Be Where You Are

So often, the mind pulls us into the past or pushes us toward the future, making it difficult to fully arrive in the present. In this meditation, we will gently return our attention to where we are, just as we are. Through simple awareness, we will cultivate a sense of grounding, acceptance, and ease in this moment.

Transcript

So all of our lives are so busy right now. We have so many expectations, So many tasks and chores and things that we should be doing. So much noise out in the world and the media, So many social media accounts to keep up with. So many people calling for our attention. It's not surprising that we can get anxious, It's not surprising that we get overwhelmed and it's not surprising that our nervous system is very often dysregulated. So one way that we can get out of our heads and quieten that noise is to be where our feet are. So going there right at this moment, Acknowledging your feet, Feeling them against the floor, Or against the surface, And being exactly where your feet are. So using this is like coming back to the breath. I find when my mind is wandered, When I start to go down avenues that I don't want to go down or that I know are unuseful, I say that line in my head, Be where your feet are. And that brings me right back into my body. In that moment I drop out of my head and my thoughts and become conscious of my feet. And then I become conscious of my legs and my whole body. And that's all that we need to drop out of that over-processing brain. To drop out of the anxious thoughts, The rumination about what we should have done or could have done, And just come right back to where we are. Right back to the only thing we have, This present moment. And with your feet flat on the ground, Notice your toes, From your big toe right over to your little toe. Notice the outer sides of your feet, Your heels and the inner sides of your feet. Notice the top of your feet and the soles of your feet. And let's bring some gratitude towards your feet. They carry you around each day, Bringing you where you want to go, Hopefully without too much complaint. Using this to come back into the body can be our little anchor every time we notice the thoughts that are unuseful, Or we notice the thoughts that are too aggressively trying to figure things out, Looking for solutions, Trying to understand why things happen. The first step, Of course, Is awareness, That noticing of what's happening. And in this point, Remember to notice without judgment, To notice perhaps with a little bit of compassion, Because it's true, Life is hard. So noticing, And then remembering to drop out of your head, Down to your feet. I am here. I am present. I am peace. Now just notice your breath, Has it softened, Or is it more shallow than you'd like it to be? And let's just consciously lengthen that breath a little bit, Making sure that it's going deeper than your chest, Right down into the belly. Maybe a count of four in, A count of four out, Feeling the peace in your body when you are fully in your body, Reminding yourself, I am here, I am present, I am peace. And let's just sit silently for a minute and feel that presence, Either with your feet or with your breath. And remember, You don't need a 10 minute meditation to do this. You can have these micro moments of presence through your day. When you notice your thoughts, Go to places that aren't healthy, Remind yourself to be where your feet are. And in a very short period of time, You can feel that presence, Feel that peace as we come back into the here and now. Be where your feet are. Take a final lovely, Deep, Long, Slow breath in, And if you can, An even longer exhale. Feeling those feet again on the ground, Wiggling your toes, Bringing attention to your upper body, Rolling your shoulders, Bringing yourself back to your day, And have a wonderful inner day.

Reviews

Ciara, thanks for the important reminder. It’s so easy to get caught up in many things that do not matter and only drag us down. Be where your feet are! Love it!