This is a little reflection about what it means to be here rather than there.
And Eckhart Tolle says in his book,
The Power of Now,
That so much pain is caused by being here and wanting to be there.
And I'm sure that lots of you listening can relate to that.
That feeling of not being at ease in your own skin or your environment and not being satisfied.
This sense of wanting things to be different,
Perhaps seeing other people living different lives and feeling that something about our own experience is lacking.
And what mindfulness practice can help us with is this sense of gratitude and peace with what is.
With what our current life and experience has given us.
And so I thought we'd practice,
Just a very short practice together,
To cultivate this sense of appreciation of the here so that we're spending less of our energy somewhere else.
So when you're ready,
Please just take your time to get comfortable,
Adopting a posture that is easiest for you.
And if you're in pain,
That might be lying down.
And if you're feeling okay in your body,
I'd recommend sitting upright,
But not too rigid.
So just with your back softly upright,
I like to say.
And the shoulders dropped a little if they're feeling tense,
Just allowing them to loosen a little.
And then hands by your side or on your lap.
And when you're ready,
Closing the eyes down if that feels okay.
Or if you prefer,
Just lowering the gaze to the floor.
And when you're ready,
Just taking a moment to come into the present moment by connecting in with your feet on the ground.
Noticing how it feels to touch the ground.
Sensing into the surface that your feet are resting on.
Maybe socks,
Shoes,
Or maybe the floor beneath you.
And taking all your attention into the feet.
And perhaps you'll notice a resistance and the mind might be very busy and pulling you away.
But just know that that's part of your practice,
Noticing that.
And in your own time,
Gently guiding the attention back to the feet on the ground.
Noticing the heaviness of the feet and perhaps the detail inside the feet.
Noticing the feeling of muscle and bones.
Perhaps a pulsing or a tingling inside the feet.
Perhaps noticing a temperature.
Are the feet feeling cool or warm?
Or perhaps nothing at all?
And now moving your attention to the body resting here.
Sitting on the chair,
Sofa,
Or perhaps lying down.
Just noticing how the rest of your body connects with the surface beneath it.
And if the mind's wandering again,
Just gently guiding it back to the body connecting with the surface beneath it.
Body on the chair.
Feet on the ground.
And by coming into our bodies in this way as we start our practice,
We're already cultivating more of the here and less of the there.
And every time your mind is wandering off,
Seeking more interesting,
Exciting,
Tempting things to do or think about,
Just using the body to connect you back with the here and now.
It's such a simple practice,
But such a powerful one too.
Our bodies in the present moment have a real sense of grounding and here-ness.
And if you allow yourself to keep coming back from the wandering mind into the safety of the body,
You'll find a real sense of ease and appreciation of the now,
The present moment.
So just extending the practice a little by starting to check in with the breath.
Perhaps noticing the breath in the belly or maybe higher up in the chest,
The throat.
The nostrils.
Just seeking out the breath and being curious about how it feels in this moment.
Again,
If the mind wanders,
Knowing that that's part of your practice,
A mind wandering there seeking out new experiences.
Jumping around as it's meant to do.
So without judging the mind,
Just gently guiding the attention back to the breath,
Back to the here and the now.
Just breathing.
And being really curious about how the breath feels.
Perhaps you're noticing it settling a little as you relax into this practice.
And perhaps you're able to notice the length of the breath.
Is the in-breath different to the out-breath?
Just being curious.
Just noticing.
And seeing how the more attention you bring to the detail of your body and the detail of your breath,
The more the present moment comes to life.
And the more you're able to appreciate the wonder of your bodies and the sense of ease in the now.
So just really leaning in to the senses in the body.
Feeling what you feel.
Noticing what you notice.
And if the mind keeps wandering here and there,
Looking for adventure and distraction.
Just acknowledging that that's all part of being human.
And gently guide the attention back to this body,
Sitting or resting.
Here in the now.
And as we move towards the end of the practice,
Just taking a moment to be a little curious again as to how you're feeling.
Noticing if anything's shifted.
Just by paying a little attention to the detail of your body and your breath.
And in your own time,
Bringing some awareness back by gently wiggling the toes and then gently winkling the fingers.
And taking just a few seconds to appreciate any benefit from this practice,
Anything you've learnt,
And allow it to really settle in.
And as you open your eyes and move into the rest of your day or your evening,
Noticing how the now feels to you.
Seeing if you can appreciate the detail of the now in your waking life,
Those little moments.
And every time you notice your mind wandering somewhere else,
Seeking distraction or seeking something new or different,
Just coming back into the body,
Into the breath,
And appreciating the beauty of the now.
Thank you so much for taking the time to practice with me today.
If you enjoyed this practice,
Do visit some of my other meditations.
And I'm wishing you a really peaceful day or evening and hope to see you again soon.
Take care.
