Have you ever wondered why you feel like the years go faster and faster as you get older?
We recently heard a theory… it’s because we forget to be present.
We forget to live HERE and NOW.
Kids are so damn good at being present, and YES it’s probably because they don’t have a world of responsibility on their shoulders… BUT take a moment to reflect on your childhood.
Children don’t tend to overthink and analyze the past (they’re very good at forgiveness actually). They don’t spend too long feeling anxious about the future or wondering where they’re going to be in 5 years’ time.
They’re here. In the moment.
But as we get older, we start spending more and more time in the past and the future. Our mind LOVES it there.
And oops… we miss out on life completely.
We get so busy trying to get out of the storm (metaphorically AND literally).
Think about it… when was the last time you just got caught in the rain and didn’t care?
“Realise deeply that the present moment is all you ever have.” – Eckhart Tolle
We’re rushing to get to the next thing on the list.
Busy reaching that goal.
Making lunches. Cleaning homes. Watching Netflix. Being a taxi. Counting down minutes on a treadmill. Racing around the grocery store. Annoyed at the red light. Shall we go on? Can we not… we’re exhausted just writing about it.
BUT this is the reality of life in the western world. THERE IS A LOT TO DO.
And the list seems to get longer by the minute.
When did life become a list?
If there is one ‘good’ thing COVID-19 has brought (as yes, it’s brought a lot of sadness, hardship, trauma and death), it’s that perhaps we all need a little more space for nothingness.
Space to just sit. To breathe. To notice. To feel. To be.
We are all so busy just trying to get through the list that we miss out on life itself.
Life only happens NOW.
Wherever you are NOW, this is the life. Even if it’s not your ideal life. This is it.
The past is all but a dream (and in fact, we’re really GOOD at making up the past and using our imaginations to embellish… we ponder back at the ‘good ole days’ and that great love, and this great moment… and how life was ‘better’ back then)…
and the future… well, when it comes, it’s the now, so really the future doesn’t ever exist… but we are so busy wishing we were over THERE, in some future fantasy world where life is ‘better’ again.
We tell ourselves I’ll be happy when X. Y. Z.
We create these rules for happiness. That happiness can only exist when life looks a certain way.
But where did any idea of a certain life come from? Because if there’s anything you can learn from any great philosopher (or great Instagram quote), it’s that life is not certain.
Life is not guaranteed. So why are we trying so hard to make life look a certain way?
There is no ONE way to do life. There is only your way.
And the way your life looks right NOW is exactly the way it is meant to be.
And we know, it might be a hard moment right now. But who said life was easy?
As Glennon Doyle says “We can do hard things!”
If you are alive and reading this (which you are), you know this to be true. Because you have been faced with hard things during your lifetime. And guess what? You got through them.
Instead of wishing you were over there, what if you just breathed a little deeper and allowed yourself to be present in this moment. To feel EVERYTHING.
Because right here, right now, this is life, life is happening. Don’t get so busy that you miss all the in-between magic.
You’ve heard it before. You’re nodding… we know you have. This isn’t your first AHA! But it isn’t ours either.
What we have come to know, is that presence isn’t something you learn and suddenly you’re an expert at it (that would be nice ;)).
Presence is a practice.
A practice that needs your attention each and every day.
It’s your job to figure out what makes you FEEL present.
We talk about this more on the Get Merry podcast like in every single episode.
For us, Yoga, Pilates and Meditation is the ultimate presence creator.
Why? Because you’re moving your body WITH your breath.
And your body and breath are ALWAYS here in the now.
Your body isn’t in the past, your breath isn’t in the future. They are here, waiting for you to join the presence party.
You can learn to use your body and your breath as your anchor back into this moment.
It’s as easy as taking a deep breath into the belly. Feel the body move with the breath. And then let the breath go, notice how the belly softens.
But if you want to take it a step further, we’d LOVE to guide you on your journey to creating a daily presence practice.
So many of our MerryBody members use their at home, online practice with us, as their “me” time.
A moment in otherwise chaotic days where they are guided to simply breathe, move, and be present.
A moment to release the stress of the day.
A moment to work the body, to build strength, tone and flexibility.
And most importantly a moment to cultivate a mindset of acceptance, joy, love and gratitude.
Right now we are giving you the opportunity to test drive it all for 7 days, at zero cost.
That’s right, get access to it ALL… all the Pilates workouts, Yoga classes, Meditations, the Merrybody Facebook Community, plus everything else for an ENTIRE week, for free!
It’s no exaggeration to say Yoga, Pilates, and Meditation completely transformed our lives – and this inspired us to create MerryBody, so you can have the same incredible experience.
Of course, if you have any questions, we are always here to answer them. Simply reach out on our social media pages (@themerrymakersisters and The Merrymaker Sisters) or send us an email!
Always merrymaking,
Emma + Carla