My father once told me that the most difficult thing to do would be to live in the moment. And so, of course I tried it.

I tried reading while trying not to think about why my phone screen had lit up. I tried running while trying not to focus on spillovers from yesterday’s to-do list. I even tried filing my returns while desperately trying not to think about how my vote will affect how my taxes next year. 

It seems like every time I tried to stay in the present, yesterday and tomorrow got the better of me.

My mother tells me it’s a generation thing. She tells me that my generation has an overwhelming array of choices that we can scroll through in seconds. No wonder it's difficult to focus on one solo post. Her lame metaphor aside, she doesn’t accuse me of it. She empathises. It was just easier to not be distracted in our time beta, she says.

I can’t take that for an answer. No way. I need to be better at this.

I Google 12 ways to be mindful. Yoga? No, I need something that allows less opportunity for distraction. Cooking, it seems, is a good place to start. 

As the rye sputters and I chop the cabbage I begin to wonder about what I want to watch with my dinner. Surely Jon Snow is a dish best served with some pizza, not gobi. Okay, focus. The rye looks ready, and so in go the masalas. They let out a gorgeous aroma that takes me back to my mom’s bangles clinking about as she mixed the dish. Okay, let's think about what goes in next. Some of the raw potatoes, maybe? I add appropriate amounts of water and begin to think about how little I consume water. It's quite ridiculous to expect a person to drink 2 litres of water a day, I think. 

Right. I’ll try again.

Baths are supposed to be relaxing. I read a listicle that told me how showering can be a meditative experience. I imagine myself being cleansed (literally and figuratively) as the water smashes across my face. Just like the waterfall had that time when I - no, wait.

I don’t think this is for me. As I enter my kathak class, my guru tells me we will be practicing tatkaar today. I wear my ghungroos and try to breathe myself into composure. The maestro at the tabla begins. A simple marriage of Ta, Thai, Thai and Tath echoes across the room. Then comes Aa Thai Thai and Tath. Repeat. My guru gestures for us to move on to Teentaal. She begins,

Dha din din dha

Dha din din dha

Na tin tin tha

Ta dhin dhin da

I feel my legs starting to wobble under the weight of my concentration. I keep telling myself 1, 2, 3, 4 and 1, 2, 3 and 4. I feel my feet understand my instructions. 1, 2, 3 and 4 and 1, 2, 3 and 4. I straighten my posture a bit more naturally. My thighs shake as they struggle to keep up with the pattern. Guruji picks up the pace. It is now 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 1, 2, 3, 4. Beads of sweat start to outline my face. The chubbiness on my cheeks vibrate. I start to repeat after her, Dha din din dha, dha din din dha, na tin tin tha, ta dhin dhin and da. I’m not failing. I can feel the ghungroo tugging at the bottom of my salwar. I ignore it. I persevere. She picks up the pace once again. We’re now at 1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4and1,2,3,4. My heartrate is probably 190 bpm. My right foot skips a beat. The corner of her eye catches it. She says nothing, only continues on. 1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4. Dha din din dha, dha din din dha. I start to sway. My arms are becoming tired. I’m enjoying it. My back is perspiring. I start to smile. Na tin tin tha, ta dhin dhin da, NA.

I smile. Guruji just looks at me. You can do better, her mild disapproval says. That’s right, I can.

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Mindfulness is quite self-explanatory as a term. It demands an elementary need, for your concentration to focus on the current activity and nothing more. Mindfulness is also self-exploratory. It requires an immense amount of effort to not let your mind run astray. The problem with exploration is the tendency to drift towards more.

I have, since my kathak class, tried to be mindful during every one of my actions. To feel the grains turn to granules as I chew them. To absorb the emotion of the film I'm watching with my complete concentration. To stay silent with what is and not wonder where what and why it is while meditating. 

If someone told me the key to being mindful, I'd probably have told you it's staying in the moment. But that’s not any better advice than an Instagram quote. I’ll tell you now, the key is repeated effort. It doesn’t come to any of us easily, and that’s the surest sign we should be trying.