Embracing Impermanence I'd like to start this practice with a quote from Michael Stone.
Creation and death coexist in sequence with the arising and passing away of each moment.
Every inhalation is a birth and at the end of every exhalation is a small death.
In each consecutive moment,
Over and over again,
The universe arises and passes away on the thread of a breath cycle.
What if we trusted life like we trust the breath?
Wholeheartedly taking in the joy,
The nourishment and pleasure of the moment and then letting it go,
Just as easily,
Just as completely.
But instead we often cling to those moments of joy and pleasure and when things are difficult,
We're lost in thought,
Wishing things were different.
But the truth is,
Nothing is permanent and life continues.
And the present moment that we're in right now is the only moment that truly exists and it passes by just as quickly as an exhalation leaving your body.
So when we talk about embracing impermanence,
It certainly involves letting go of the attachments that we have,
But I also believe that it involves cultivating true presence and being able to pull ourselves away from distraction and attachments and immerse ourselves in the moment.
So we can find true presence right now by bringing our awareness to our senses.
So finding a comfortable seat if you haven't already,
Keeping the eyes open for now and just softening your gaze out in front of you.
Bringing your full awareness to your sense of sight.
Notice your surroundings.
Notice the colors,
The shapes,
The patterns.
Resisting the urge to label or judge what you see.
Simply observe what you see in front of you with mindful attention.
Now closing your eyes if that feels comfortable for you and shifting your awareness to your sense of hearing.
Notice any sounds inside or outside of the room.
The sound of my voice.
Listen without judgment or attachment.
Listen to the sounds that come and go naturally like waves hitting the shore.
Now bringing your awareness to your sense of smell.
Taking in any scents or aromas in the air.
Observing how they may change and evolve with each breath.
Taking in the aromas of the moment with complete non-judgmental curiosity.
Shifting your awareness now to your sense of touch.
Notice the sensation of the parts of your body touching the surface that you're sitting on.
Feel the temperature of the air on your skin.
The texture of your clothing or other sensations that you feel with this sense of touch.
And finally bringing your awareness to your sense of taste.
Notice with complete non-judgmental curiosity any lingering tastes in the mouth or any sensations in your throat or your tongue.
Observe if they change on their own.
Observe without wishing to change them or control them.
And you can continue this on your own for as long as you have time for.
Exploring each of the senses one at a time.
Noticing sensations changing with the passing time.
Notice thoughts in your mind attempting to pull at your attention.
Each time you notice yourself lost in thought,
You can simply return your attention to your sense of sight.
You can even observe your sense of sight behind your closed eyelids.
Getting curious.
Observing without judgment or labels.
Continue as long as you need and come back to this practice any time you feel the need to ground in presence.
And whenever you're ready to continue your day or your evening,
You can simply allow the eyes to open again if they aren't and feel your body here as a whole.
Moving on from this moment,
Remembering and honoring the impermanence of all moments and all things.
And giving yourself the gift of embracing that impermanence by being mindfully present in each moment as much as possible.
And thank you so much for joining me today.
Take care.
