7 Steps to showing someone what it means to be present and why it is important.
Step one: Remind them of the big three. Body mind and soul. All independent but interwoven.
Step two: Ask them if they are the voice in their head. Let them think. Tell them they are not.
Step three: Tell them how the mind is a primal problem solving evolutionary tool. Give examples such as building a shelter, avoiding sabertooth tigers, or doing crossword puzzles.
Step four: Ask them if they have ever been able to stop thinking and just turn off their mind. They may say ‘no’.
Step five: Ask them if they would like to.
Step six: Tell them to take two full breaths in through their nose. Tell them to listen to the sounds. Pause for a moment. Now, listen to the silence under the sounds that allows the sounds to be. Pause for a moment. Now, I want you to look at everything around you. Don’t analyze, just look. Notice the chairs, the tree outside the window, etc. Notice the shapes and colors. Pause for a moment. Now, notice the space that allows everything to be. Pause for a moment.
Step seven: make the connection that the present moment is the only way to stop the mind’s repetitive thought patterns.
There is much much more but this is the first seed that must be planted in order for a person to start his or her journey toward enlightenment.
