Hello,
My name is Alonzo,
Also known as the Life Lama,
And I'd like to welcome you to this meditation entitled,
Slow Time Down,
A Meditation on Presence.
Have you ever noticed how a summer as a child felt endless?
But as an adult,
A year can disappear in what feels like a moment.
You're not imagining it.
As we age,
Time feels like it's speeding up.
Our days blend into one another,
And moments get lost in the rush.
But here's the beautiful truth.
Time isn't something we lose,
It's something we leave,
And we can return to it.
But,
The secret isn't doing more,
It's being more present.
In this meditation,
We won't try to stop the clock,
We'll simply return to the moment we're in,
Because that's how we can expand time.
Find a comfortable seat,
Close your eyes if that feels safe for you,
And begin by taking a deep,
Slow breath in.
Gently exhale.
Feel the rhythm of your breath,
A wave coming in,
And going out.
Let go of the need to manage time right now.
There's nowhere to go,
Nothing to do,
Just this breath,
This body,
This moment.
Allow your breath,
Or the sound of the music to anchor you here.
Here is enough.
Sit with that for a moment.
Gently bring your attention to your surroundings.
Can you hear the soft sounds around you,
Or the sound of my voice or the music?
Let those sounds come,
And let them go.
Can you feel the ground beneath you,
The weight of your body supported completely?
Now bring your attention to your hands.
No need to move them,
Just feel them.
Notice the tingling,
The warmth,
That's presence.
Now let's move to the breath again,
But this time,
Feel it not just in your nose or lungs,
Feel how the breath lives inside your entire body.
Notice how much you miss when you're rushing,
And how much you gain by simply being here.
Let time stretch,
Let this moment widen,
There is no hurry.
As thoughts arise about the past,
About your to-do list,
Just greet them kindly,
And gently return to this breath or the music,
To this space,
To this now.
Every return is a homecoming,
And each time you come back,
You slow time down.
Take a deep,
Easy breath in,
And let it go with a soft sigh.
You've just given yourself something incredibly rare,
A moment lived fully.
You didn't stop time,
But you did expand it.
Before you return to your day,
Ask yourself,
What would it look like if I carried presence into every small moment today?
A conversation,
A bite of food,
A walk outside.
You don't need more time,
You just need to return to it.
Now gently wiggle your fingers and toes,
Let your eyes open when you're ready,
And take this spaciousness with you wherever you go today.
I want to thank you for taking the time to meditate with me,
And I hope to see you again in our next session.
