Here & Now Stone

Here and Now Stone is a brief mindfulness and savouring practice from the Mindful Self-Compassion program.

In this exercise, you’ll need a simple stone or rock and will engage the senses of sight and touch, allowing yourself to be fully absorbed in the experience with appreciation. By relating to the stone in this way, you’ll have a direct experience of the present moment—a grounding and immediate way to reconnect with the here and now. You may even notice the subtle difference between the felt quality of being present vs being lost in thought, and discover the richness and quiet joy available in the present moment.

Transcript

Welcome to the here and now stone. You'll need a stone or a rock for this practice. And then once you have that, You can go ahead and find a posture that feels relaxed and awake, Either sitting or standing. And this brief practice is both a mindfulness and a savoring exercise that will anchor you in the present moment. And so when you feel ready, Taking your stone or rock in your hand, And let's begin by observing the stone. So examining the stone carefully through the sense of sight, Noticing the colors, The angles, Maybe the way the light plays on the curves of your stone, And allowing yourself to enjoy your stone. You might even imagine where the stone came from. And then closing your eyes and exploring the stone through the sense of touch. Closing your hand perhaps and feeling the stone, Noticing the temperature, The texture, Is it smooth or rough? And then opening your eyes again and letting your gaze become completely absorbed in your stone and the experience of holding this beautiful stone or this piece of nature. And then noticing what happens when you're focused on the stone rather than being lost in thought. What happens when you're focused on the stone with appreciation? What happens to regret and worry or anything else you might be experiencing? And so in other words, Noticing what it's like to be present. Can you notice the subtle joy of the present moment? There's a subtle difference that you might be able to detect between being present versus being lost in thought. And so now just taking a moment to briefly integrate that short mindfulness practice by reflecting on how that was for you. And then knowing that you can engage with this short practice at any time throughout the day, You might even keep a stone in your pocket or close by as a way to ground yourself in the present moment whenever you're under stress or feeling overwhelmed. And so letting go of that short practice and just taking a moment to come back to the simple sensations of the body sitting, Maybe feeling the breath for one or two rounds of breath. And then when you're ready, You can open your eyes.