Wednesday Pause: Arriving In The Moment

Arriving and embracing the present moment with the people around you instead of frequently being lost in the head with our thoughts, reviewing the past or speculating about the future, or being buried in our mobile phones. Inspired by Thich Nhat Hanh's poem: Please Call Me by My True Names.

Transcript

Welcome today and I would like to cover something on,

Oh rather the title is Arriving in the Present Moment.

So this is really about mindfulness,

Isn't it?

To be in the present moment.

And what does it really mean?

So one thing we might tend to do,

Which is very universal,

Is getting lost in our thoughts,

Thinking about something,

Maybe a work problem or something,

A family situation to be fixed.

And next thing you know,

We are just living in our head,

In our stories,

In our judgments.

And then we forget what's going on around us,

Right?

We forget about the people who are around us.

Or sometimes we are just so engrossed in the phone,

Looking at our social media postings and we forget who's around us.

And sometimes when I see parents walking around with their children or having dinner with their children,

They're actually having dinner with their phones rather than with the children.

So that is also maybe not so mindful.

So here's the invitation,

Is how to be in the present moment.

And so as always,

In our meditation,

You can sit,

You can stand,

You can lie down.

Whatever that is comfortable for you,

It's not meant to be forced in any way.

And you know,

There are moments you want to get up and just go for a walk,

It's fine.

Or if you just want to end the practice,

It's also okay and you can also exit.

So there's no need to apologize or anything like that.

If you're feeling very sleepy,

For example,

You can just go ahead and exit and just go to bed.

So taking care of yourself is the most important part of mindfulness.

So closing the eyes or just keeping them open,

Softening the gaze if you wish.

And giving yourself permission to be right here in the moment,

Making space for yourself,

Giving yourself time.

And it helps if you're sitting up to sit quite upright,

So allowing the easy flow of the breath.

It also allows you to kind of sort of stay more alert,

More mindful.

Embracing a sense of aliveness by just being here right now.

I'm taking a moment to acknowledge how are you feeling right now.

Noticing any particular sensations that may be here for you.

Sensations in the head,

Maybe a headache,

Or maybe cool air from the aircon or fan.

Or maybe noticing any tension in the body,

Just noticing where that is.

And so the practice of mindfulness,

Just being aware of what's here for you,

And as best as you can,

Not needing to judge.

Not needing to say,

Oh,

I got to fix this.

But simply just allowing it to be there,

Accepting that it is just a sensation for now.

So,

Feeling any physical feelings or sensation,

Lower back,

Upper back,

Hands,

Fingers or legs.

Or maybe feeling the stomach,

Maybe it's hungry,

Or maybe you're very full.

And just dropping in to that feeling.

Now I'm noticing maybe the mind is wondering,

Which can happen.

And just noticing where it is wondering to.

And in the practice of mindfulness,

Just observing it like a pellet party where the mind is going.

And not needing to be an actor in those spots.

Just simply observing.

And just acknowledging what you're feeling right now.

If it helps,

Maybe just putting a word to it,

Sleepiness,

Tiredness,

Maybe feeling active,

Restless,

Impatient,

Or maybe calm.

And just allowing whatever is here to be just here.

So,

Not resisting whatever that's here.

Just accepting that a sensation is a sensation,

A thought is just a thought.

And neither do you have to fall in love with whatever that's arising for you.

Maybe it feels unpleasant.

And it's okay.

And then just noticing,

Oh,

That's just unpleasant.

It's a description.

It's a label.

It's a feeling that comes and goes.

And if you're feeling anything in the chest area,

For example,

And just acknowledging that feeling there,

That is heaviness,

Lightness,

Tightness,

Ease.

Just arriving in the present moment and just staying with whatever that's here right now.

So,

Resisting doesn't mean that that sensation will go away.

Resisting just means that you are resisting.

So,

If you're finding the mind is just wandering away,

Getting easily lost,

Keep in mind that's very natural.

And so,

If it helps us connecting with the breath to stay focused,

Just attempting to sensations of breathing,

Feeling the breath in the body.

As you take an inhale and have an exhale,

As you release the breath,

At each in-breath and the out-breath arriving in the present moment.

Using the breath to keep arriving in the present moment.

And maybe the mind may be drifting away and you can also notice sensations on the skin,

Touch,

The contact of your clothes on the body,

Or the weights of the body on the chair or mat,

So if you're lying down.

Using that to stay grounded.

And during this meditation,

If you feel like moving,

Shifting your posture,

Just go ahead doing it mindfully.

You're noticing that you're starting to stiffen up the body.

Just relaxing,

Taking an in-breath,

Out-breath,

Releasing,

Breathing out tension.

As you're breathing in and breathing out,

Just think to yourself,

I'm here right now in the present moment,

I have arrived in the present moment with kindness,

Non-judgment.

I don't have to love everything or befriend every feeling I have,

But I can be at ease with it.

By not resisting.

Simply going with the flow.

Like a river that's finding its way to the ocean.

Now from the breath of the body that you're feeling,

Just expanding the awareness widely,

Just feeling the air around you,

Noticing sounds,

Temperature of the room,

Any wind.

Opening yourself up to whatever that's here in this present moment.

And if there are thoughts still going through the mind,

Which is normal,

Just broadening the focus away from the thoughts,

Feeling the body as a whole,

The room temperature,

Contact of the skin,

Your clothing,

The floor,

The bed,

Or your chair.

Perhaps feeling the movement of air on your skin,

On your face.

And I have a poem for you today,

As always.

This is by Thich Nhat Hanh,

The Zen monk.

Please call me by my true names.

That's the title.

Don't say that I will depart tomorrow.

Even today,

I am still arriving.

Look deeply.

Every second I am arriving to be a bud on a spring brunch,

To be a tiny bird with a still fragile wings,

Learning to sing in my new nest,

To be a caterpillar in the heart of a flower,

To be a jewel hiding itself in a stone.

I still arrive in order to laugh and to cry,

To fear and to hope.

The rhythm of my heart is the birth and death of all that is alive.

My joy is like spring,

So warm.

It makes flowers bloom all over the earth.

My pain is like a river of tears,

So vast it fills the four oceans.

Please call me by my true names,

So I can hear all my cries and my laughter at once,

So I can see that my joy and pain are one.

Please call me by my true names,

So I can wake up and so the door of my heart can be left open,

The door of compassion.

So just taking in the last few moments of this meditation.

It's allowing some of the words to sink in.

So the door of my heart can be left open,

The door of compassion.

And just by showing up,

You're showing compassion to yourself,

Making time for yourself.

When you're ready,

Just opening the eyes and coming back here.

So it's good to see you all again and take care.

Feel free to drop in again next week.

Same link.