan to continue practicing.  So that was the plan on this week’s hike…to stay present.   Every time I caught my mind analyzing the past or worrying about the future, the goal was to gently bring it back to the present.

It’s not as easy as it might sound.  Some days my brain is like a pinball machine, ricocheting from a judgment about something that happened in the past (“I wish I had handled that differently”) to a worry about the future (“What if work is so busy I’ll have to work late every night this week?”) and right back to a regret about something that I didn’t get done by the deadline.  I decided that I would use my sense of smell to stay present.  Every time I caught my mind wandering into the past or looking into the future, I would stop and take a number of deep breaths in and out through my nose and really experience the various smells that I noticed as a result.

It made what ended up being a bit of a rainy hike a lot more fun, and I actually ended up staying out on the trail much longer than I normally would given the weather.  I had no time limit, so I was able to stop and breathe in often, just pausing to try to differentiate the smells in one area from another.  When I first got on the trail, there was a strong “river” smell – kind of fishy and algae-like.   With the dampness of the rain I noticed a strong earthy, almost charcoal smell along other parts of the trail…indicative of the layers of rotting leaves and vegetation fading into the ground.  I could’ve had my eyes closed when I got to the pine forest at the top of the meadow…the unmistakable smell of pine sap overpowered every other scent.

Breathing in deeply and intentionally, plus paying attention to the various smells, kept filling me with this almost indescribable sense of comfort and home.  I grew up in the woods, so I’m not surprised.  What did surprise me is how much pleasure, warmth and love I felt in my chest every time I did so.  I couldn’t help but smile each time.   This practice also brought my mind back to God’s presence with me at that very moment…enjoying what He created and marveling at the richness of it all.  As an added benefit, I lost all sense of time. The ability to just be there…in the moment…not worrying about anything else…gave me a gift of calmness that stayed with me long after I left the trail.

I can’t recommend this practice enough.  Whether it’s stress at work, frustration with your singleness, or worry about an upcoming challenge, I guarantee that taking some time to pull away…even if it’s just for an hour a week…will serve you well. For you, this might mean getting out for a walk with your dog, or enjoying a great meal with your friends, or listening to some awesome music.

Why not schedule an hour this week to do one of your favorite activities, then strive to stay present during every minute of it?  You could try the breathing technique I used to concentrate on smells, or close your eyes and explore all the different layers of sound you are experiencing, or just look around and notice details about the things around you.  Every time you find your mind wandering, just take a deep breath in and start over.

Here are just a few of the benefits you can expect:

1. An enhanced sense of God’s presence
2. The sensation of time slowing down…making the hour you actually spend seem much longer
3. A deeper appreciation for whatever activity you are pursuing
4. A feeling of calm and peacefulness that will last beyond the end of your activity

In simple terms, what this does is give your mind a break from over-analyzing, worrying, and stressing. It brings you into a more peaceful state and it connects you with God in a way that helps shift your small perspective to His big perspective, no matter what  your current situation is.

I’d love for you to try it this week and let me know what you found!  Let us know in the comment section below what activity you chose and what kind of difference it made to be mindful and present during the activity.  Collectively, we can give each other some great new ideas to try!  And in the meantime, as always, have a GREAT week!