If you are listening to this,
You are likely in a period of waiting.
Waiting for news,
Waiting for results,
Waiting for an answer or a decision or a shift that you cannot control.
Waiting is one of the hardest things we ask our minds and bodies to do.
It is an in-between space.
The brain wants to resolve the tension,
To skip ahead to the end of the story,
To prepare for every possible outcome.
It is exhausting work,
And it rarely brings the certainty that we are looking for.
So for the next few minutes,
We are not going to try to solve the weighting.
We are not going to try to predict the future or force yourself to feel calm about it.
We are just going to practice being here,
Right now,
While the waiting is happening.
I invite you to settle into whatever space you are in.
You do not need to move or change your posture unless it feels helpful to do so.
If it feels comfortable,
You might let your eyes close.
Or you can keep them open.
Letting your gaze rest softly on something steady in the room.
Take a moment to notice where your body is making contact with the world around you.
Notice the weight of your body resting against the chair,
The floor,
Or the bed.
You do not have to hold yourself up right now.
The surface beneath you is steady.
Let it carry your weight Now bring your attention to your breath.
You do not need to change it or force it to be deep.
Just notice that it is happening.
Notice the air moving in.
Notice the air moving out.
As you sit here,
You might notice your mind trying to pull you forward into the future,
Trying to figure out what will happen next.
That is what minds do when they are uncertain.
They try to protect us by planning.
So when you notice your mind doing this,
You do not need to fight it or be frustrated with yourself.
Simply acknowledge it.
You might silently say to yourself.
.
.
Thinking about the future.
And then gently bring your attention back to your breath.
Back to the feeling of the surface beneath you.
The future is not here yet.
It is still unwritten.
The only place you have to be right now is here.
In this breath.
In this moment.
Waiting often brings physical tension.
We brace ourselves against the unknown.
Without trying to force anything to relax.
Simply scan your body.
To see if you are holding tension anywhere.
Notice your jaw.
Is it clenched?
If it is.
See if you can allow it to soften just a little bit.
Notice your shoulders.
Are they pulled up towards your ears?
See if you can allow them to drop just a little.
Notice your hands.
Are they gripping?
See if you can let them rest open.
You do not have to be completely relaxed.
You are just inviting a little more space.
A little more ease.
Into the body as it waits.
It is okay if this feels difficult.
It is ok if you still feel restless or anxious.
You are not doing it wrong.
Waiting is hard.
But you do not have to live in the future before it arrives.
You can stay right here.
Tethered to the present.
The ground beneath you.
And the breath moving through you.
As we bring this practice to a close.
Take one more intentional breath.
Notice the air filling your lungs.
Notice the release as you let it go.
When you are ready.
Gently allow your attention to expand back out into the room.
Notice the sounds around you.
Notice the temperature of the air.
If your eyes were closed,
Slowly open them.
You are still waiting.
But you are here.
And for right now,
That is enough.
Take good care.
