I attended a craniosacral seminar for pediatrics this past weekend with Dr. Benjamin Shield, and on of the things he said has been resonating around my mind so I thought I’d share. He said:

all healing takes place in the present

Now this may seem simplistic - of course it takes place in the present, we can’t time travel - but if we really ask ourselves how much of our day we spend in the actual present moment, I think we begin to have some insight into what he meant. Think about it, how much of our days are spent thinking, planning, preparing, anticipating or worrying about what might happen next. How often do our thoughts wander into a possible future conversation, activity or situation? Then think about how much of our time is spent reviewing and revisiting the past. Recalling and discussing an interaction, memory or occurrence. Repeatedly reliving something that happened a year, a month or a day ago.

Now think of how much time we spend in the actual present. That means that when we are walking somewhere, we are only thinking of our feet hitting the pavement and the feel of the breeze on our skin. When we are driving, we are thinking about the road and the other drivers - not the music or reliving our day in our head. When we are washing dishes or folding laundry, that is all we are thinking of and focusing on. Get the idea?

One of the wonderful benefits of craniosacral therapy is that it can bring us into the present moment. There are so many potential moments during the day that we can do this to ourselves, I propose that if we could all take a bit more time to practice being present, we would find that the healing Benjamin spoke of would follow. So, the next time you are eating lunch by yourself, why not try just eating. Feeling the food in your mouth and each of the flavors. If your mind pulls away into the future or past, just notice it and pull it back to the food. See what happens - and if you feel like it, let me know!