Mindfulness Meditation For Cultivating Presence

Find a quiet place,

Either you're sitting on the floor or on a chair or just even lying down.

Turn off the lights if you need to and observe your breath.

Breathing in for a count of four and out for a count of four.

Now breathe in for a count of four and out for a count of six.

Make sure you're breathing into the belly and not into the chest.

It should be a rise and collapse of the abdomen.

Now put your attention to the spaces in between the breaths,

Between breathing in and out.

Now see if you can extend this to breathe in for a count of four and breathe out for a count of six.

If any mental activity distracts you,

That's okay.

Recognize they're coming and going.

Don't hold on to them,

Don't try to avoid them and don't get carried away by them.

Just let them come and go.

These mental activities are like clouds in a beautiful blue sky of awareness.

Let the clouds float away,

Leaving you with a beautiful vast open sky.

Notice the point of contact your body is making with the seat,

With the floor or the bed where you're lying down.

Feel the pressure at these touch points.

Notice the contact of clothes on your skin.

Notice the tightness of skin itself around the body,

The bag that holds your organs in place.

Now notice any smells,

Let only the sense of smell fill awareness.

Notice any sounds that you're hearing through these ears.

Notice any colors that you're seeing,

Even if your eyes are closed.

Perhaps the light coming in through your eyelids.

Let only the sense of sight fill awareness.

Now notice any taste that you can feel around your tongue.

Let only taste fill awareness.

Notice the heartbeat.

Can you feel the pulsation of the pumping blood?

Put one or both palms on your chest if you need to.

This is being aware.

You are present in the now.

And your presence is your authentic voice.

You can come back to the state any time you like to nourish your being during the day.

With the light of your presence,

Send a blessing to those who are losing their will to burn.

May your light give them hope.

May your light give them strength.

May your light let them find their center.

Thank you.

Join me again tomorrow.

Have a blessed day.