Opening To The Present Moment

In this meditation, I invite you to keep your eyes open and connect with the sacredness of any given moment. We will move beyond the mundane, boredom, the need for more and into a space of wakefulness and a sense of being enough just as you are. If you don't experience that it's ok too. This session is just about showing up for yourself with kindness whatever happens.

Transcript

There's a lot of talk about being at peace and being in the present moment,

But quite often when we find that peace,

That stillness,

Actually it feels like it's not enough,

Like something's missing.

Those quiet spaces in our day can actually bring up restlessness and even boredom.

The little me inside our head is always looking for that next thing.

Today I'm going to guide you on a little meditation that will help you to connect with the sacredness of the present moment.

So let's begin.

I'm going to invite you to keep your eyes open for this one.

So finding your comfortable meditation posture,

Sitting on a chair,

Or you can lie down if that's comfortable.

Focusing those contact points where your feet meet the ground,

Where your body meets the surface you're sitting or lying on,

And taking a nice deep breath in,

Breathing out,

Letting your body relax,

Relaxing your face,

Your neck,

Your arms,

Your hands,

Your chest,

Your belly,

Relaxing all the way down your back,

And relaxing your legs and your feet.

And as you sit here,

Just being aware of what's here right now,

Noticing the sounds around you,

Some near,

Some far away,

And gently noticing the labeling mind coming in,

Trying to label the sound,

The source of the sound,

Judging it as pleasant or unpleasant,

All placing a narrative around what you hear,

Whether it's a familiar sound or not.

Just using the sense of hearing,

There are sounds here,

They don't need a label,

They just exist in themselves,

Ultimately unknown.

Letting your eyes move over the object,

Or the object itself,

Or the object itself,

Moving over the objects in the room,

Becoming aware of what you notice wherever you're sitting or lying,

Again letting go of labeling,

Of placing yourself in these objects,

There's no need to impose any story on anything,

And noticing the areas of light and shade,

Of color,

Here you are,

Sitting in presence with what is,

You have senses that pick up sounds and sights and feelings,

Touch,

Taste,

And any thoughts that come,

They're just an interpretation,

They come through the filter of the little me,

That voice in your head that likes to narrate and tell you what's going on,

That voice that compares you to everything else,

That little voice that never shuts up,

It's always got something to say,

This is good,

This is bad,

It's too cold,

It's too warm,

This is going to happen tomorrow,

This is all very well,

But.

.

.

And you can smile at this little voice,

You can even be kind to it,

It really wants to be heard,

It wants to feel important,

It knows that the only way that it can exist is through your attention,

So give that little voice a friendly bow and leave it be,

It can carry on if it wants to,

But here you are,

Just being,

Coming back to what's really true in this moment,

And that is what you're experiencing directly through your felt senses,

Shapes and sounds,

Sensations.

And of course feelings may come up as well,

And you can just be aware of those,

Of agitation,

Of frustration,

Of unrest,

Or maybe peace and calm,

A sense of freedom,

That you are not your thoughts,

And isn't it funny how this moment's really okay if we just leave it alone,

All our life's dramas and stories,

They're not here right now,

But we still try to add them,

So I'm inviting you to taste this moment,

Drink in through your eyes,

Honour the simplicity,

There's nowhere to be,

There's nothing to do,

Coming back to being just here,

Just how you are,

With the sounds,

Noticing the silent spaces,

Aware of light and shade,

Of objects in your consciousness,

Whether they're beautiful or neutral,

Or seemingly mundane or man-made,

You are here witnessing them,

And that alone is sacred.

And if you catch yourself smiling,

At just sitting and looking at what's here,

It probably means that you're opening to the present moment,

You're no longer identified with thoughts,

With the little me,

Coming back to your true nature,

Present awareness,

And you can ask yourself the question,

What's wrong with right now?

What's wrong with right now?

