Originally posted at Vitality Health Hub.
Hello out there,
If you know me relatively well you will know that I am a big fan of meditating – you know, sitting there with your eyes closed remaining still breathing deeply and trying to quieten your mind. "Oh yeah, that’s what meditation is" I hear you say!
And for a long time I meditated every day and I felt absolutely fantastic. I was reading up on the best techniques to meditate from Osho and Deepak Chopra, among others, I kepto my routine and it was brilliant. It has after all been once called "The best thing a person can do" and I can agree with that. Before I started meditating I would have very up and down emotions, and I most definitely could not stay present with many things for very long.
After a while (if you can), I feel I got quite good at meditation. Being a competitive person I found myself trying to do longer, and make each meditation session "better" than the last one – sorry for the judgement, I’m just being honest!
I even began to stay present with everyday life. If I am honest I feel that this is really one of the [many] goals of meditating – to be able to stay present with everyday life. Many people nowadays are running around with attention deficit behaviours and I suggest that we can all benefit from meditating.
However, I have noticed recently that I am not staying particularly present and I would honestly put this down to my lack of a regular meditation routine.
What made me notice this was just two days ago, I woke up at my usual time (I am usually the first up) and my newborn baby girl Tabitha Joy was actually awake already. She was lying in her crib, very relaxed and calm so I left her to chill out thinking she would go back to sleep, but when my wife Laurie woke up she was still awake. I began to think how amazing it is that Tabitha being born into this world with a relative ‘blank slate’ to work on, that she has no preconceived ideas about life and is happy to just spend time with herself.
Now, I have always been quite good at this as a boy, but there are still times when I find it hard to spend time alone. This is what meditation has always helped me with in the past.
So, now I am off to meditate and practise what I preach. I started yesterday and will continue to meditate every day!
Wish me luck (and silence of the mind, too) 
Let me know any of your meditation experiences, I would love to share stories with people!
Very wisely said
Quote from your post
"I feel that this is really one of the [many] goals of meditating – to be able to stay present with everyday life. "
Keeping pace with the evolving trends whilst balancing the contemplative state of mind with the reflective state of mind on an well balanced / synchronized basis
Each aspect neatly compartmentalized in their individual spheres, complimenting their respective agendas responsibly
It also enables a vision / perception of aspects from a multi dimensional way, whereby various events / instances appear to reflect differently
Good Luck to You and The Universe
Best Wishes,
Vashi
I think that staying present is both the goal of meditation and the a way TO meditate. Staying present with the breath or a mantra, or whatever works for us best leads to staying present with out unpleasant feelings, etc. the rest of the time. Easier said than done on both counts though! Just some more thoughts on being present:
every moment of our lives is filled with richness and magic and worthy of being savored. If our ability to exist purely in the moment is lost and the joys immediately in front of us are overshadowed by thoughts of the past and worry about future then we must reestablish our connection to the present in order to discover and appreciate what is beautiful about this unique moment in time, discover the abundance that life is presenting, as well as realizing that there is a purpose to everything that happens. By living in the present – also called “mindfulness” – we can realize that we are not our thoughts, but rather observers of our thoughts moment to moment, neither grasping or pushing them away. This builds our trust, and supports us in being willing to be more open to really experience life as it unfolds. Cultivating this nonjudgmental awareness of present has been proven by science to reduce stress, boost immune function, reduce chronic pain and reduce the risk of many illnesses. Especially when overwhelmed from our hectic, complex lives, staying present means immersing yourself fully in every experience, whether positive or negative. As you learn to embrace the present in an all-encompassing way, you will come to realize that life’s magnificence is a product of its moments. (From http://www.illuminartecollection.com)