Cherish the Present

Today I feel like borrowing a topic from one of my favorite blogs, Cherish the Present, my friend's blog. She made some excellent observations about the concepts of stillness and motion in today's society:

"Whether you're playing on your blackberry, or biting your nails-people seem to experience a growing absence of stillness in their lives and a constant drive to move. This absence is somewhat media/technology related (ipod games, texts, etc) but it's also driven by our " do it all" and " maximize every minute" cultural psyche. I like to imagine my day as a combination of movement and stillness...I also surprisingly find that my still moments don't detract from my productivity, but rather enhance the moments when I do need to be active."

If you've read previous posts of mine, you'll know that I do believe in seizing the moment and avoiding wasted time on "filler activities" if your heart is set on accomplishing big things. By the same token, part of being a centered, calm and collected person is to embrace moments of stillness in between all the activity and momentum of daily life. Still moments and breaks in the action are often essential to achieving goals and doing so in manner that preserves one's sanity. Almost like a mediator, yoga is a type of exercise and way of life that encompasses both movement and stillness. I have great admiration for the teachings and practices yoga contains, such as focusing on the present moment, breathing techniques, flowing movements and positions, awareness of the body and mind, and meditation.

Cherish the Present is right that today's society, at least Western society and probably also modern Eastern society, puts a great deal of emphasis on high levels of activity, productivity, and movement. There are an increasing number of studies, such as one conducted by the American Academy of Pediatrics, that indicate that watching TV as a toddler may increase propensities for ADHD later in life (http://www.whitedot.org/issue/iss_story.asp?slug=ADHD%20Toddlers). To quote:

"'TV watching "rewires' an infant’s brain, says Dr. Dimitri A. Christakis lead researcher and director of the Child Health Institute at Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center, Seattle, Wash. The damage shows up at age 7 when children have difficulty paying attention in school. 'In contrast to the way real life unfolds and is experienced by young children, the pace of TV is greatly sped up.' says Christakis. His research appears in the April 2004 issue of Pediatrics. Quick scene shifts of video images become 'normal,' to a baby 'when in fact, it’s decidedly not normal or natural.' Christakis says. Exposing a baby’s developing brain to videos may overstimulate it, causing permanent changes in developing neural pathways. "

To anyone who doesn't already practice meditation on a regular basis, why not try to stay absolutely still for a minute, or even five or ten. Can you do an hour? Can you achieve a state of total relaxation and empty the mind for a short period of time? (By the way, sleeping doesn't count!)

Click here to read Cherish the Present!