11 Feb Do you have the right recipe for happiness?
Check out this very interesting article via the Huffington Post by Lisa Portolan
For the past 50 years or so, the favoured mantra among the mindfulness and wellness community has been 'live in the moment'. Be present (insert multiple exclamation points) we're told.
Since yoga and meditation was popularised in the West in the '70s, we've been in the throes of 'present-mania'. Books like Eckhart Tolle's The Power Of Now and gurus like Deepak Chopra have flooded the market. We need to be here, in the now, in this very moment. Stop thinking, stop reflecting, stop cogitating. Just be present.
Our social media accounts are flooded with the 'now' rhetoric on a daily basis. We see multiple versions of the message in their feed on an daily basis — "just breathe" or "you are here" or "live the moment" — a speedy Google search will yield many variables.
The idea of being present and the need for us to be present to enjoy our lives has become an ingrained part of our collective consciousness. Once you have a cultural juggernaut like Oprah espousing the idea, then there's really no turning back. It's out there — one giant 'be present!' slogan hanging over each of our heads like we're trapped in some Eckhart-Tolle comic strip.
But what if they got it wrong? What if being present is a false lead? What if "being present" is actually leading us to unhappiness?
…keep reading the full & original article HERE