Becoming Truly Alive: Awakening to the Present Through Mindful Energy
Observe a child absorbed in play. Notice time dissapearing when immersed in an activity. These rare moments offer a glimpse of what it means to be fully present—to be truly alive rather than merely existing.
Yet for many of us, these experiences remain fleeting exceptions rather than our natural state. We move through our days on autopilot—physically present but mentally absent, our attention fragmented between ruminating on the past and planning for the future. We are, in a sense, half-alive.
The ancient wisdom of Zen offers a different possibility: that mindfulness isn't just a practice but a gateway to awakening our full vitality and presence.
The Difference Between Existing and Living
There's a profound difference between simply existing in the world and being fully alive within it. Existence is automatic—our hearts beat, our lungs breathe, our bodies move through space. But true aliveness requires something more: the quality of presence that mindfulness cultivates.
When mindfulness dwells in you, you become completely alive. With mindfulness, you dwell in the present moment, experiencing life directly rather than being lost in thought or unconsciousness.
This quality of presence is not about experiencing extraordinary experiences but about experiencing ordinary life extraordinarily. It's about bringing your whole self—your awareness, attention, and energy—to whatever is happening right now.
The Energy of Mindfulness
Mindfulness isn't just a mental state but an energy that transforms our experience. When the energy of mindfulness dwells in you, something remarkable happens—you become more vibrant, more awake, more connected to both yourself and the world around you.
This energy has several distinct qualities:
Illumination: Mindfulness shines a light on what would otherwise remain unconscious or overlooked. It reveals both the beauty and the suffering that we might normally miss in our haste or distraction.
High vibrational frequency: This mindful energy creates a field that promotes well-being. It increases our capacity to embrace what's difficult and nourishes what's beneficial.
Connection: The energy of mindfulness bridges the gaps—between mind and body, between self and other, between what we are and what we might become.
Healing: When we bring mindful energy to our pain, something shifts. The light of awareness helps us hold our suffering with compassion rather than resistance.
As Thich Nhat Hanh teaches, this energy is nothing less than the presence of the Buddha within us—the awakened quality of understanding, compassion, and life that exists in everyone. When we activate this energy through mindfulness, we access a deeper dimension of being.
Cultivating Mindfulness in Daily Life
The beautiful truth about mindfulness is that it isn't limited to formal meditation. While sitting meditation is valuable, true mindfulness extends into every aspect of our lives.
We can practice walking with mindfulness, washing dishes with mindfulness, watering vegetables with mindfulness. Each activity becomes an opportunity to cultivate presence and grow the seed of awakening within us.
This integration of mindfulness into ordinary activities is where the real transformation happens. Instead of dividing life into "mindfulness practice" and "everything else," we begin to see that every moment offers a chance to be fully present.
The key is intention. When we consciously choose to bring awareness to what we're doing, we step out of automatic pilot and into the aliveness of the present moment. We move from doing to being.
Connecting with Life's Source
At the deepest level, mindfulness connects us to the very energy that animates all existence. When we generate the same life-giving quality that brings everything into existence, we allow whatever we intend to create in our lives to come into being.
This is not a mystical pronouncement but a practical reality. When our awareness is clear and present, we naturally align with the creative forces of life. We become vessels through which vitality, love, beauty, and compassion can flow.
This is why genuine vitality is accessible only when we free our minds. Unless we free our minds first, we cannot access authentic vitality. The mind clouded by worry, regret, and judgment blocks the very energy it seeks.
The Awakening Process
Becoming truly alive is an evolutionary process. With each moment of mindfulness, we grow beyond our current limited self. As we practice, we experience a sense of possibility and newfound opportunity with each evolution.
This process involves:
- Removing what contributes to disconnection: Identifying and releasing patterns of thought and behavior that separate us from the present moment.
- Balancing the effects of past conditioning: Processing adaptations and limitations that keep us trapped in old ways of being.
- Stepping into a new paradigm: Embracing a way of existence based on presence, connection, and aliveness rather than fear, separation, and automaticity.
As we progress on this journey, we become increasingly aware of our thoughts and feelings. We learn to witness them without being controlled by them. This awareness reveals the whole process of the mind, allowing us to see how we've limited ourselves and how we might break free.
Choosing Moment by Moment
The path to becoming truly alive isn't about some grand transformation but about a series of moment-by-moment choices. In each instant, we can choose presence over distraction, connection over isolation, aliveness over numbness.
This might mean choosing to give zero concern about others' opinions of you, clearing the deck for your infinite potential. It might mean developing a mindset that stays open to all possibilities, refusing to rule out the ability to use awareness as your primary tool for combating long-held thinking habits.
When we take these daily steps to align our thoughts and feelings with our deepest truth, we harmonize with the field of intention that sustains all life. We discover that being in harmony with this flow is the highest state of purpose we can attain.
Living from the Soul
When we live from the essence of who we are, there's nothing missing. The searching stops. The anxiety fades. We recognize that we already have everything we need to be fully alive.
This doesn't mean our external circumstances magically perfect themselves. Rather, we develop the capacity to be present with whatever arises, experiencing it fully without resistance or attachment.
In this presence, we discover a quality of aliveness that isn't dependent on things going our way. We find joy in the simple act of being, of witnessing the miracle of each moment as it unfolds.
An Invitation to Practice
How might you begin to cultivate this quality of mindful energy in your own life? Here are some suggestions:
- Start with the breath: Take a few moments each day to simply follow your breath. Notice the sensations of breathing without trying to change anything. This simple practice reconnects you to the present moment.
- Choose one daily activity: Select one routine activity—brushing your teeth, washing dishes, walking to your car—and commit to doing it with full awareness. Notice the sensations, emotions, and thoughts that arise as you engage in this simple act.
- Practice embodiment: Throughout the day, pause to notice the sensations in your body. Feel your feet on the ground, the air on your skin, the movement of your breath. Your body is always in the present—it can be your anchor when the mind wanders.
- Cultivate wonder: Approach ordinary experiences with curiosity and openness, as if experiencing them for the first time. What might you discover about the taste of food, the sound of rain, or the feeling of sunlight when you bring fresh attention to it?
- Remind yourself of aliveness: Post notes in places you'll see them with simple reminders: "Be here now." "This moment matters." "Wake up to your life."
Remember, the goal isn't to achieve some perfect state of constant mindfulness but to gradually increase the moments of presence in your life. Each time you return to the now, you strengthen the muscle of awareness and awaken more fully to the life that is already yours.
The light of mindfulness awaits your invitation. When you welcome it in, you'll discover that being truly alive isn't about doing more or having more—it's about being more fully present to the miracle that your life already is.
Wishing you well,
Howard
"I don't know what I don't know, and I'm always a work in progress."