Wonder

– By Dr Nav Ropra.

Life gives us another opportunity each and every moment to wonder, to choose, to decide what it is that we would love to create in this world, where we would like to focus our energy.

When we wonder, something resonates deep within us and makes us feel connected to the thing we are wondering about.  Those thoughts bring about certain feelings.

From early man looking up at the stars to the latest explorations into deep space, our unique ability to wonder is a very powerful creative driving force.

‘Life gives us another opportunity each and every moment to wonder, to choose, to decide what it is that we would love to create in this world.’

Human beings are the leaders of this planet and what makes us so different than other species is this ability to wonder.  Wondering can be a feeling of awe, of admiration but it also has a down side too.  The mind is able to dualise and divide the un-dividable.  It is able to separate time and space and with this ability we can wonder into past memories and think about what could have been, or wonder into the future and imagine what life could be like.  When we do this, we are not being present which is the real gift from existence.  When you are present, your mind’s energy is channelled, focused, you have greater poise and are more powerful. There is less brain noise, less chatter and you are able to concentrate more and contemplate less.

Being present is an essential skill needed when practicing dentistry or any medical procedure.  To be truely present with your patient so that you are 100% engaged with them. To listen to them when taking a history or doing an examination so that you are able to understand what they are asking of you and then acting upon that.

‘Listen to your patient.  They are telling you the diagnosis.’  

If you are not being present, you may miss something important, or you may inadvertently not do a certain thing which you may be required to do.  The effects from that cause can be small to great and the feedback from the situation is a message from the universe and a reminder for you to be present.

‘Being present is a skill needed when practicing dentistry or any medical procedure.’

So how can one start to become more aware and be more present in practice?  One of the simplest ways to start, is to learn to breath.  You may ask how does one learn how to breath when breathing is autonomic and requires no conscious thought.  Well, bring breathing to your conscious mind and be more aware of it especially at those times when you find yourself wondering off into the past or the future and are not present.  Focus on watching the breath as it enters your nose and leaves through your mouth without trying to change it in any way.

‘One of the simplest ways to start, is to learn to breath.’

Bring your focus back to breath and you will find that your senses and mind will sharpen as you start to come alive.  Try it and see if it works for you.

If it does, go deeper so that you are consciously aware of your breathing together with everything around you.  Focus on the nodal point without changing any aspect of your breathing.  This the mid-point when you are neither breathing in, or breathing out – the space in between the two.  This is where life happens and you become present.  With practice, you will start to become more as all your energy is fully in the here and now.

To really wonder in the present about the present is to see life as it is.  Then your wonder stops wondering and becomes wonderful.