Don't be such a 'Niemen'. That is: why the present moment is so important and why it is worth reviewing beliefs from the past.

When I look for a new book, I simply visit a bookshop and let THE BOOK to select me. This way I always find something that makes the best comment for my life at the given moment. This is how I discovered the Eckharta Tolle's book called: 'The power of now'. It absorbed me and amazed me entirely. I felt it connected me with something very important and it answered so many bothering me questions! The key to experience deep joy, a feeling of freedom from any fear and suffering is THE PRESENT MOMENT. That's it. The feeling of conscious being and living in the present moment brings such a powerful dose of inner joy, that is simply cannot be compared to any pleasure that origins from the outer, material world. Being conscious of fact that I AM is beautiful and this is real life. Have you ever thought about it?

Current world is defined by continuous rush. We constantly worry about the future, things we need to do, problems that will 'certainly' happen. Our thoughts wander very often also to the past, from where mainly our sorrow origins. As a consequence life becomes a constant swinging between the past and the future. We lose ability to connect with the present moment and we live not in a real world but in the world created by our mind. In a way, we live in our minds. The world is seen not as it is, but as we were told it is or we imagined it. The relations we have with people around are often based entirely on some learnt patterns form the past. And these patterns, if never revised and updated, they might significantly distort the picture of TODAY. But the life is real, you are real, the people around you are real and they are not just one dimensional projections from your mind.

'So for all these years I have not been living for real!?' - I thought. How many sunsets, flowers on my way, smiles of the people I passed by, how many breaths went by before I even realised them and experienced them! So for all this time I have not been living in the present moment? I took for granted some version of the world that defined people as basically untrustworthy and relations with them as dangerous. I thought that with every step there is some disaster waiting for me, that...and then I was lucky to meet Niemen.

My dearest horse and the most precious teacher so far. Filigree, dark bay with an adorable star on his head, but behaving terribly bad while being cleaned before a ride. Niemen became famous in the stable for his dangerous behaviour while being saddled. He was able to bite and kick. He used to be very tense and would warn you with his teeth. I gave up with the first meeting. Someone else saddled him for me. I could not believe though that a horse that defends himself so intensely form a human can at once behave and perform so outstandingly during a ride! Sensitive, gentle, dynamic, eager to work, exceptionally ambitious, engaged, reacting quickly to my comments and putting all his heart in what he does. I reflected a bit on Niemen and felt how close he is for me. He pictured my life I have lived so far in such a beautiful way. He let me understand thanks to this, how much I have missed and how many things I can gain from now on.

Fot. Darek Gross. Edition Letki

Niemen is an example of a horse that most probably experienced some unpleasant human behaviour. He must have experienced something exceptionally deep, that shaped his views on humans so firmly. No matter how much I tried to communicate him my empathy and good intentions, he would always secure himself warning me with his teeth. I saw him struggling with a dilemma - curiosity and need for closeness versus fear and prejudices. And always the latter won. And then I felt how much sorry I am for Niemen. He blocked himself so firmly at the picture of a human from the past that he was not even giving himself a chance to experience something different. To experience that not every human is bad and wants to hurt him and that NOW gives him brand new possibilities. I patiently wait with Niemen for a human that will let him regain his trust for people, so that he can show them with no fear how big and sensitive his heart is. I know it is possible.

Life in the present moment is pure joy. The ability to review beliefs form the past and to be present in NOW opens so many new possibilities! The world around released from the rigid assumptions generated by our mind is so exciting and alive that you watch it every time as if you saw it for the very first time!

Maybe you will give yourself a chance to stay in the present moment for a while today? Maybe you will feel encouraged by Niemen and the Mark Twain's saying that my friend told me once: 'I have lived through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened'.

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By the way:

Horses have an exceptional ability to connect with the present moment. They are prey species and this ability conditions their life in nature. Horse behaviour is based on an action - reaction scheme. They react immediately to the finest sign from environment. They are excellent at reading body language and they are able to feel our intentions and pulse form a distance of a few meters. Niemen's behaviour aimed at frightening people away is his reaction to the present moment but perceived through filter that deforms reality. This filter is made out of his previous, possibly negative experience from the past. Horses who where never treated badly by nobody are open and trusting. As if they saw the world every time for the very first time:-)