Present Moment

If you have ever gone for a walk with a small child you will know what I'm talking about. The constant- stopping and admiring, the awe in a child’s eyes as snowflakes are hitting the tongue, the way a child lets go of your hand to intensely follow a butterfly on its way, or the way a child, without doubt, will lay down in the mud to watch a worm crossing the road.

Transcript

Hi, I'm so pleased to see you here today. My name is Alexander Nash and I'm a certified unplugged meditation teacher. Today, We're going to get straight into it, Straight into the presence and the present moment awareness. If you've ever gone for a walk with a small child, You will know what I'm talking about. The constant stopping and admiring, The awe in a child's eyes as snowflakes are hitting their tongues. The way a child lets go of your hand to intensely follow a butterfly on its way. Or the way a child without doubt will lay down in the mud to watch the worms crossing the road. As we get older, We forget this. The ability to let life take you and ground you at the same time. So today, We're leaning into now. This moment being present. All right, Let's begin today by taking two deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth. Start to slow down your breath. Feeling your belly rise and fall as you inhale and exhale. Take a moment to truly feel your entire body. Maybe let your knees fall to the sides. Feel how your sit bones touch the ground. Relax your shoulders away from your ears. Relax your neck. Even try to gently relax your jaw, Your forehead, Your lips. Gently close your eyes if that feels comfortable to you. Take another two deep breaths and focus on inhaling the present moment and exhaling everything that doesn't belong here. And as you're taking another deep breath just like that, Focus all your awareness at the center of your chest so that you are connected to your deep heart. As you're breathing, Try to be completely aware of your body today. Ask yourself, What does my body feel like today? As you let the breath flow through your body, Relax your feet, Relax your cough, Move up through your legs and relax your knees, Your thighs. How does your body feel today? Relax your belly, Your chest, Relax your right arm, Relax your left arm, Relax your shoulders, Your neck. Let that breath flow through your body to see how it truly feels today. Are there any tensions? If so, Focus your breath on that part, Inhale the tension and let that go. And now let's shift our focus to sounds. What sounds can you hear as you sit here in stillness and in this present moment? Can you hear your breath? Are there any sounds in your surroundings? Can you possibly even hear your own heartbeat? Keep that focus on truly listening in this moment. Keep breathing in and out and listen to the sounds. And as you take another deep breath, Let me ask you, Where is your mind today? Are you here? Are you already at work? Or are you possibly already at the weekend? Are you making lists? Or are you possibly feeling and listening to your body and relaxing your mind? If your mind is else elsewhere today, Don't judge it, Just let it go and return your focus to your body and the sounds. Let's take two more deep breaths as I count you through the inhale and the exhale. Let's inhale for four, Hold it for four and exhale for four. Let's do one more like that yourself and truly feel the relaxations move throughout your body. And as you exhale, I want to ask you this, Where can you notice more awe today? As Annie Diller said, How we spend our days is of course how we spend our lives. Let's take another deep breath, Wiggle your fingers and toes, Maybe stretch a little, Sit up tall. And when you're ready, You can open your eyes. I hope you will carry this feeling of relaxation with you throughout the day and know that the awe of life is only a breath away. Have a beautiful week and stay present.