The power of Now

Do you know who you are?

The book The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle, came to me a few years ago, and it was one of those books that became a benchmark.

The book opens your eyes to another reality. To a different way of understanding life. And as you read it you’ll be able to expand your own consciousness.

But it’s important to read these occasionally, as it’s very easy to forget these teachings.

Try to be open to what the book tells you and practice what it proposes.

I know there’s a second workbook, but that’s my next step. When you read it and practice it, I’ll tell you all about it.

Tolle tells us that we are beings trapped in our minds, but if you get rid of the mind and connect with your Self, you can leave any suffering behind.

The mind’s chatter

Your mind is constantly talking to you:

• You remember something you did in the past
• It judges the people you relate to
• It compares people or situations
• It complains about everything
• And it keeps up with all your likes and dislikes.

Often based on past experiences, it judges the present and tells you that you shouldn’t risk anything, it’ll go badly, you know what happened to you at that time …

And that mind becomes your mental tyrant, your worst enemy because instead of learning, it makes you see a black future, one which causes discomfort and suffering.

But not all is lost. You can change that state of mind.

You are not your mind

Eckhart says that the fact that you can not experience your true essence is why you perceive yourself as separate from your Self.

That’s when fears and everyday conflicts, whether internal or external, invade your day.

Noticing that you are not your mind, is something you can only FEEL.

And to do it, you need to STOP your mind, and quietly become fully aware of the NOW.

Once you do it, all that will remain is your Self.

Of course, I get it, it’s not easy.

Tolle considered it a disease because humans are incapable of no thinking.

But of course, as it always happens, it seems normal.

But it’s precisely this “mental noise” that prevents you from finding inner calmness.

Character

As your mind dominates it, you create a false self, a character that, without realizing it, will dedicate your life to represent it.

Your character is full of problems and conflicts that lead to an incessant struggle to solve them.

According to the author, this is due to mind fragmentation, ie, to the mind’s identity, you forget that beneath everyone’s appearance, lies what one truly “is”.

So you cannot feel that union and even if you think there is one, you cannot experience it.

Thus, the mind becomes your master and you, its slave, for only it decides, because you can’t “turn it off” or stop thinking at any time.

Free yourself from your mind

Are not you able to “notice” what you’re thinking?

Can the <<observer>> not differentiate what it is thinking?

Well, if you can do that, you can free yourself from your mind.

The first thing you need to do is start paying attention to this observer, that entity “WHO” observes the thoughts, complaints, feelings, images or movies that your mindsets up.

And watch it WITHOUT JUDGMENT.

Because if you criticize what your mind tells you, this means you have become engaged to it.

You’re the observer, but you are NOT your thoughts or your feelings.

Every time you notice this, a sense of presence grows in you, the sense that”someone” is there, watching.

Gain peace

When you’re practicing observing your attention, thoughts lose their strength and you can get some inner peace.

At first, they’ll be few, but if you keep practicing, you’ll achieve more often, by your own will.

Then you’ll begin to feel a subtle joy for being alive, born from the depths of your being.

And that inner peace will settle in you like something natural.

When you can’t longer identify yourself with your mind, stop fighting your external or internal conflicts all the time and fight your problems, and you’ll achieve a quiet and inner joy.

The power of Now

Another way Eckhart recommended us to stop thinking is to direct our attention to NOW.

You just have to be very alert and very aware of the present.

For example, when you climb the stairs, try to pay close attention to each step, focus on the details of the step, realize the movement that your body is doing to go up. Also, watch your breath.

Remain FULLY present.

By focusing on every little detail of the moment, what is happening is happening NOW.

And also you’ll get that degree of inner peace because you are no longer immersed in thoughts of the past or the future and you place yourself in the here and now.

And maybe, over time, one day you’ll be surprised to notice that what the mind thinks isn’t as serious or as important to you, and you’ll have ceased to identify with it.

If you want to buy the book The Power of Now, here’s the link to Amazon (I am affiliated), to make it easier to find. It also has an ebook version:

It really is worth it. So don’t even doubt it.