Mapping The Present Moment

This practice guides listeners through a simple and powerful noticing technique to clarify our understanding of mindful awareness and presence. Good for insight, stress management, and grounding into the present.

Transcript

So today we're going to be talking about mapping the present moment.

Essentially mindfulness is a practice of noticing,

Right?

We are noticing the feeling of breathing and eventually we get distracted and we notice where our mind goes.

We might notice the sensations of our body and we may even notice what's going on in the environment around us.

But ultimately practicing mindfulness allows us to deepen our ability to simply notice what is happening in our internal and our external world.

And that can be immensely valuable because once we have an awareness about something then we can take agency in improving it,

Modifying it,

Being grateful for it,

Or just being present with it.

So in this meditation we're going to be noticing all these different things that are happening in the present moment and create a map of what it feels like to create a grounded connection to the here and now.

So we'll begin by closing our eyes,

Shifting into a position that feels alert but very comfortable.

Hopefully you can maintain a straight back over the course of this meditation.

Breathing in and breathing out.

Let's start there.

What do you notice about this breath?

You might notice that it has a certain speed or rhythm.

You might notice that it has a certain depth.

You might notice that your mind automatically tries to control the breath.

And if that's the case,

Just notice.

Or you might notice that every breath is bringing in feelings of fullness,

Depth,

Clarity.

Whatever it is that this breath is bringing into your awareness right now.

That is all we're noticing.

And if you notice that your mind starts to wander or is pulled into a certain direction,

That is also a part of this present moment.

So you may notice that.

Notice where your mind goes.

And each time that happens,

After noticing,

You can return your attention back to the breath.

If there are certain emotions that begin to emerge as we're breathing here,

They could be anything from curiosity to confusion to frustration to relaxation and joy and everything in between.

See if you can notice what the quality of that emotion,

What is the quality of the energy underlying this experience for you right now.

Because that too is a part of this present moment.

Okay.

On your next exhale,

You can shift your focus and begin to notice what is happening in the body.

The breath is one component of the present moment and the body is another one.

Just as the breath naturally flows in and flows out,

The body naturally creates these sensations,

These experiences,

These feelings.

So as you continue breathing,

Begin to notice any sensations that your body is giving you.

If you find that your mind is beginning to tell stories around certain sensations,

For example,

Feeling pain in a certain place and coming up with memories and ideas about why that pain is present,

Simply notice the story that your mind is creating.

And return your attention back to whatever signals are present within your body right now.

You might feel that your body is shifting in some way.

You might feel that your body feels more relaxed as we're meditating.

That's also something to notice.

Or you might notice that your body is holding a lot of tension right now.

Perhaps there's a tightness around your eyelids or in your shoulders and back.

And if that's the case,

If you feel tightness or pain or sensations anywhere,

Our goal is not to change them.

We're simply bringing a calm,

Mindful awareness to whatever is happening in our body right now.

Building up our map of the present moment by understanding the map of the body.

Enjoy.

When we begin to practice noticing in this way,

We oftentimes find connections with sensations that are present that we weren't aware of before.

For example,

We might feel where our tongue is resting in our mouth,

Or we might notice the felt connection between our feet or our butt and the ground.

Feelings of gravity pulling us down into the center of the earth.

Meditating doesn't make these sensations come alive,

It simply makes us aware of them.

This is what we're doing when we practice mindfulness.

We are expanding our awareness to include more of the map of whatever is here,

Is true in this present moment.

So you may take one more deep breath and we can shift now to noticing what is happening in the mind itself.

See if you can pick up on any voices that are talking in your head,

Any dialogues that are present within your mind.

Or perhaps you feel spacious and empty.

You can notice that too.

The mind is a tricky one to notice because it's the easiest one to get stuck in.

When our body creates a certain sensation,

For example an itch,

We don't necessarily fall victim to that itch for too long.

But when a mind,

When the mind begins to tell stories and it begins to speak,

It can be a little more difficult to create some distance from that.

And that is completely fine,

As long as we remain with our intention to notice where it is that our mind is going and bring an attitude of openness,

Curiosity and non-judgment to whatever it is that we pick up on.

Where is your mind?

Okay,

Excellent.

Let's go ahead and take a deep breath and shift now to what we notice in the environment around us.

Regardless of where you are right now,

Indoors or outdoors,

In your home,

Office or train,

There is going to be certain things happening around you that are creating the present moment.

And that could be sounds.

That can be smells.

That can be the temperature of the air.

Take a few moments here and see if you can bring this mindful awareness to map as many things as you can find in this present moment around you.

It's very likely that as you're trying to do this,

There are internal distractions and energies moving around,

Whether they come in the form of thoughts or visions or sensations.

So those are simply more things to notice that are happening.

And again,

Once you notice them,

You can return back to noticing what is happening around you.

It's very common for the mind to create an analysis of what it is that we notice.

We may find that our mind is labeling things as good or bad.

It's picking up on sounds in the room and creating judgments around those sounds.

Or finding certain smells or labeling the air as cold or warm.

And there's nothing wrong with this.

This is simply what the mind has been designed to do.

But what we can do as the observer of that chatter,

The awareness of that voice,

Is we can disengage.

We can unattach ourselves from that voice that is constantly creating judgments of the world around us.

And that could be incredibly freeing.

And it could also help us notice that oftentimes our minds create stories around things that we don't necessarily agree with.

So as we practice noticing,

We begin to get more in touch with our emotions.

We begin to connect on a deeper level with the environment and the world that we are a part of.

And we can start to really figure out the patterns of our minds and understand how those patterns create joy and happiness and also how it creates suffering.

And all of these together,

Once we begin to notice what is happening in our experience right now,

From the smallest tingle on the fingertips to sounds and feelings that are moving through us,

This is what it means to feel a connection with the present moment.

So,

Thank you for joining me today.

I invite you to revisit this meditation anytime you feel you need a groundedness or a reconnection with the present.

And remember that most importantly,

You can map the present moment no matter where you are and when.

You can start to notice the first thing when you wake up,

What it feels like,

What your energy is like when you're still laying in bed.

You can notice the textures and smells of your food.

You can notice how you approach conversations with your boss,

Your manager,

Your employees.

And you can notice what is alive and true in this moment wherever you are.

So,

Thank you so much for joining me today and I look forward to seeing you next time.

Reviews

Very clear and effective.
Thank you

Good pacing, sufficient silences for noticing

Love this. So helpful today.

Thanks!

I savor your conversational approach.

Simple and powerful. Lovely practice.

Very calming, I appreciated the spaces with silence.

Loved it! Great meditation for calming the mind. Thank you 🙏

thank you for making such a challenging intention tangible. I will come back to this. thanks for sharing ❤

Thank you for this meditation, I want to revisit it and practice again 🙏

A superb, simple and impactful meditation / mindfulness practice. The structure worked really well for me. I feel grounded. Thank you.

really excellent meditation.

Simple technique that cuts through everything that can be erroneous about guided meditations and provides a really effective takeaway to carry into your daily activities.

nice voice too

thank you so so much 🙏

I’m a really fidgety meditator - physically and mentally - and usually that makes me feel like I’m bad at meditating. But this meditation really created space for me to be the way I am, and for that to be okay. Very thankful for the opportunity to find and enjoy various approaches on Insight Timer - this one felt good to me. Thank you for making it!

Pretty good. Thanks. 🙌🏻

Very grounding and calming for an unsetled mind. Thank you! 🙏

Very profound experience. Helpful indeed!

Good quiet instruction.

Thank you kindly, I found this medication really helpful in stimulating me to be in focused in the present moment. Thank You Kindly 💞