Living in the present

I've been doing a 5 part introduction to meditation course at work (5 x 1.5 hour sessions), yesterday was part 4. I've been struggling with it to be honest, I find it very difficult to sit still and to focus my mind (which is partly why I'm doing it). The course is aimed at giving us "mental resilience" - I guess the ability to bounce back from setbacks as well as to manage our emotions and, in a work context, our stress. I almost didn't go yesterday because of the struggle I'm having ("am I doing it right, how do I know what it feels like when my feet sink into the floor, am I breathing right, I can't sit still for any longer...") but I didn't want to quit and I'm really glad actually. I think a lightbulb went off for me and I really did feel a lot better, calmer and more relaxed afterward.

The thing I mainly got out of it was the importance of living in the present - appreciating what you have in front of you or around you (eg walking in the park with your child, lying on the lounge with your partner etc) rather than worrying about things from the past (you can't change what happened) or worrying about what is going to happen in the future (you have power to control these things). I'm still getting it straight within myself, but I really like the general message.