Come to a comfortable seat.
Whether you're sitting on a chair or on a cushion on the ground,
Be still.
Starting with a couple of rounds of breath to arrive.
Inhale Hold it Exhale Hold it Inhale Hold it Exhale Hold it Now allow your body to be rooted down into the earth through your feet,
Through your root,
Your seat.
Slowly sway your torso and your upper body side to side,
Front to back.
Telling yourself,
Your body,
To find its own rhythm.
Slowly settle in to stillness.
Into that spot that feels absolutely perfect for you to be at peace.
For you to be here.
Now.
Breathe into this stillness.
Watching vigilately for your next thought to arise.
Watching almost with bated breath for whatever that next thought may be.
As you wait and watch.
Notice the stillness that encompasses you.
Ask yourself,
What is my next thought?
And wait.
Wait for the answer.
Rooted to that spot.
That you fell into so naturally.
Grounded to the earth here.
And light.
You are waiting.
You are observing.
What is my next thought?
And as you wait,
And as thoughts appear,
Just notice them.
Notice them like clouds in the sky.
Actors in a play.
You simply observe.
Watch pass by.
Acknowledging their presence.
Acknowledging that this is what they do.
They come.
They go.
And there you are.
The watcher.
Cloud glazer.
The theatergoer.
The observer.
Just noticing.
Experiencing their presence.
Watching them.
And allowing them to continue on their way.
Inhale.
Hold it.
Exhale.
Ground through your seat or your feet.
Rooting yourself once more.
That is my next thought.
And if you find yourself encompassed in that thought,
Engrossed in that play,
Shrouded in that cloud,
Simply notice that that's where you are.
That you were swept off by your thoughts.
Touch them.
Thank them.
Take a breath in.
Feel that cool air coming in through your nose or your mouth.
Exhale and re-ground yourself through your seat or your feet.
Start again.
Waiting for that next thought.
Diligently.
Alertly.
And experience that depth of presence,
Of stillness,
And you wait for that next thought.
Presence.
Presence is a practice.
Does it come by default?
We are beings living in this material world with sense organs that alert us to the world around us.
With the mind continuously conjuring up thoughts.
Bringing us to the future or the past.
Because that's what it does.
Presence is a practice.
Whenever you feel yourself pulled away from presence,
Into the past or the future,
Into your thoughts,
Acknowledge it.
Recognize where you are.
Take a deep breath to remind you where you are.
Exhale and ground yourself.
Come back to presence.
Presence is a practice.
And it is essential that we practice with care and kindness.
Playfulness and resilience.
For it is in this practice that we allow ourselves to then go into our daily lives.
Interact with the world around us and maintain that presence.
Recognizing when we're not there,
Taking a deep breath to remind us where we are.
Exhaling and grounding.
Coming back to now.
What is my next thought?
Inhale deeply.
Awakening your body.
Bringing a little bit more energy and flow into that body of yours.
Exhale and let it all drop away.
Inhale,
Your hands to heart center,
Or keep them where they are.
Take a moment to thank yourself for taking the time in this practice of presence.
