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 Known
as the Father of Medicine, Hippocrates defined the philosophy of holistic healing
as one that includes mind, body and soul.
It wasn't until much later that the French philosopher Renee Descartes revolutionized
philosophical thought with one succinct statement: "I think, therefore I am."
With those five words, Descartes changed the course of philosophy, religion and
science for several hundred years. Hearing them, people believed they could intellectualize
their way to health and happiness by taking into account only the power of the mind.
According to Eckhart Tolle, author of The Power of Now, that kind of intellectual
thinking only disconnects us from the body and soul, making us slaves to a materialistic,
shallow perspective. He believes much of our "unease, tension, boredom or nervousness"
stems from an obsession with the mind that separates us from our true selves. If
we constantly plan for the future and regret the past, we will lose touch with what
we can only know or realize when the mind is still. But, according to Tolle, "when
you are present, when your attention is fully and intensely in the now, being can
be felt, but it can never be understood mentally."
Feeling alive and feeling connected with the world allows us to grow spiritually
and to be physically and emotionally healthy. As Tolle notes, "The inability
to feel this connectedness gives rise to the illusion of separation, from yourself
and from the world around you. You then perceive yourself, consciously or unconsciously,
as an isolated fragment. Fear arises, and conflicts within and without become the
norm."
Spiritual Awakening
Having suffered tragedy on a personal level, Tolle discovered how to alleviate suffering
and reconnect with his inner, more peaceful, true self. Through recovery and transformation,
he has taken on the role of teacher, guiding others through difficult circumstances
with a philosophy borne of his own hardship.
"Until my thirtieth year, I lived in a state of almost continuous anxiety interspersed
with periods of suicidal depression. One night not long after my twenty-ninth birthday,
I woke up in the early hours with a feeling of absolute dread ... The silence of
the night, the vague outlines of the furniture in the dark room, the distant noise
of a passing train -- everything felt so alien, so hostile, and so utterly meaningless
that it created in me a deep loathing of the world ...Why carry on with this continuous
struggle?"
Yet, when he learned how to "surrender to what is and become fully present,"
Tolle discovered his salvation.
Transformation
Following that experience, Tolle developed a philosophy that has struck a chord
with people all over the world. That philosophy demands a separation from the thinking-obsessed
self that modern society emphasizes. Further, it maintains that identification with
the mind is the greatest obstacle to achieving joy and enlightenment, and that the
accompanying and continuous mental noise that many of us hear prevents us from reaching
a place of inner stillness.
To escape thinking, Tolle suggests that we get out of our heads and into the moment.
For him, the place of "inner stillness" exists where there are no thoughts,
no ego and no attachments. That place conveys only what the moment has to offer,
and in order to reach it, he advocates jettisoning all internal resistance and yielding
to what is present in the moment. This does not mean ignoring your social circumstances.
Instead, it focuses on recognizing and dealing with those circumstances without
letting them determine who you are.
Living in the Past and Future
When we become preoccupied by past events, we are prevented from living in the now.
For many, the past is a living, painful reality that determines the actions and
emotions of today. Every minute spent bound to a memory is a minute in which you
deny the now. Essentially, the past must be released to allow the now to rush in.
The habitual physical tension created by living in the past makes us more vulnerable
to disease and emotional conflict. Tension in the body promotes the destructive
release of stress hormones and the resulting physiological chaos that accelerates
aging and weakens the immune system. Over a period of time, physical and emotional
turmoil can lead to chronic illness. In contrast, harnessing the power of now helps
to balance mind, body and spirit, creating a holism more conducive to better health.
Living for the future also cuts us off from the now. In Tolle's view, "People
look to the future for the promise of fulfillment, and there is continuous striving
toward that fulfillment." But that compulsive forward perspective is illusionary
and often proves frustrating.
Living in the Present
By living in the now, we release physical and emotional tension. As that happens,
awareness and focus shift to embrace the truth within. According to Tolle, we cannot
achieve lasting transformation unless we learn to recognize what is false.
By living in the present, Tolle reminds us, we open ourselves to God. Though not
a new message, this reemergence of a basic, spiritual truth harkens back to the
basic tenets of Christianity, Judaism, Native American beliefs, Buddhism and Islam.
This universality is a key reason Tolle's spiritual teaching has been so well received
worldwide. Living in the now opens a pathway to enlightenment and happiness and
allows us to leave behind problems and suffering. When we release past suffering
and stop worrying about the future, we allow ourselves to turn from pain to joy.
Ways to Change
To find out if we are living in the moment, we must ask ourselves "Is there
joy, ease, and lightness in what I am doing?" If the answer is yes, we are
living in the moment. Otherwise, we need to ask, "How can I change my approach
to life?"
To access the power of now, we have to move deeply within ourselves and drop the
mental images of our body. We must erase the distinction between the inner body
and the outer body. With oneness comes surrender, and with surrender comes peace.
Tolle suggests that for a few minutes each day we should direct our attention inward.
He cautions against thinking about the body or holding onto images of what we think
our bodies are. Instead, he encourages us to feel the aliveness of our bodies.
"Most illnesses creep in when you are not present in the body. If the master
is not present in the house, all kinds of shady characters will take up residence
there. When you inhabit your body, it will be hard for unwanted guests to enter,"
writes Tolle.
Just Breathe
Living in the present and maintaining that sense of inner self isn't always easy
when navigating life's daily pressures. How can we stay in the moment when the kids
are late for school, the boss is angry or we just had a fender bender? Experts suggest
focusing on our breathing to endure a crisis. Conscious breathing brings us back
in touch with our bodies and releases tension. We should continue conscious breathing
until the worry and anxiety pass and we are once again in touch with our inner selves.
By doing so, writes Tolle, we will "reach that place within ... where the truth
is recognized when it is heard."
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