Living in the Present

Learning the Wisdom of Now
Wanting to live in the present is something many people find frustrating. They are told that life renews itself in the present moment, that the burden of the past disguises the joy that is always available in the present. The problem is that these lovely promises are hard to translate into personal experience. You need to probe a little deeper...
A Meditation for Healing Heartbreak
Try this meditative practice to soothe heartbreak and grief. 
Harnessing the Power of Om for Inner Peace
For most people in the West, chanting "Om" is a practice that's typically reserved for the beginning or the end of a yoga class. As this chant fills the classroom with beautiful resonance, you may notice a subtle shift in your state of mind. For many people, chanting Om brings about a sense of peace and relaxation, moving you from...
Ask Roger: How to Reside in the Field of Infinite Possibilities
For the Ask Roger column, Roger Gabriel, Chopra’s Chief Meditation Officer, answers questions from our community. If you have a general question for Roger around meditation and spiritual practices, please send an email to askroger@chopra.com, and your question may be one he answers next.In this article, Roger answers questions about manifestation meditation, managing uncomfortable emotions, and staying in the present...
Using Self-Compassion to Connect with Others
Despite the power of technology to connect us with others, we live in a society of loneliness, polarization, and isolation. The social media platforms originally designed to connect us are instead driving us apart. Not to mention the global pandemic that has kept us physically distanced from our community members.Although it might appear counterintuitive, offering yourself a healthy dose of...
Present-Moment Awareness: A Better Way to Stay in Control
Feeling in control is a critical issue in everyone's life. Most people are uncomfortable being out of control—a state that produces anxiety, uncertainty, confusion, panic, and loss of self-confidence, depending on how severe the loss of control is. Let's see what a natural way of being in control looks like.Control Starts at the Cellular LevelIf you live entirely in the...
Ayurveda for a Calm Mind and Spirit
Thousands of years before the advent of modern medicine, Ayurveda taught humans that everything in nature is interconnected and interdependent and that human beings, blessed with a sound body, mind, and spirit, are inseparable from the natural world, are an integral part of the living, intelligent, and self-regulatory entirety.Ayurveda teaches us that the way to create an alignment or “balance”...
Why Traveling is Good for Your Mental Health
“Be a traveler, not a tourist” - Anthony BourdainLately, I've been considering getting these words tattooed on my body somewhere. I think about them all the time. This one sentence helps me reflect on not just the places I’ve been, but the experience of those places. I think about the stars in Saint-Tropez that I watched on a dark night...
The Effects of Gratitude on Heart Health
When you recognize that something or someone is valuable to you so much that you cannot put a monetary value on it, you are filled with a sense of gratitude. You feel grateful for being a part of that experience. It is an affirmation of all that is good in your life.“Gratitude for the gift of life is the primary...
Grounding Techniques to Help Root You in the Present Moment
Research continues to observe a clear connection between presence, focus, and psychological health. Yet, the tug of distractions, unwanted memories, challenging emotions, and rumination can persist, pulling your attention away and making it difficult to cope or concentrate on the present moment.Grounding can help bring you back.“The reason grounding exercises work so well at rooting you in the present moment...
5 Secrets of Natural Renewal
Renewal is such an appealing concept that it is held out by advertisers for skin creams, vitamins, diets, and exercise machines. But in reality, your existence depends on every cell in your body knowing with perfect precision how to renew itself. There are hardly any cells in your body today that were there when you were born, and certain types...
Embodying Gratitude Through Asana
Coming to my mat has always been a space to surrender, a space where I take time to connect with myself. It was on my mat that I first learned what it felt like to embody gratitude as a way of being rather than an external expression. So frequently gratitude is expressed outward, where we thank those around us or...
Practices for Steadiness and Presence
In the same way that we see leaves fall away from the trees, this season is the time for us to shed some of the clutter we’ve picked up over the course of this past year. We’re well into Vata season by now and this airy energy tends to leave us feeling as if we are a part of the...
Honor Your Process: How to Find Acceptance Where You Are Now
We can’t always control the circumstances of our lives, but we can control how we react to them. The way we respond to what’s going on in our day-to-day can have a considerable impact on how we manage, shift, and move through difficult situations. Meeting your present reality with acceptance is a powerful practice. Acceptance doesn’t mean that you succumb...
Parenting as a Spiritual Practice
If you want to change the world, become an activist. If your goal is inner peace, become a monk. If you wish to know yourself, become a parent. Raising children uncovers aspects of a parent’s nature that otherwise might remain latent. A cooing baby is likely to reveal unfathomable depths of love while a defiant teenager has the potential to...
How to Strengthen Your Self-Trust and Become More Resilient
Sometimes self-trust can be confused with thinking you need to have all the right answers or that you will always make the best decisions. However, self-trust is the solid reliance on your own integrity. It’s believing in and being kind to yourself regardless of outcomes.This isn’t always easy. If you feel challenged to trust yourself, know you’re not alone. It’s...
Make Yourself New Again
Ready to shed the old and blossom into a vibrant new you? Learn how to break free from limiting habits, challenge stale beliefs, and unlock the innate renewal potential within.
Expand Your Awareness to Expand Your Life
This year the arrival of summer coincides with the perfect time to expand your life. A difficult year has created problems that have gained publicity like increased anxiety and depression. But at a deeper level, even noticing no symptoms, almost everyone has experienced contracted awareness. When awareness contracts, you are less optimistic, see fewer opportunities, and fear that normal life...
8 Ways to Heal Your Soul After a Loss
Grief and loss are natural life experiences; feelings of grief can be a process you move through. How you start healing after a loss determines how you deal with loss.
Cómo Ser Tu Mejor Persona en este Viaje que Cambia la Vida
Los momentos difíciles pueden ser complicados de comprender a veces, pero siempre hay una sabiduría que proviene del sufrimiento o de cualquier reto en la vida. Se necesita mucha gracia para mirar hacia atrás a los eventos de su vida en los que luchó y descubrir las lecciones.Sin embargo, al hacerlo, empiezas a reconocer que otra historia estaba en juego,...
How to Be Your Best Self on This Life-Changing Journey
Take the difficult moments in your life and find the wisdom to become your best. Learn how take life on with grace and improve yourself.
11 Ways to Become the Best Version of Yourself
Want to become the best version of yourself? Learn how to with these 11 tips from the experts at Chopra today!