The buses were on strike yesterday so I was on foot all day.
I decided to take advantage of the walk and chose a slightly longer but decidedly more beautiful route home, along the Promenade Anglais, the walkway that skirts the bay here in Nice.
Not to weather brag, here, but man, was it choice! The sun was shining, temp was like 56°f/13°c the ocean an azure blue, and it just felt damn good to be alive on the last day in January in Nice, France.
As I was walking, completely in love with life, I saw a cafe right on the beach, like there are tables and chairs set up right on the pebbles (no sand on this beach). I’ve walked by that cafe dozens of times and never ventured down justifying that while it looked lovely, I didn’t have the time, it looked too chic, or that it might be too expensive.
Not this day.
This day, it was too inviting to pass up. I marched down, grabbed a chair facing the ocean, and promptly ordered a cappuccino.
Then I sat.
Almost immediately, I noticed the impulse to NOT be there, meaning to pull out my phone and capture a moment that I hadn’t even had yet. I noticed the impulse to check my social media, answer emails, or send a text. Why can’t we just allow ourselves the pleasure of a moment?
I welcomed that feeling, recognized it as an impulse, and witnessed it for a hot second. Then I responded to that information by consciously deciding to check productivity and distraction at the door.
I gazed at the ocean.
I traced the slow, singular procession of a sailboat drifting along the horizon.
I relished the sun glinting like stars off the ocean, making a spectacular light show that seemed to be reserved just for me, that is unless anyone else was taking the time to drink in this miraculous scene hiding in plain sight, camouflaged as the ordinary and mundane so that we all don’t lose our minds with its beauty.
I recognized how much it’s a practice to be present in the moment, even, (perhaps especially) in moments that seem so great. It’s a practice because we seem to be wired to want to distract ourselves from the moment we are having. This messes with time and makes it feel like it moves too slow or too fast.
I told myself, “Scottro, DO NOT rush your way through life.” Take the time by practicing being in this moment.
Presence is a pre-qualifier for pleasure. To practice loving and savoring this incredible life, learn to be here, now, with exactly what life is giving you in this moment.
And yes, I am human so I did snap a pic (not 70) of the moment, one that I was actually having rather than pretending to have.
Then I put my phone away and proceeded to take an eternity to drink my cappuccino in decadent little frothy sips.
How do you savor your life?
Do you find it as challenging as I do sometimes to really be present, even with the good times?
What are the moments you want to savor more of?
Personally, I consider it a massive victory to wake up, even momentarily, from the stupor of mindlessness into a moment of true presence. Surely it will be a lifetime of practicing and perhaps when I’m on my last breath, I can be completely present with that sublime moment and savor all the other moments of deep presence which has prepared me for that supreme moment of presence.
I think that for me, Yoga Nidra has been perhaps my greatest teacher of presence. As a Yoga Nidra teacher, I’ve also witnessed countless students also receive the life-changing benefits of the presence afforded by Yoga Nidra, everything from better sleep, better relationships, and better perspective on life.
I’m offering my next live and online Yoga Nidra training starting in a few weeks. Please consider joining me to see for yourself how this gentle yet powerful practice can help you and your students also develop a keen presence and perspective for your one incredible life.
I’ve changed the format for my live trainings to be what I hope are the best, most comprehensive, and personalized Yoga Nidra trainings out there. Please take a look join me if you’re interested. I’d love to practice this level of presence with you.
May we all practice savoring life!
