In the 8th century Japan, the Shinto often used a phrase called “naka-ima.” It means “the middle of now.” Naka-ima describes not just the point in time you find yourself in, but the very center of that point in time. Not just now, but the middle of now.
That’s what you call laser-like mindfulness training.
In Shinto religion, the naka-ima represents not just that specific moment but the very center of time itself. Imagine that! All of time, across all eternity, encapsulated in the very middle of the present moment. Seeing it this way makes this moment feel weighty with importance…which is the point. When a person honors the naka-ima and seeks to enrich it, it will benefit the whole world. That’s why residing in the naka-ima is considered the highest human calling.
For the ninja, residing in naka-ima meant two things. In meditation, it meant finding the center, resting in the middle of now, where all that has been has been and all that might be could be. It is an empty space, but also a space filled with possibility.
But it’s also the very thing you need to embody if you want to win a fight (or, as the ninja cared most about, survive a fight). Choosing which moment to act- which exact moment- is an art form that comes from cultivating mindfulness of naka-ima. It’s how you know when to use a punch, when to kick, where to aim, and when to duck out of the way. It is how you discern between early timing, middle timing, and late timing. (Hint: go for the middle. The middle of now is the moment to strike.)
In martial arts terms, we talk about this timing as distancing, and angling. We practice it in free matches. But it cannot be perfected if we don’t train our minds outside the dojang in mindfulness and meditation.
It’s a survival skill.
But don’t miss this: it’s also an invitation into the holiness and beauty of each present moment. Every moment, there is a past that stretches back and a future that looms ahead. But if you want to most fully find yourself, embody the middle of now.
Stay right here, and nowhere else.
