Here Now

Anxiety. Depression. Sadness. Fear. Words that describe physical sensations and chemical changes within the body, mere words, and yet... we get so caught up in these words. Our days and our lives can be changed from these words. Are these feelings our reality? Are they our actual here? Now?

Transcript

I'd like to begin by reading a quote from Lao Tzu,

The ancient Chinese philosopher.

If you are depressed,

You are living in the past.

If you are anxious,

You are living in the future.

If you are at peace,

You are living in the present.

For me,

This quote is a good auditor for wherever I am at any given moment.

Right now,

I'm fine.

I feel happy.

I'm grateful that I had a good night's sleep last night.

I'm feeling accomplished because I'm top of my list of stuff that needs doing.

I feel healthy and strong,

So right now I'm all good.

But when I leave my house this afternoon to go to the shops,

I might feel completely different.

I might receive an email or a telephone call within the next five minutes,

Which could potentially change my mood altogether.

In fact,

My whole life could be devastated by the end of the day due to a cruel change in circumstances.

I could face terrible news,

Or worse still,

I could face loss.

Loss of a loved one.

If I dwell on this for a moment,

This could alter my emotions and mood right now,

Even though it hasn't actually happened.

A long tangent of what-ifs can do that for a person.

It can change moods,

Transform emotions and feelings,

Warp reality,

And dole out a great big dose of anxiety.

But then that's not reality.

It's a projection about the future,

And no doubt probably false too.

If I think about last year,

2020,

A year we will all never forget,

I'm sure.

I think about the queues at the supermarket,

The panic buying of the toilet rolls,

The fear in the eyes above the masks,

The numbers of cases and deaths reported on the news each evening,

My loss of freedom.

And I can start to feel low.

What a waste of a year.

What a terrible year.

I'm so glad it's over with.

I feel down,

Morose,

Pessimistic.

But why?

That was last year.

2020 is gone.

You could say,

Yes,

But 2021 is starting to look more or less the same,

And that's our present.

But is it?

Is the whole of the year 2021 our present?

Our present moment?

Sometimes I'm not aware of what's going on in my head.

There's too much going on there.

It's hard to decipher at all.

But I do know what's going on in my emotions and feelings.

I know when I'm feeling down.

I know when I'm feeling anxious.

How?

How do I know when I'm feeling these things?

Well,

If I'm feeling anxious,

I might notice a tightness in my chest.

I might notice that my breathing is faster and a little bit shallow.

I notice my shoulders and neck feel stiff and tense.

I see that my forehead is furrowed.

If I'm feeling low,

Sad or depressed,

I might notice a heaviness in my stomach.

I might start to feel sick.

I might feel my skin is sagging on my face.

My shoulders may slouch forward.

My movements are slower.

I have lethargy.

Depressed,

Anxious,

Sad,

Mad,

Frightened.

These are merely words.

They are words to describe actual physical sensations and chemical changes within your actual physiology.

And that's why I like the quote by Lao Tzu,

Because he helps me to recognise where I am at any point in my day.

If I notice I'm feeling sad,

I can tune into the physical sensations within my body.

The heaviness in my stomach,

Etc.

And I can separate my thoughts from this.

I don't have to go down Sadness Avenue and roam there all day.

I can recognise from this exercise that I might be in the past or the future.

So is 2021 my present?

No.

My present moment is right now,

Right this second.

Sat here,

Preparing this meditation.

Rain on my window.

Crows crowing.

A man walking his dog.

The sound of someone knocking on a door.

Cars in the distance.

My fingers touching the keyboard.

My feet on the ground.

My bottom on the seat.

My elbow leaning on the table.

Socks protecting my feet.

Back needing to stretch.

All that is my present moment.

And now,

Something else.

Something different.

I invite you to close your eyes if you wish,

If that's comfortable for you.

And be comfortable in your body right now.

You don't have to sit cross-legged to meditate,

So change positions if you want.

Lean against a wall,

Sit in a chair,

Lay on a bed,

Wherever is comfortable for you.

And tune in.

Tune into the sounds around you.

What can you hear outside of your room?

Just give them a one word label.

Bird,

Knocking,

Rain.

Try not to get caught up in a story about the sound.

And what do you hear inside your room?

What parts of the body are in contact with the surface?

Your bottom,

Your legs,

Your feet,

The back of your skull?

Notice.

What parts of your skin are in contact with something?

Feet in socks,

Sleeves against arms,

Jeans against legs,

Watch strap against wrist,

Ring against finger.

Notice.

Let's go a layer deeper now.

What physical sensations do you have?

Start from your toes and work your way through each part of the body.

Do a full check-in.

What's here for you today?

Any aches or pains?

Twitches?

Pins and needles?

Itches?

Tension?

Notice.

And a layer deeper.

What emotions do you have right now?

What one word could you give to what you are feeling right now?

Fearful,

Sad,

Angry,

Confused,

Happy,

Grateful,

Tired?

Maybe you have a few one words to describe what you are feeling.

Notice.

And how do you know you are feeling that?

What physical sensations do you have that make you know this?

Why do you think you are feeling this?

What thoughts are connected to this feeling?

This will be a sentence,

Not one word.

For example,

I feel anxious.

I know this because of a tightness in my chest.

I feel this because I have been listening to the news and my thoughts have been about the pandemic.

Why do you feel the emotions you are feeling?

Notice.

And now let's separate them.

Separate the thoughts from what's reality.

Notice what is reality for you now.

Right this second.

Not the emotions,

Not the thoughts.

Just what is real.

The sounds,

The touch on your skin,

The physical sensations.

Notice.

What is real for you now?

Here.

Now.

Noticing when the thoughts take you away from what is real.

From your reality here and now.

What is real for you?

Here.

Now.

What is real for you?

Here.

Now.

What is real for you?

What is real for you?

Please note,

I am not advocating ignoring feelings.

This is about recognising exactly where you are at.

But refusing to get entangled in the thoughts which can lead you into depression-ville,

Anxious street.

Places where you don't need to be.

Refuse to be taken by your thoughts to these places.

Deny them the power.

Know to them taking the reins.

You take the reins.

You still the wild horses of the mind and bring them to where you want to go.

To here.

To now.

To peace.

Thank you.

Reviews

Absolutely superb 🌟 Thank you, Mandy. Have listened to this on many occasions and find it infinitely helpful 💕

💗💗💗

Really enjoyed the way you explained practically how to live in the here and now. Thanks so much!

Wonderful words that brought me in to the moment. 🙏🏼

Sooo great. I’ll listen to this regularly as a reminder. I also love my favourite sacred earth song in the background.

Lovely!

What a powerful meditation. This was THE best guided meditation I have experienced to date that has helped me feel in control of bringing myself into the present. I am so grateful for this experience 🙏🏾

Loved it!

Very good

Wow! Without your meditation I would still be in my past and future and missed the peacefulness of my NOW. The feel of my pajamas against my skin is amazing. Thank You 🙏🏼

A very nice meditation thank you, could you please tell me who that music was by and the name of it.

Very nice meditation, thank you very much! I got back to my centre straight away 🙏🏻❤️