Settle into a comfortable position,
Sitting down,
Either cross-legged on the floor or in a chair.
You can also do this lying down if you prefer to or need to.
If you are sitting,
It is beneficial to keep the spine upright and self-supporting.
The body should be relaxed and balanced.
If you are comfortable doing so,
Close your eyes,
Or you can hold them kind of half open,
Not looking at anything specific.
Slowly inhale,
Taking a full breath and hold for just a moment.
And then release your breath like dropping a weight.
Just let it all go.
Now let your breathing relax into an effortless rhythm.
And be aware that your breathing takes care of itself.
You can leave it on its own and trust it will continue.
Notice how your body feels.
If there is tension in some areas,
Let those places relax.
Now just observe the general feeling of your mind.
Are your thoughts racing or calm,
Anxious or relaxed,
Happy or sad?
For now let them be as they are and relax into being present in this moment.
Now as we begin,
Just listen to the words in this meditation.
This is happening in the now.
You are not listening in the future and you are not listening in the past.
You can only listen in the present moment.
Just be aware of listening in the present moment and being present in the now.
The now is not a point in time that is somehow moving from past to future.
It is actually the entire field of silent and motionless awareness in which all of time and all of creation exists.
Now be aware of that vast silent stillness in which everything is contained.
Any sounds you are hearing are arising from the silent now and then fading back again into stillness.
For a moment just try to be aware of the stillness that these sounds emanate from and disappear back into.
This stillness is the source of all sound,
All vibration and all creation.
Relax and feel the silent power of stillness.
Now gently shift your attention again to your breathing.
Just relax into breathing.
Watch the steady gentle rhythm of your breathing,
In and out like waves at the shore.
Contemplate for a moment the energy,
The intelligence and the consciousness that has been taking care of your breathing.
The consciousness that is doing your breathing is always in the now,
Present in every moment,
As it unfolds in the timeless and eternal now.
Watch a few more breaths and just let them happen on their own.
Watch the motion of your inhaling and exhaling and be aware of simply being in the now all the way through each breath.
Gradually move your awareness to your thoughts.
They may have wandered from time to time during this meditation,
That's okay.
Just observe them without judging or analyzing them.
When you are engaged with your thoughts,
You are not in the present.
But when you are observing them,
You are in the now,
Just watching them.
Notice how they just appear from somewhere and then fade away like waves rising and falling away.
Focus into watching them for another moment now.
Watching your thoughts instead of losing yourself in them loosens their power over you.
You begin to gain the freedom to relax into life,
Even in the midst of its unresolved difficulties and conflicts.
Slowly shift your focus to your feelings.
Feelings are often mixed into your thoughts,
Permeating them and coloring them according to the kind of feeling you are having.
Just be aware of any feelings you are having now.
You might be feeling peace or joy.
You might be feeling anxious or bored.
Whatever feelings you are having,
Just observe them without judgment or analysis and let them be.
The mind resists being in the now.
It wants to engage in thoughts and feelings and figure out how to change,
Fix,
Acquire or get rid of things you are thinking about or feeling.
Relax and observe.
Whatever is happening right now is okay.
Let it be.
Give yourself permission to let everything be as it is right now in this moment.
Make a promise to yourself that you will take action on all the things in your life that require your attention.
But for the moment just allow everything to be just as it is.
When your thoughts and actions proceed from a place of presence in the now,
They are clear and charged with inspiration and intuition.
You naturally find solutions and instinctively do the right thing in the moment.
Now let go of everything we explored in this meditation and linger for a moment in just being here,
Just being relaxed and fully present in the now.
The more of your moments that are spent in the now,
The more your life will blossom in ways you have not yet imagined.
