What Does It Mean to Live in the Moment? And How Do We Do It?
We’ve all had the experience of losing touch with the present moment. Maybe you’re in the middle of a conversation, but thinking about something that happened to you yesterday. Or perhaps you’re watching a TV show and making a to-do list in your head.
Living in the moment isn’t forgetting the past, nor it is not planning for the future. Living in the moment is being present with where we are and what we’re doing. If that’s thinking, so be it! We’ll cover a bit about what it actually means to live in the moment, what often gets in the way, some examples of what it may look like, and how to practice living in the moment.
What Living in the Moment Means
Living in the moment means being present with what is happening right now. You may be aware of your surroundings, feelings in the body, thoughts, what you’re doing, or whatever your experience is. We are present with what is arising right now, rather than being lost in thoughts.
Awareness
The foundation of living in the moment is living with awareness. We cultivate awareness of what is happening at the sense-doors (hearing, seeing, etc.), what emotional experience is present, what we’re doing with the body, what thoughts are present, etc. Even if the mind is thinking about the past or future, we can still be aware the mind is doing so.
Engagement
In addition to bare awareness, we are actually engaged. We aren’t just passively watching everything happen. It’s called LIVING in the moment, not just watching the moment. We show up for the conversations, the eating, the work, making coffee, etc. We engage by doing what we are doing fully, without mentally being somewhere else.
Nonjudgement
With whatever is happening or present, we meet the moment with nonjudgement. This is especially true when it comes to the thinking mind. If we are making a cup of tea and the mind is replaying a conversation from yesterday, we observe it without resistance. We are present with what the mind is doing, recognizing any resistance that is present. We observe thoughts without judgement, and with the simple aim to be present.
What Gets in the Way?
It can seem like many things get in the way of living in the moment, but it really comes down to one thing: the mental experience. When we’re not aware and engaged, the mind is often elsewhere. Even if the mind is going and not focused on the task at hand, we can still live in the moment by recognizing what the mind is doing.
The Past
The mind can go to the past quite easily. It may move toward regret, rumination, or wishing things happened differently. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The mind is just processing information, perhaps with a bit of craving or aversion present. The problem is that we often lose awareness when the mind does this. We’ll talk about this more toward the end of this post!
The Future
Much like the past, the mind can cling to the future very easily. We worry, plan, anticipate, and do the whole “What if…” thing. Again, this isn’t a problem itself; the problem is that we follow the thoughts and lose touch with the present moment.
The Present
This is a piece people often miss. We can actually lose ourselves in the moment. We check our phones, scroll social media, multitask, watch TV, etc. These aren’t bad activities by any means. Really all that happens is we get sucked into the experience and lose awareness. We engage fully, but without any awareness.
What Living in the Moment Actually Looks Like
I want to offer a few examples that many people do daily. Most of us eat, converse, walk, and experience unpleasantness. Well, we all experience unpleasantness! So here’s what living in the moment might actually look like.
Eating
Eating is a great example of living in the moment. It’s a time during the day that we are often not in the moment, and as such it offers a powerful way to begin practicing. We often eat while using our phones, thinking about work, watching TV, or lost in conversation.
Instead, we can turn toward the experience of eating. Notice the food, the tastes, textures, bodily sensations, and the thoughts and mental states that arise. Remember the practice of engaging. Engage with the experience of eating, rather than being lost in outside experiences.
You can read more about mindful eating here.
In Conversation
Conversation is another place we often lose touch with the present moment. Where is the mind when you’re talking to someone? Where is the mind when the other person is speaking? It may go to what we want to say, relating what they’re saying to our own experience, or simply wander into daydreaming.
Instead, we can recognize what they are saying, notice the reactions arising in our own minds and bodies, and recognize these urges to think. We can be aware of what is happening, engage with the conversation, and be aware without judgement. You might check our page on couples meditations for more ideas on being present in conversation. This is a quality and ability we can cultivate intentionally.
Below is a recording from our Thursday Morning Meditation in September 2026 in which we cover mindful listening a bit. It contains both a guided meditation and a talk.
Walking
Walking offers another wonderful way to live in the moment. If you’re unable to walk, you can still practice in whatever way you move. We often use walking time to just think or get lost. We focus on where we are going or what we need to do, replay arguments in our heads, or just zone out.
Instead, we can use walking as a time to practice some general walking meditation. Feel the feet moving, recognize your surroundings, hear the sounds, and be aware of what thoughts are arising as you walk. Below is a short video from our playlist Mindfulness for Beginners explaining walking meditation in more detail.
Experiencing Unpleasantness
Sometimes we think being present means we only experience pleasant things. No! We are bound to come into contact with unpleasant experiences. We don’t have to enjoy pain, boredom, anxiety, anger, etc. in order to live in the moment. We just have to be present.
