Inviting you to turn your attention to the here and now.
Perhaps that means closing your eyes if it feels comfortable,
Or bringing your gaze downward,
Noticing what is going on inside in this moment.
Is there tension?
Are there sensations?
Pleasant,
Unpleasant,
Neutral?
What is it that you sense in your body right now?
If it helps,
You might scan gently from the head to the toes,
Noticing what you feel and what you see along the way.
Sometimes this welcomes in an opportunity to release or to let go,
Or to relax into the part of the body that you're scanning.
Only when you know what is there are you able to tend to it.
As you scan,
Perhaps you're slowing down the breath.
Perhaps you're easing your shoulders and the stomach and the legs.
Maybe you feel a sense of relaxing,
Or maybe not.
Whatever is here is okay.
Mindfulness,
Heartfulness,
Allows us to be with our experience,
Whether it's hard or easy,
Or something in between.
Seeing what is allows you to be with it and also to shift.
Jon Kabat-Zinn defines mindfulness as this,
Paying attention in a particular way on purpose in the present moment and non-judgmentally paying attention.
What is here?
What is there to know about your body,
Your mind,
And your spirit in this moment?
Mindfulness brings choice.
It brings wisdom.
Slowing down to see.
Slowing down to notice.
Slowing down to really feel into what is here means something vast,
Something almost magical.
It means that you have more possibilities,
More options,
More wisdom,
More creativity.
All it takes is coming back to this moment again and again and again.
Tasting in to this moment.
What are those flavors?
Smelling this moment.
Hearing this moment.
Seeing what is here and touching whatever it is that this moment brings.
Tasting,
Smelling,
Hearing,
Seeing,
Touching.
In Buddhism,
There's a sixth sense.
It's thought.
What are you thinking right now?
Mindfulness allows for you to see it,
To be with it,
Not try to change it or push it away.
Just knowing that thoughts are there.
When you become aware of those thoughts,
That's a moment of mindfulness.
If you can,
Coming back to this body,
To this breath again and again and again.
In a moment,
You'll hear a bell inviting you to listen until you cannot hear any longer.
