A Cosmic Journey To Return To Presence

When the mind is caught in worry or rumination, it lives everywhere except the present moment. This practice brings it back — through a visualization journey into the cosmos.

This is a presence practice that uses the vastness of the universe to return you to the felt sense of being in your own body. What you feel at the end — spacious, grounded, connected — is a state you have access to at any time.

I love this practice personally because it brings me back to the present moment with a sense of perspective, a soothing balm to any stress I’ve accumulated throughout the day that is pulling me out of the moment. Bookmark this track and return to it whenever you need to come back to now.

Transcript

The intention of this meditation is to help you come back into the present moment. When we worry or ruminate, Our thoughts are stuck in the past or the future. By reconnecting to our body and our environment, We can gently guide ourselves back into presence. Take a moment to settle into your meditation space. Perhaps close the door to the room you are in and put your phone on Do Not Disturb mode. If you want, You can use a blanket or pillow and have water or a journal nearby. Then when you are ready, Find a comfortable position. You might like to sit with your lower back supported or lie down if you are winding down to rest. Know that at any point during this meditation, You can change positions. Trust your instincts and follow your desires. Give yourself permission to be comfortable and at ease. Let your gaze wander around the space you are in. See if you can find an object to rest your gaze on that invites a sense of wonder and delight. If you prefer to do this with your eyes closed, Wander the room of your mind and see if there's an image or object that comes into focus. It could even be something from the distant past, Like a favorite toy. When you've found something that delights you or invites a sense of curiosity, Take three delicious breaths in and out as you hold your gaze with the object. Notice one quality of it that has captured your attention. It can be the color, Texture, Shape, Light, Or even a memory or story that the object reminds you of. As we continue with the meditation, If at any point you wish to take a break or come out of it, You can gently reconnect with this object as a place of centering in delight. Pour your attention into the object that you are perceiving in this moment. If the object moves, Notice the way that it moves, And if it is still, Imagine how it would move if it could. Imagine what it would be like to live as this object. What would you see? What would you feel? How would you move? Releasing the object from your focus. Soften your gaze and invite your attention inward. How did your body feel while connecting with the object? What is the quality of your breath? And your thoughts? Take note of how it feels to connect with an object and give it the fullness of your attention. I'll offer a few questions that you may wish to reflect on. You are welcome to wander whatever path your mind leads you down, Even if you only explore one question and ignore the rest. Trust your inner knowing. Allow what is meant for you to stay, And the rest to fall away with ease. Where have you felt most connected to a place? Where do you feel most connected to yourself? What does connection feel like in your body? How would you describe it? Give yourself permission to be with the story and sensations that are arising as you contemplate these questions. If you feel any tension or resistance arise, What does it want? Can you tend to it like you would a child? Can you be with it, Console it, And let it know that it is okay to let go if it wants? You might even wish to affirm to yourself, I am here. I am safe. I am supported. I am loved. You can say these words out loud or in your mind. You can do this anytime tension arises in this meditation or in life. I am here. I am safe. I am supported. I am loved. Return to the feeling of connection in your body. Perhaps you may wish to connect with the sense of gravity pulling you down into the earth as the earth supports you. Where else do you feel a sense of support? Be with whatever is arising with the question. If there is any movement you wish to do, Like a hand on your heart or wrapping your arms around yourself like a hug, You are welcome to take it. Be with whatever is arising with the question. Every breath is a reminder that you are supported, That you are part of an entire ecosystem of support. The trees create oxygen for you to breathe and you transform it into carbon dioxide as a gift back. Where in your body do you feel a connection to your breath? It might be the rising and falling of your chest, The expansion of your belly and ribcage, The feeling of air entering your nostrils, The beating of your heart. Wherever you feel this connection to your breath, Can you let it captivate you? Can you explore every quality of it? How does the nourishing air feel on your skin? What else can you connect with in the spaciousness around you? Now imagine the air flowing like a river, Flowing all around you, Flowing out into the building you are in, Pouring out the windows and under the crevice of the door into your neighborhood, Your community. Ride the current of air from your town out into your state and even your country. Allow each breath to take you even further in the expansiveness to the hemisphere you are in, And then to the entire world. Can you see the world pulsating with this life-giving breath? Can you breathe in this feeling of connectedness and breathe out peace? Can you breathe in compassion and breathe out healing? What other qualities might you breathe in and then breathe out as a gift to the world? Every breath is a gift. Every breath is an opportunity to connect. Every breath can remind us that the world is longing for our gifts. Every moment is a new beginning. To live with intention requires nothing other than answering the call of the present moment. Take your time drawing your awareness from the world back down into your body. Allow the waves of your natural breath to recede like an ocean tide, Drawing you back into your hemisphere, Your country, Your state, Your town, Your community, Your neighborhood, Back into the room you are in. Feel yourself re-entering your body. What does it feel like to extend your connection outward and then inward again? Do you feel spacious, Grounded, Peaceful, Or something else? As we close out this meditation, Take note of this feeling. How would connecting with this feeling change the way you show up in the rest of your day or the week ahead? Know that you have the power to connect with this feeling at any moment. What you felt in this meditation was created by you. All you need is to look around the space you are in. Find something to connect with, Breathe with it, And you can remember the feeling of connection and presence in your body. As you open your attention back out into the space you are in, Reconnect with the object you connected with at the beginning of the meditation. Thank it for holding the space for you and thank yourself for taking the time to be present. With lightness and ease and in your own time you can transition out of the meditation into the rest of your day.