During yoga practice you may enter a zone where you feel poised, open, relaxed, and attentive. In the midst of activity, there's a sense of enjoyment, fulfillment, and alignment with a deeper current of aliveness. But as soon as you position yourself behind the wheel of your car or sit down in front of your computer, you tense your shoulders, hold your breath, increase your speed, and lose touch with yourself. You may ask: What happened? How did I lose my balance? Where did I go wrong?

Given the unprecedented demands of postmodern life, perhaps we just expect too much of ourselves. Without the supportive structure of sacred communities like monasteries and ashrams, in a secular world that seems to be spinning out of balance, is it really possible to stay consistently connected to just being while pursuing material success, a healthy body, a fulfilling relationship? The deeper question to ponder is what prevents us from staying connected with the present.

Here are a few possible answers:
Our self-worth is linked to our accomplishments.
A relentless inner critic drives us.
We're afraid of losing control.
We make a strong demarcation between sacred time and secular time.
We lack the commitment or motivation to stay present.
We don't recognize being in the midst of doing.
We're addicted-to speed, achievement, consumption, the adrenaline rush of stress, and, most insidiously of all, to our minds.

Once you've identified what keeps you from the present, it will be easier to work past these barriers to sustain that sense of being present.