Hi,
I'm Greg,
And thanks for joining In This Way.
Many of us lead lives that require a fair amount of task switching.
We go from one thing to another to another.
Our ancestors,
Although they worked just as hard or even harder,
Didn't have to switch tasks quite so much.
One could argue that our brains are not very well suited for the amount of task switching that we do.
And so I hope that this practice will ease the transition from one task to another,
Or from one task to rest.
Find yourself comfortable and fully supported.
If you're sitting on a cushion,
Then your spine is aligned such that your muscles can relax and your skeleton can bear the load.
If you're walking,
You're comfortable and supported by the ground.
For a few breaths,
Take stock of what you've been working on,
Or what you've been doing,
From which you are transitioning out.
Take on a sense of gratitude for what you've been doing,
Even if it's been hard or a struggle.
It's part of who you are now.
It's an experience that you will take with you for the rest of your life.
As thoughts arise,
Imagine them leaving your mind,
Like bubbles,
Floating gently,
Being carried away by the wind.
Each new thought gets a new bubble,
And is carried away gently by the wind.
Imagine there is a door in front of you.
You reach out and open the door,
And you begin to move through the doorway.
As you are in the doorway,
Glance back over your shoulder,
All in your mind's eye,
Of course.
Notice all those bubbles,
Those thoughts,
Those experiences,
Still dwelling in gratitude for what has been.
And then turn away from that,
And be in the doorway.
Be on the threshold.
You're neither in nor out,
Neither here nor there,
Simply being.
Take a few breaths there.
Now imagine yourself moving fully through the doorway,
Such that you can close the door behind you.
You're stepping into a new space.
Maybe it's a room.
Maybe it's outside.
Maybe your doorway was just in a field.
But you stepped into something new.
Maybe this is something you're looking forward to,
Or maybe it's something that you feel a bit reticent about.
Either way,
Take stock of how you're feeling.
Notice what needs you might meet.
Notice what needs you might not be able to meet,
Because you're moving on to this next thing.
And observe how the body reacts.
Now if you're still holding on to the door handle of this imaginary door,
Imagine yourself letting it go,
Moving a little further away from that door.
Imagine yourself taking on a posture of possibility and hope.
Imagine yourself with a sense of competence,
That this next thing is something you can do,
Or that you can figure out.
Now imagine yourself moving so far away from that door,
That you are completely immersed in the new thing.
In fact,
The door is out of sight.
Either it's vanished,
Or you've moved so far that you can't see it anymore.
And you are ready for this next thing.
May you know peace.
May you know flourishing.