Even if you are in some discomfort or pain,

Your mind will tell you that this is what's wrong with right now,

I feel pain,

I feel anxious,

I feel unease,

And there's nothing wrong with feeling any of this,

It's the nature of being human,

But if you look a bit closer,

You'll notice that it's the narrative around this pain,

This anxious feeling that feels like it's not okay,

And being in presence,

Being with the present moment,

Doesn't mean that we're shutting down,

Being something that we're not,

Or trying to pretend that everything is okay when it doesn't feel that way,

It's simply about softening to the moment with kindness towards yourself,

And very gently you can notice what it's like to allow that pain,

The unease,

Or the anxiety to be there,

So continuing to sit in this moment with your senses,

Simply being in a room,

Letting the sacredness of this moment be just as it is,

There's no need to touch anything,

To add anything,

It's all simply here.

See what it's like to let go of the pain.

See what it's like to let go of your name,

The job you do,

The different roles you play in life,

In family,

Even letting go of trying to make meaning from my words,

These are simply sounds that we've all been taught mean certain things,

Our wonderful mind can decipher these sounds and make meaning,

But rather than listening to my words,

Just listen to the spaces between the words,

What's there between each word,

What's true in this moment without adding anything,

Giving yourself to this moment,

Surrendering in whatever way feels right for you,

This moment is yours,

But it's not personal,

You just happen to be the witness,

So making this moment sacred.

So WOODHOOD IN RE REAL km inward first humans who are blind so basically this You You You You You Here we are on a giant spinning planet a Planet that can nurture life where nature can thrive And we can easily lose that sacredness The fact we're even here is a miracle The fact we're here to experience the unfolding of life as conscious awareness Now as we end this meditation you may have a day ahead See what it's like to go about your day bringing some quality of presence Seeing what it's like to let go of labeling everything of adding your narrative Your part to the story And you can do it Of adding your narrative your part to the story that essentially just exists in your head Instead allowing the creativity The kindness to flow out into your day Allow your energy to go to those places And with each challenge that comes along it's a new opportunity to heal to become more deeply present And of course this isn't easy in our busy lives So letting go of those times when you lose it Could be for 10 minutes Could be for an hour Or maybe a whole day Where you find that you react to everything That's okay too Each moment Each day Is another opportunity to become present To turn it all around Thank you and have a lovely day

Reviews

That was lovely. I even found brief moments of just being, though my little mind more often creeps in with a label or thought. More patience and practice……

Thank you Andy

It's always a pleasure to listen to you. We don't know each other, but it feels like hearing an old friend who wants your best. How great to have you here! Thank you.

This really brought me into the moment. Using a beginners mind to stay in the moment and trying not to label the sounds and what I saw. A really good practice in being non judgemental and accepting things as they are. A great way to move into my day.

This was awesome! The space between words said me so much about our beautiful life on the planet Earth and about me. Thank you so much Andy!

So beautiful and an all encompassing meditation, thank you Andy

This was so relaxing, my eye stopped stress-twitching. Thank You

Wonderful practice for truly accepting whatever is here right now 😊.

The above comment was written 2 years and today I listened to this teaching again and see so much more. I am wondering when does "little me" become alive and begins to interpret the present. Seems it would begin at birth but what is it's purpose? Why does it believe it knows more than what is actually present?

My apologies, my curiosity got the best of me right now.

Be well.

Love your guided meditation. Thank you. Simple being present ♥️

It was magical. Felt this feeling of just being after a long time since childhood. Thank you. Namaste :)

I always find Andy’s meditations inspirational & helpful.🙏

What a great perspective.. learning to soften into the moment.

Very calming. I did keep my eyes open but it was very enjoyable anyway. Thank you 🙏🏽 May you also have a lovely day 🌹

Lovely words Andy. We are a miracle. Thank you for opening my eyes again to the present in all its goodness. 🙏

That blew my mind Andy! Thank you, I was restless. Take care 🦋

Deeply loved this meditation - all aspects of it! Thank you!

Such a gorgeous way to begin the day! Thank you. 🙏💗🙏

I had trouble keeping my eyes open; but the message and feelings came through. Thanks Andy 🙏🏻🌺

I wish I could give that 50 stars. That was beautiful. So many powerful thoughts.
I woke up in a worried low mood and now I’m at peace feeling ready to make this a day of presence. THANK YOU Andy for your kindness, compassion and soothing voice. The occasional humor is nice too. 🥰❣️🙏

Such a powerful meditation to tune in as an observer. Thank you!

I love Andy’s soothing and permission giving meditations. Very grateful ♥️