Coming home to the present moment.
Please take a stable sitting position so that your breath can flow freely.
And then check in with yourself without changing anything,
Just noticing.
How is your body feeling in this moment?
What is pleasant,
Unpleasant?
Areas where you feel tense or relaxed,
Cold or warm.
Notice how your breath is flowing in and out.
Shallow or deep?
Slow,
Quick.
And notice how your thoughts are in this moment.
What thoughts are coming?
What are you feeling?
And notice how your thoughts are in this moment.
What thoughts are coming and going?
And also notice whether there are emotions.
To be felt.
Or maybe you feel just calm.
Everything is invited in this moment.
There's no right or wrong.
Just notice what is coming and going.
In your body,
Your emotions,
And in your mind,
The present moment is where you are home.
Now I invite you to center your attention on your breath.
This is like a center of gravity for your focus.
Without manipulating your breath,
Just noticing it.
And if your mind is wandering,
If you are distracted,
Just notice it.
Without judging yourself.
Notice it and come back to the observation of your breath.
Now while you keep your focus on your breath,
See whether you can widen your space of perception.
Include all the things that you can hear in this moment.
Pleasant or unpleasant.
Noises,
Sounds,
Close and far away.
Not actively searching for those sounds,
But just noticing them.
And if there is quiet stillness,
That's okay too.
To wrap this exercise up,
Move the center of your attention in your own pace to the outside.
And at the same time keeping part of your attention on your bodily sensations for the next minutes.
And know that your perceptions,
Your breath,
Bodily sensations,
Are always a possibility to anchor you more in the present moment if you need it.
So thank yourself for taking the time and checking in with yourself and taking these moments of present,
Of coming home to yourself.
