My name is Greg McBride,
And I'm someone who,
Like many of you,
Can get caught up in day-to-day tasks,
In to-do lists,
In thinking a little bit too much about the past,
About the present,
About the future.
And I've come to learn that sometimes,
Borrowing a trick from my parents or babysitters from my past,
That I need a time out.
Think about it.
When we give kids a time out,
It's to get them to stop,
To get centered,
To get present.
Now these aren't necessarily words that we use when we ask them to have a time out,
But the principle is the same.
And so no matter what you have going on today,
Whether it's still early in the day,
Where you're in the middle of the chaos,
Whether it's the end of the day and you're exhausted,
Or maybe you're on top of it and just taking a break for yourself,
Why don't we take a time out together?
So just get centered wherever you are.
Maybe you're sitting down on a yoga mat.
Maybe you're on some soft pillows or on the floor,
Cross-legged.
Maybe you're in your car taking a break during lunch,
Or maybe you just parked.
Maybe you're sitting in a waiting room and have some earbuds in your ears and you're listening like that.
Wherever you are,
Just get centered.
Be as comfortable as you can.
And if you are sitting,
Feel the seat beneath you,
No matter what that is,
Whether it's the floor,
Whether it's pillows,
A cushion,
A yoga mat,
Maybe it's a chair.
Whatever it is,
Just feel that sensation on your body.
And if you're standing,
Feel your feet on the floor,
On the earth,
On the ground,
Wherever you are.
Just get in touch with something that is also there.
And if you can and if you're comfortable,
Close your eyes and turn your attention to your breathing.
Now we don't have to change anything about our breathing when we turn to it,
But just be aware of your in and your out breaths.
And just breathing in a natural rhythm,
Let's think to ourselves,
In as we breathe in and out as we breathe out.
And just keep doing this,
Thinking in,
Thinking out.
And we're just getting centered as we give ourselves an adult time out.
Become aware of your shoulders.
Are you tense?
Are you wearing your shoulders like earrings?
How's your posture right now,
Whether you're sitting or standing?
So as you continue to breathe,
Maybe roll your shoulders back,
Just once or twice,
Maybe three times.
Nothing strenuous.
We're just grooving with our bodies.
We're just getting back in touch with ourselves.
We're centering ourselves so we can succeed with the rest of our day,
No matter how much chaos there is around us,
Or calm.
How many of us have been in the middle of a calm situation and our mind has run away with us?
Another good reason for a time out.
So once you've rolled your shoulders a couple times,
We're thinking about our breath.
Let's try and be here now.
Thoughts are going to come in.
Things that maybe we didn't add to our to-do list on our phone are going to pop up in our brains.
And we can get to that in just a second.
Just see it pass like a cloud,
Like a breeze,
Maybe like a leaf floating in the wind.
There it is.
I recognize it.
I'm not denying it.
And there it goes,
Floating off.
I'm not going to follow it though.
I'm here now.
I'm about my breath.
I'm about centering myself.
I'm about reminding myself that I am pretty amazing.
And you know what?
You are.
Even if you haven't checked off everything on your list today,
Even if a few so-called surprises have popped up and changed everything about your day or your week or your year,
These things jump into our lives and they're not always solvable right away.
But you can handle it because you're a superstar.
You really are.
The fact that you're taking time right now to do this mini time out to center yourself to be here now shows what a rock star you are.
No matter who needs us,
No matter what gets taken care of,
If we don't take care of ourselves first,
We can't be of service to other people.
If we don't do what we need to do to feel good in our own hearts,
Minds and bodies,
Then we can't shine that light to other people,
Whether it's children,
Family members,
Friends,
Associates,
Maybe even strangers.
We all have a light in us that can make this planet brighter.
So celebrate that light.
It's inside you right now.
Maybe you feel it at your center near your heart.
Do you feel it shining?
It's getting brighter.
That's because you're recharging right now with this time out.
Whether your eyes are closed or you have a soft gaze,
Think about that bright light right now in your heart above your core.
That beautiful part of you that has always landed on your feet has always managed chaos and even has been so beautiful as to recognize that you want to make meditation,
Centering yourself and being present part of your life.
No matter what else is going on.
And that's really something to be celebrated.
You are someone to be celebrated.
So now let's take another breath,
Maybe a little deeper this time.
We're going to bring ourselves back.
Let's take another breath.
Think in,
Breathing in,
Out,
Breathing out.
And now you can flutter your eyes open wherever you are.
If you're sitting in a parked car,
If you're in a waiting room,
If you're at home,
No matter who's looking at you right now thinking,
What's that person doing?
We are taking an adult time out.
We deserve it.
Even if it's your dog or cat looking at you right now,
They get it.
You're a superstar.
You deserve this time out.
So come back to it when you need to.
And again,
No matter what you have ahead of you in the rest of your day,
Evening,
Night,
Morning,
Wherever you are in your schedule,
Never forget that beautiful light.
This world would not be the same without you.
Namaste.
