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Your Health Be where your feet are

Be where your feet are. It seems simple enough, right? How can you not literally be where your feet are? Well, just think about how many times you find yourself having a conversation with someone and thinking about what to say next, how long you have before you need to go or what you have to get accomplished before the day ends.

It is a difficult task to be fully present in each moment of our daily lives. Cellphones, to-do lists and approaching meetings/appointments all distract us from truly being where our feet are.

When I start each yoga class, I tell my students these seemingly simple words. Being where your feet are means being present in the room, being with those around you and not focusing on anything in the past or future.

It is not easy to let go of these lists and distractions that take our minds elsewhere but it is integral to your happiness and peace of mind. One way you can let go of external distractions and focus on the space you are in is to bring awareness to your breath. Oftentimes we get so caught up in the pressure of meetings, work and appointments that we don’t take time to notice what this does to our physical bodies.

Breath is a huge part of yoga and an equally huge part of everyday life. When we feel anxious, breath often times gets trapped in our chests. We have shallow breaths and our hearts begin to beat faster. When we acknowledge this, we can take steps to shift our breathing. Breathe in and out of your nose and send breath all the way down to your belly to calm the mind and body. Let your belly expand on each breath in and let your belly button move toward your spine on each breath out.

Another way to be fully present is to witness your thoughts. Acknowledge the thoughts that pass through your mind. Allow them to enter the mind and be observed. Instead of dwelling on these thoughts, let them pass and then move back into the present moment.

One more suggestion as to being present in the here and now is to feel the energy of those around you. Sensing energy comes much easier to some than others. As a former server and a current yoga instructor I have had lots of practice with sensing energy. I have had to figure out what kind of attitude to take with customers and what type of yoga class students need on a certain day.

When you walk into a room what do you feel? Can you tell if someone is happy or sad? Can you tell if someone wants to talk to you or wants to be left alone? In making these observations of others we not only find ourselves observing the present space where our feet are but we also learn to be more in tune with others.

Be where your feet are. You will find so much more joy in each day and each moment when you are truly present in the here and now.

Robertson is a professional writing and communication graduate of Southwest Minnesota State University. She graduated from Devanadi Yoga School as a registered yoga teacher.

Her column appears monthly in the Independent.

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