I'm Dr.
Jeanette Freeman and.
.
.
I'm a teacher here on Insight Timer.
In times of uncertainty,
We often seek for answers,
Clarity and control.
And this practice just gently invites us to release the need to know.
So that we can rest in the present moment.
Most of us have learned to live a little bit ahead of ourselves.
We wake up and immediately we begin thinking about the day.
And what it'll bring.
We look at what needs to be done,
What might go wrong,
And what we should prepare for.
And even when nothing is immediately wrong,
Our mind scans the horizon.
Asking what's next.
And this habit is so familiar that we rarely question it.
It feels responsible.
It feels practical.
It feels like the way that we should be staying safe.
In an unpredictable world.
Over time,
Though,
It leaves us tired.
Living in the future,
Even just a few steps ahead.
Requires constant energy.
It asks the nervous system to stay alert.
Ready and brave.
The body may be sitting still,
But inside there is just a subtle leaning forward,
Waiting for something to happen.
And uncertainty.
Makes this habit stronger.
When we don't know what's coming,
The mind works harder to anticipate,
To plan,
And to imagine outcomes.
And it believes that if.
We can just figure things out,
We'll finally be able to relax.
But for many of us,
This moment never arrives.
We solve one problem and another appears.
We reach one milestone and the next question takes its place and the future keeps moving.
And peace remains.
Just out of touch.
This is not a personal failure,
It's a learned way of living.
From an early age were taught.
That safety comes from knowing.
Predicting,
Controlling,
Planning.
We learn to value certainty and to mistrust the unknown.
Over time,
The mind becomes very skilled at looking ahead.
And less practiced.
At being here.
Yet there is something important to notice.
Even when the future is unclear,
The moment is often manageable.
The breath.
Is still here.
The body is still here.
Life Right Now.
Is usually not asking us to solve everything at once.
Peace does not disappear because the future is uncertain.
It disappears because we leave the present moment.
In search of certainty.
This doesn't.
.
.
Mean that we need to stop planning or caring about what lies ahead.
It means that we begin to notice where we're living from.
Are we leaning forward?
Can we allow ourselves to arrive where we already are?
Can we allow ourselves to sit?
With not knowing.
You don't have to know what's next.
One of my favorite sayings to remind myself is,
The way knows the way.
Because I'm always doing this too.
Thinking that I need to know.
And sometimes in times of transition or in times that we're living in now,
There's a lot of uncertainty.
We need to remind ourselves.
The way knows the way.
I don't have to know what's next.
I can trust the present moment.
And then there's a quiet relief that comes when we're able to do this.
There's also a relief that comes even when we just recognize that we are constantly looking for the truth.
Certainty.
In the future.
So,
Let's take a moment of contemplation.
And just imagine,
If you will.
What future scenario have you been trying to fix or to figure out?
Is there any part?
Of your life right now.
Where you are feeling like you really need to plan,
You really need to know what's next.
You need to create it,
You need to manifest it.
Just notice where your mind is leaning.
Are you trying to figure it out?
Or are you in this moment?
Or are you slightly ahead?
The moment we begin to notice that We are searching for answers.
We can stop and recognize that we have gone to the future.
And because the future seems unknown.
There's a.
.
.
Little bit.
Of anxiety in that.
So let's come back to this present moment,
This moment.
Is enough.
So bring your attention back to one thing.
Physical sensation.
Let's start with the breath.
Just begin to notice right now.
What your breath is doing.
Bring all your attention to your breath,
Noticing the gentle inflow and outflow of your breath.
Notice where your body is and how it's being supported.
Are you sitting?
Are you laying down?
Notice what you feel underneath your feet.
Notice your hands.
Take a deep breath.
Be right here where your breath is and where your body is.
I can trust the present moment.
I don't have to know what's next.
The way knows the way.
You are here.
This moment is already holding you.
And you're allowed to rest in this moment.
You don't have to know what's next.
Everything will be fine.
