Welcome,
And I hope that each one of you will come to find peace within yourself.
Today,
I'd like to talk a little bit about finding what really matters in your life.
What's truly important,
And what is simply a waste of time.
I've been a voracious reader since I was a little boy,
And recently I've been reading a lot about what people think really matters in life.
In kind of in conjunction with that,
I've been reading a lot about the biggest regrets people have at the end of their lives.
I'm sure all of you are familiar with the current trend being called the Great Resignation.
There are millions of people around the world who in the midst of this global pandemic simply get up and leave their jobs,
Their vocations.
I've been doing a lot of reading about these people and the reasons they give for quitting their jobs.
Many have stated that the scope of the pandemic made them realize that they were spending too much time working.
Too much time in a job they didn't love.
Many of these people who were forced to work from home had a revelation about how they were spending their time.
In the midst of global closures and cancellations,
With everyone being quarantined and isolated,
Many people have come to see what they were missing all along.
About 12 years ago,
I lost everything,
And that caused me to take a fresh look at my life.
A time to reassess what I was doing with my life.
And I realized that I had been spending too much time working,
Too much time striving for things that weren't really important.
I had become too focused on my things,
Too focused on money and material gains.
And I came back to the realization that what really matters is right here.
It's in this moment and not in the future somewhere.
What matters is being present in this moment,
Not thinking about what could be or about what has been.
What matters is now.
You can't control what comes next.
You can't alter anything in your past.
But all we can do is live in the present moment without affixing our happiness to the future.
And that is what will bring you peace.
Close your eyes now,
And let's go in search of this present moment together.
It doesn't matter if you're laying down,
Sitting,
Or standing.
It only matters that you're comfortable in this moment.
And silence your devices,
All of them.
And hopefully you're someplace where you won't be disturbed or distracted for a little bit.
This,
Here,
Now.
This is your time.
Trust this moment because this is all that matters.
Just relax.
There's no pressure,
No place to go,
No where we have to be.
We are just here,
Looking for ourselves in this moment of solitude.
Relax your face.
Unclench your jaw.
And maybe wiggle your eyebrows.
That should relax everyone.
Relax your neck.
And maybe you'd like to shake out your arms and hands and let them just rest comfortably.
Let your shoulders drop and just let your body sag.
Ease any tension you might find in your chest or your belly.
And as you begin to relax,
Let's start to focus on our breath.
Breathing in and breathing out,
One breath at a time.
Your breath is our anchor.
It's there for us in all moments.
And focusing on it can help us to capture the present moment.
As you focus on your breath,
Let's track its movement in our body.
Feel it as it comes in through your nose,
The air moving into you.
Notice the movement of your chest and your belly as the air moves into you,
Filling you up with energy and vitality.
And then track your breath as it moves out of your body,
With your chest and your belly slowly deflating as the air exits.
Just listen to my voice and follow your breath,
One breath at a time.
And you follow me into this present moment and into the next.
Just continue to follow your breath and let it be natural.
Don't force anything.
Buddhist monk and teacher Thich Nhat Hanh once said,
Be yourself.
Life is precious as it is.
All the elements for your happiness are already here.
There is no need to run,
Strive,
Search or struggle.
Just be.
Wise words from a wise man.
You know,
We get caught up in trivial things.
We could be so much better served by spending more time reflecting on our lives and planning how best to live it by focusing on now.
Because time is our most valuable resource,
We need to think more carefully how we spend it,
Breathing in and breathing out,
One breath at a time.
There is nothing missing from our lives that we have everything that we need,
Right here,
Right now.
We won't be happy when we're rich because that's somewhere in the future that might never happen.
So,
What really matters?
I often like to go stand outside,
But you can do this in the room that you're in right now.
Doesn't matter if you're in a city or a jungle or a forest.
Just please don't stand in traffic.
With your eyes closed,
Just listen.
What you hear will depend on where you're at.
But you might hear traffic or birdsong or children playing.
These things matter.
And as you continue to breathe,
Try to note any scents in the air around you.
Perhaps flowers or smoke or traffic exhaust,
Or maybe a hint of pine,
Perhaps the scent of incense or last night's spaghetti dinner.
These things matter because they are real,
And they represent this moment.
In the next moment,
Everything might smell differently.
If you're outside,
Feel the sun on your face and the wind in your hair.
Feel the rain coming down and hear the thunder.
These things matter because they are part of this moment.
Ultimately,
What matters are the things that are a part of this moment,
Right here,
Right now.
We have to make a positive effort to not live in the past and not to dwell on a possible future.
Learning to be in the present moment is something that takes time and practice,
And it requires us to be patient with ourselves.
It won't happen overnight.
I'm in my 53rd year now,
And I still have trouble every now and then.
We each need to know that we are enough.
We always have been.
And we are often hardest on ourselves,
And that doesn't serve us.
I'm still a work in progress,
Just as you are.
Be grateful for all that you are.
Take this moment to be kind to yourself.
Loving yourself will help you to be your best self.
Now,
As we come to a close,
Open your eyes and come back into the room.
Wiggle your fingers and toes and stretch and feel how good it is to be alive,
To be alive right now.
Take in a deep breath through your nose and blow it out your mouth,
Letting out a sigh.
You are ready to move back into your day a little calmer,
A little more joyful than before.
I hope this has been a beneficial and calming session.
Till next time.
