Book review: The Power of Now
I first read ‘The Power of Now’ sometime in the early 2010s and thought it was ripe for a revisit. Obviously I’m in a different place now, because, you can't stand in the same place in the same river twice; it's not the same river, and you're not the same person!
The basis of the book is that there is no past, and no future; they only exist in your mind. The only thing that exists is the present moment and the book is about tapping into that awareness. It begins with Eckhart’s background and how he unlocked the power of now during his lowest moment in life, where he realised he ‘was not his mind’ and that many of us get so caught up in our thoughts that we can no longer distinguish ourselves from our minds.
This is a crazy thought I had actually had a version of myself following brain surgery, probably why I first read this book! Having had a tennis ball sized tumor removed from my ‘mind’ I felt the same person, so a physical reduction in me was still me! Being woken every 45 min after they sewed up my head, they had to shine a light in my eyes to check brain function - and when you lack sleep you do not feel like yourself! But I still was! I was also thinking more than ever with the space I now had in my head (sorry, punny but gotta add humour right?!)
But back to Eckhardt! After his epiphany Eckhardt felt he looked at the world differently, like it was his first time ever laying eyes on earth. He spoke of the joy and peace he felt and how he no longer felt trapped in the societal norms that so many of us struggle with today. He transitions from simply experiencing this new found life to wanting others to reach that same state so he dove in on his spiritual journey and is now recognised today as a spiritual teacher with over 16 million copies of ‘The Power of Now’ sold.
Practical Applications
Throughout the book, Eckhardt offers practical ideas:
The pause symbol after certain passages is a suggestion that you may want to stop reading for a moment, become still, and feel and experience the truth of what has just been said. Love this!
Eckhart discusses how to change our emotions into positive energy (so we can reach our enlightened selves, also known as the Now). It’s simple practices like focusing on your breath, being present in your daily activities, meditation, and recognising when your mind starts to drift into past regrets or future anxieties. I use this is my daily movement checkin but also a 5,4,3,2,1 gratitude practice just sitting preferably in nature where I look for 5 things I can see (being as creative as I can, like a bee with Halloween pumpkins hah), 4 things you can hear, 3 things you can smell, 2 things you can feel, 2 things you can taste. Try it!
We feel angry or sad because of past things and have anxious feelings for worrying about the future that we don't know. However this book tells us NOW IS THE TIME and to encourage us to stay in it when we can. I love Eckhardt’s idea that the truth is within you not outside and we need to sustain this awareness in moments in our everyday life.