Often, the unpleasant experiences can pull us away from the present. Remember you can be with the present moment without enjoying it. Perhaps you can offer yourself some self-compassion in these moments. You might also recognize the mind’s desire to avert from these experiences. When something is painful or difficult, it doesn’t mean you’re living in the moment incorrectly!
Ways to Practice Living in the Moment
There are many ways we can learn to practice mindfulness in everyday life. Living in the moment isn’t something we can just simply decide to do. It takes intention, some effort, and continual practice. Below are a few tips you can use to get started. I recommend starting with one or two, investigating them for a few days, and seeing how it goes.
Slow Down
I talk about this frequently. Slowing down is a great tool we can use to live in the moment and be present. We can learn how to slow down and live with a bit more intention and presence. When we begin speeding up, it’s often a sign that awareness has left. You might try simply picking one activity during the day to do slowly, such as making your coffee, eating breakfast, driving to work, or walking around a store.
Recognize When You’ve Left the Present
You’re not going to be fully present and engaged every moment of the day, especially at first. That’s okay. Recognize where the mind is and what’s going on when you’re no longer present. Often, the mind is thinking about something other than what you’re doing. Remember that thoughts are not facts, leave the thoughts for now, and return to what you’re doing. Every time you bring the awareness back to the moment, you’re strengthening this mental muscle of mindfulness.
Ground Yourself in the Body
Mindful grounding exercises are a wonderful way to return to the present moment. They also can help us lay a foundation of presence, making the mind return to the present moment with more ease. The body is always with us, and offers a consistent way to return to the present-time experience.
You might do a body scan wherever you are, just checking in with the sensations present in the body. If you’re moving, you can feel the sensations as the body walks or moves through space. Below is a short meditation from our two minute mindfulness practices in grounding ourselves in the body. This is a great practice to use during the day to return to the present.
Do One Thing at a Time
So many of us habitually do multiple things at once. We scroll while watching TV, listen to music while driving, and have conversations while eating. As I cover more in this post, we can support mindfulness deeply by single-tasking instead. This gives us less stimulation, and can help us collect the mind onto one thing at a time.
Return to the Breath
Much like the body, we can always return to the breath. It’s with us all of the time, regardless of what we’re doing. You don’t need to breathe in any certain way. Allow the body to breathe itself. Feel the sensations of the body breathing. Returning to the breath in this way strengthens the mental muscle of mindfulness. You can do this as many times as necessary during your day.
Use Mindfulness Reminders
A practice that was first introduced to me back in 2010 is that of mindfulness reminders, or awareness triggers. This is the practice of finding something that triggers you to be present. It may be something like walking through a doorway, hearing a phone ring, or taking a sip of water. Every time your trigger happens, use it as a reminder to live in the moment!
Practice Acceptance
In my mindfulness coaching practice, I stress the importance of acceptance and right attitude when it comes to being mindful. We so often are present, but with some resistance. Watch the observing mind. Notice where resistance and tension arises. Try to practice acceptance. If living in the moment is boring, be bored! If living in the moment means being present with an active mind, be present with an active mind!
Get to Know the Thinking Mind
Finally, we must get to know the thinking mind in order to live in the moment. A significant amount of our experience is in the mind. The practice of mindfulness is about getting to know the mind and its habits. We can’t resist thoughts or treat them as bad. We can practice acceptance, and know when the mind is thinking. Below is an episode of the podcast in which we discuss getting to know the mind in more detail.
What about the Past and Future?
Living in the moment does not mean we need to ignore the past and the future. We simply cannot live without processing the past or planning for the future. It’s natural to reflect on mistakes, where you’ve come from, and things that happened in the past. It’s also natural to plan, save money, make appointments, and consider the future.
The crux of living in the moment is to do so mindfully and with awareness. There’s a difference between intentional reflection and rumination. There’s also a difference between the circular thinking of anxiety and mindful planning. We can engage with these thoughts mindfully, recognizing the mind is doing so.
A Note on Effort
We can have a tendency to put a lot of effort forth when trying to live in the moment. This causes tension and straining. As Sayadaw U Tejaniya points out, the over-efforting can lead to bursts of awareness. We put a bunch of effort forth to be present, tire ourselves out, and fall into mindlessness. Instead of over-efforting, we can find a gentle and sustainable awareness. Recognize when there’s too much effort and straining, and try to invite in some relaxation.
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Matthew Sockolov is a Buddhist meditation teacher who trained at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California. Completing the Dharma Leader training program in 2017, Matthew was given power to teach in the Insight Meditation tradition by Jack Kornfield, Kittisaro, Thanissara, and others. You can learn more about Matthew here.