Welcome to this meditation on cultivating presence in your life.
A lot of our lives are spent looking for distraction.
We eat for pleasure rather than nourishment.
We watch movies,
Consume social media and media,
Distracting us from our own experience of life.
We have forgotten how to just be.
We have forgotten how to live in the now,
How to experience each moment fully,
Without thinking about what is happening next.
Practicing presence can help us to experience life fully and completely.
So take a long,
Slow,
Deep breath in to bring yourself into the present moment.
And exhale and relax.
Continue to breathe slowly and deeply,
Slowing your breath,
Connecting into your body.
What is it to be present?
To be present means you are not thinking about the future,
Nor reminiscing about the past.
You are being exactly where you are with both body and mind.
Lao Tuth said,
Living in the past is living with depression.
Living in the future is living with anxiety.
And living in the present is living in peace.
What is your relationship with the present moment?
Do you spend a lot of time thinking about the future,
Worrying about things that haven't happened?
Or maybe you spend time regretting or ruminating about the past?
Most of us have a dominant focus.
And as Lao Tuth says,
If that focus is future-focused,
You may be more likely to suffer from anxiety.
If that focus is past-focus,
You might be more likely to suffer from depression.
But let us stay for the next while in the present.
Let us evoke peace into our lives.
Let us feel the beauty and the benefit of presence.
You see,
The present moment is where we find our peace.
It is also where we find joy,
Happiness,
Contentment.
All of these beautiful emotions and more belong in the present moment.
So breathe and be here now.
Breathe and feel alive and present.
Cultivating a practice of presence can assist you in so many areas of your life.
The practice of presence can improve your focus.
Because when you cultivate the ability to be present,
You will be better able to avoid distraction and be able to concentrate on whatever truly merits your attention.
The practice of presence improves relationships.
When you pay closer attention to the person in front of you,
Truly being with them in the now,
It will deepen your connection with that other person,
Allowing you to communicate with much more than words.
The practice of presence teaches us to be at peace with ourselves.
So continuing to spend some time immersed in this present moment.
Being here now,
Breathing,
Experiencing,
But not judging nor commenting on that experience.
Breathing in pure presence.
Breathing out worries and fears.
Breathing in presence.
Breathing out regrets and guilt.
Breathing in presence.
Breathing out sadness and grief.
Just be.
Take as much time as you like to sit.
I want to thank you for meditating with me today,
And I wish you a beautiful day of peaceful presence.
