Illustration by Author, Jace Loi
— See more @MingMindfulness on Instagram.
“Arrive here now”
“Here… in this moment”
“There isn’t anywhere but here.”
A yoga class.
A session of mindfulness meditation.
An article on mental well-being.
If you are on the journey of healing, spiritual exploration, personal growth, etc, you will likely hear this. It’s the word to end all words.
“Shush, shush, let go.. be here.” And silence usually ensues. Not another word shall be said or risk being judged by fellow ‘non-judgmental’ upholders of ever-loving peace.
What does ‘here’ mean to you though?
Present moment? Ease? A new beginning?
A more conscious, awakened or, aware state?
It seems to be an elusive state that is constantly pursued as the ‘ideal’. A demand by a loved one. A common blame of someone’s lack of ‘here-ness’.
It’s like a constant irreconcilable existential struggle, that your physical body is here but yet you are not here. How is that possible in the first place? Why is it so difficult? One moment I get it, and ‘poof’, gone the next. Surely there must be some ways I could make this more permanent, more…
Now, now… gently dropping to the…
Breath.
Here.
The greatest potential of ‘here’ is that it means nothing.
There is no story, no meaning, no past, no future. Not acceptance and not rejection. It’s nothing. Yet it is also full of everything that life is offering right now.
The beauty of ‘here’ is that it is both nothing and everything all at once.
No beginning and no ending. You don’t have to create it or work on it to experience it. No holding, striving, explaining, justifying, or proving anything.
Living here is real, boundless, immersive, and… nothing else.
Anew in this moment… In this moment… And in this moment.
Always available to you.
Here.
