When anxiety rises, I think back to Ram Dass, and my mantra becomes,

In This Moment….In THIS Moment….in. This. moment….

 

I am cultivating a home yoga practice, bit by bit. The other day during yoga, I found my mind wandering ahead to the future. Usually it passes, and I can bring myself back into the moment, but the subject matter is highly stressful for me right now, and it kept sticking.

My lungs were tight, and my belly was full of the anxiety of the thoughts, so I recited, slowly and deliberately, “In This Moment” over and over. When I saw Ram Dass speak, he brought my attention to the moment with this mantra.

Nothing exists but the present, except in our mind.

When your mind is racing, how do you bring yourself back to the present? When just focusing on your breath doesn’t seem to be enough to center yourself, what is your practice?