How embracing the present moment transforms your life

Yoga Sutra 4.12 + a meditation on presence

Photo by Julien L on Unsplash

Sutra 4.12: The past and the future always exist in the present. The form an object, thought, or action may take will depend on the characteristics that are apparent in the present moment.

~From Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra

This is the second installment in my series on applying the wisdom of the Yoga Sutra from a mother’s perspective.

Tell me: What can you let go of from your past? What can you stop worrying about in the future? Let me know in the comments below!

Transformation happens in the present

You have no control over what happened in the past. What’s done is done. If you want to transform your future, you can only change your present reality.

Consider the changing characteristics of water in a lake. When it is very cold outside the water turns to ice. The form the water takes changes based on external conditions. Once water becomes ice, its potential to turn back into liquid does not cease to exist but the water won’t turn into liquid again until the external conditions change. If it gets windy, the water will become choppy. If there is no wind, the water will be still. If there is a drought, the water will disappear. The water’s ability to be still, to move, to freeze, or to disappear is always possible given the right external conditions. The potential of the water remains constant, but how you experience the water changes depending on the particular moment you choose to observe it.

You don’t have control over the external conditions that affect your body and mind. You do have control over your actions, your breath, and your mindset. What you choose to do now will affect your future.

There is always infinite potential in the present moment if you pause long enough to notice. Sutra 4.12 empowers you to let go of the past and forget about the future. This is a radical act.

The past is still a part of who you are. It made you. Though the past will always be working unconsciously through you, it does not define you, imprison you, or dictate your choices if you are consciously aware of your presence. As for the future, sutra 4.12 asks you to trust the process, the practices, the universe, and your Self. Your presence will deliver the future you seek.

How I’m embodying sutra 4.12

I’m afraid of labor. You would think having delivered two babies already I’d have gotten over my fear. With my son, I was afraid of the unknown. What would it feel like? No matter how many birthing classes you take or hypnobirthing rainbow meditations you listen to, you can never know how you’ll react to the pain of childbirth until it happens.

With my daughter, I wasn’t afraid. But then I had a traumatic experience. I have precipitous births. My labor with my son was less than four hours. My labor with my daughter was less than three. She came so quickly, I delivered in the triage room. While a short labor sounds nice, it shocks your entire system. I hemorrhaged and had retained placenta. I was so in shock I didn’t even know if I had given birth to a boy or a girl.

I fear with my third I won’t even make it to the hospital. I worry about the potential complications. What if this time I have to endure 24 hours of pain? My past influences how I perceive my future.

I don’t have control over my body’s historically efficient deliveries. I can’t know what will happen this time. Though I have nightmares about my impending third labor, all I can control right now is my present moment awareness. I don’t want to be afraid or worried. I want to be calm, strong, and confident that I can breathe through whatever experience arises.

My presence transforms me, not my past or future. My presence allows me to meet the moment as the me I want to be—my best Self, my True Self. The rest is out of my control.

In my recent interview with

Corie Feiner

(publishing in December) she talked about her path to becoming the poet she is today. Everything in her past led to where she is now, including giving up her career to be with her children, which is what the universe presented her when she invited in presence. If you get mired down by the stories you tell yourself about your past, you miss all the potential in your future. Open up to now. Trust the future will be great even though you can’t know the shape greatness will take.

Presence in daily practice

Experiencing the present moment is perhaps the most profound, yet simple, lesson yoga can offer. The best way to practice presence is to direct awareness to sensation. Create a relationship with your body by guiding attention toward what you’re feeling, even if you don't have the words to describe the feelings. Listen to what is happening within you rather than relying solely on teachers’, journalists’, pop culture’s, even doctors’ instructions. Building awareness builds trust. You can become aware of sensation any moment, any day, anywhere. When fears pop up, when worry starts, when anxiety rears its ugly head, come back to sensation, breath, presence, potential. The future is bright because you’re choosing to be, here, now.

Practice presence now

Tell me: What are you feeling right now? What can you let go of from your past? What can you stop worrying about in the future? Let me know in the comments below!

Meditation on Presence

Practice bringing awareness to sensation in your body with this meditation on presence.