Present Moment Anchor

The present moment contains the doorway to all the joy and all the miracles as they say. This is a simple mindfulness process to make it easy and enjoyable to use our breath as an anchor to the present moment.

Transcript

The present moment is the doorway to everything.

So we're going to do a mindfulness practice to anchor you into the present moment using your breath,

Just like an anchor that routes a ship to one place.

And by allowing you to spend even just a little time in the present moment,

Even if it's only five seconds at a time,

And then maybe it'll increase to 15 seconds,

And then 30,

And then five minutes over time.

But no pressure,

No one has to be perfect.

We're just going to anchor into the present moment however much you're able to now.

And this is going to help you experience the richness of the world,

Dissolve your anxiety,

Decrease stress,

And allow your genius body to work perfectly as it knows how to,

Healing and allowing everything to flow in a relaxed,

Peaceful state.

So to begin,

Get into a comfy position,

However comfortable you can get.

Remember perfection is never the goal.

Just settle in.

You can do any posture.

Sitting is often best,

But feel free to lie down,

Stand.

If you want to walk,

Go for it.

The great thing is that no matter where you are,

No matter what you're doing,

You always have your breath and you always have the present moment.

So get relaxed,

Allowing your spine to follow its natural curves.

And see if you can establish a position and a feeling inside that feels alert yet relaxed.

Just allow your body to settle.

Feel the pull of the gravity.

Feel the support of whatever it is beneath you.

And gently close your eyes if that's comfortable.

This is helping your awareness settle by lessening external distractions.

So even if your eyes are open or closed,

Draw your attention a little more inward and gradually allow your awareness to gather.

And allow that awareness to move and gather around the sensations of the breath in your body.

Where do you feel the breath most strongly?

Be curious about your actual experience,

Letting go of what you think should be happening and being with your experience without judgment.

Whatever you are experiencing right now is exactly what you're supposed to be experiencing.

So you're doing it right.

Now very gently rest your awareness within your whole torso.

Can you feel your belly swelling on the in-breath and then subsiding on the out-breath?

Can you feel any movement and sensations with the breath in the sides and in the back of the body as well?

Just see what you feel.

Gradually inhabit your body a little more deeply with a sense of kind curiosity towards whatever you're experiencing as you breathe.

Hmm,

What does that feel like?

What's going on?

Ooh.

Just remember to be accepting of whatever's happening.

If it's uncomfortable,

Okay.

If it's comfortable,

Alright.

Either way,

You're doing great.

See if you can cultivate a precise awareness of the sensations and movement of the breath in the body as they happen moment by moment.

Taking care not to strain,

Just letting it happen,

Watching,

Allowing your awareness to be utterly receptive as it rests upon the natural movement of your breath in the body.

Allow the breath to be saturated with kindness and compassion as it rocks and cradles the body,

Soothing any stress or pain or discomfort you may feel.

Become aware now of any thoughts and emotions.

Thoughts are always happening,

And mindfulness isn't about having a blank mind.

It's normal to think,

It happens automatically,

And so mindfulness is just training yourself to cultivate an awareness of what actually is happening physically in your body,

Mentally in your mind,

And emotionally in your mind and body.

So you may or may not be able to do this with precision,

But see if you can notice what thoughts are popping into your mind.

Let them pop in and let them go,

And another one will pop in and let it go.

With your awareness,

You can gradually change your perspective and feel that you have more choice in how you relate to life.

So can you be aware of your thoughts and just look at them?

Be aware of your emotions and look at them rather than being swept away by them?

Can you be aware of what you're thinking and feeling without either blocking the experience or getting overwhelmed by it?

Can you just watch and let it happen?

Be curious.

And remember,

Thoughts are not facts,

Even when it seems like they are.

So as you develop perspective on your thoughts and emotions,

Including those undermining ones that aren't so nice to you,

Ask yourself,

Can you let go of being so caught up in them?

Maybe you can and maybe you can't,

But that's not important.

The important part is the question.

Could you let go of being caught up in your thoughts and emotions?

Notice how they're continually changing,

Just like your breath is always changing,

Just like everything's always changing.

Your thoughts and emotions are not as fixed and as solid as you perhaps thought.

So using awareness of the movement and sensations of the breath in your body as an anchor for the mind over and over.

If you forgot about focusing on your breath,

No problem,

Whenever you remember,

That is the key part.

And then just go back and follow your breath all the way in and all the way out.

And then your awareness will wander and you'll forget about your breath and then notice that whenever it happens.

Let's go back to my breathing,

Back to my anchor,

Again and again and again,

Moment by moment.

Even when your mind wanders,

You're still doing it right.

And when you remember to bring your awareness back to your breath,

You're doing it right.

Making sure you're very kind and patient with yourself,

Even if you have to start again and again hundreds of times.

That's okay,

We're doing this because it's enjoyable.

And remember that each time you notice you've wandered is a magic moment of awareness.

That moment is the key time that you've woken up from a distraction.

And it's a moment of choice because it's a moment of awareness.

So when you catch yourself having wandered off,

Be excited.

That's the doorway.

And if you keep your attention on the breath and you don't wander off for a while,

Then great.

Then you're staying in the doorway and you're moving through it.

So what's happening now?

What are you thinking?

What are you feeling?

Just take note of that,

No matter what it is,

And guide your awareness back to the sensation of your breath and your body over and over again.

Now gently begin to bring the breathing anchor practice to a close.

Don't worry,

Your breath will still always be with you,

Whether you are aware of it or not.

So when you're ready,

Gradually open your eyes if they were closed and be aware of any sounds around you,

Inside the room,

Outside the room.

Feel your entire body,

From your feet to your legs,

To your torso,

Your shoulders,

Your arms,

Your neck,

Your head,

Feel your whole body all at once.

And gently begin to move your body.

This is making sure you give yourself time to make a smooth transition from our breathing anchor practice to whatever you're going to do next.

Keep breathing everybody and keep being aware.