Welcome.
We live in a fast-paced world that asks us to keep up,
To keep going,
To keep producing.
And somewhere in all of that forward motion,
We forget that beneath the rushing and the magnetic pace,
There's something that is still,
That has never moved at all.
And that's what we're here to find today,
That still point.
We're not here to create stillness,
But simply to connect with it.
So,
Let's dive in.
Wherever you are right now,
Whatever you have arrived here carrying,
You can set it down.
You don't need to do anything in this moment.
Close your eyes,
If that feels right.
Let your hands rest.
Let your face and jaw soften.
Let your shoulders drop.
They don't have to carry or hold anything right now.
Stay still.
Say to your mind,
Be still.
Not as a demand,
But more like a kind word to someone you love.
Say to your mind,
Be still.
Say to your body,
Be still.
Now,
Bring your attention to your breath,
Not to control it,
Just to notice it.
Like waves arriving on the shore,
Follow the inhale as it rises and the exhale as it falls.
Let's do it one more time.
Feel the inhale as it rises and the exhale as it falls.
Just to shift your focus for a moment,
I invite you to gently open your eyes and find one object in the space around you.
It doesn't matter what it is.
It could be a cup,
A window,
A jar,
A plant,
Anything.
And let your gaze rest on it softly,
Not studying it,
Not labeling it,
Just be with it.
Be open to its stillness.
Notice that the object is completely still.
How does that feel?
I realize it's inanimate,
But still we can connect with its stillness.
Notice that it's not rushing anywhere.
It's not worrying about what comes next.
It simply is what it is,
Exactly where it is,
In this exact moment.
Again,
Can you feel its stillness?
Feel the stillness of this moment and of this object.
Let it settle into your body,
In through your eyes,
Into your face,
Into your chest.
Now that we're aware of it,
You might notice that stillness isn't locked inside things.
It radiates,
It's magnetic,
And you can receive it.
I want to invite you to gently close your eyes again,
If that works for you,
And notice the stillness within you now.
This is how we slow down,
By noticing the silence,
The still point,
The stillness.
It might be subtle,
It may be quiet,
But it's there all the time,
Underneath thoughts that are moving,
And whatever feelings that are present.
And let's let our awareness expand to others,
Almost in a prayerful way.
Imagine the person you love who's somewhere,
Going about their day.
Imagine that they too have this stillness somewhere inside them.
Even if they aren't aware of it right now,
Even if they are rushing,
Worried,
Or distracted,
It's there,
It's in everyone.
As you rest in the stillness of this moment,
And in your own stillness,
Sense it in others.
As you rest in your own stillness,
And sense it in others,
Something begins to happen.
Stillness recognizes stillness.
It's drawn toward itself,
And it's multiplied.
Have you ever noticed how a calm person can impact a room,
And vice versa?
What you're feeling into right now,
This stillness,
Is not just yours.
By participating in this meditation,
You're contributing something real to the world around you,
Simply by being here,
Simply by being still.
Every time you return to this place,
You're laying down a path,
Step-by-step,
Breath-by-breath,
A well-worn pathway that leads to a gate that's always open.
And over time,
You begin to trust this path.
You begin to know where it leads,
And something in you may even start to desire it,
The way you might desire rest after a long day,
The way you might desire water when you're thirsty.
Stillness becomes familiar,
And when stillness becomes familiar,
Life begins to move through you differently,
With less resistance and with more ease.
You don't become someone who never gets busy or distracted or pulled away.
You become someone who knows the way back home.
The words of Jesus came to me as I was preparing this today,
When he was in the midst of a storm.
He was actually sleeping,
And the people around him were really worried,
And they had to wake him up.
And when he woke up,
He said to the storm,
Peace,
Be still.
Peace,
Be still.
Peace,
Be still.
I want to invite you to just silently say those words to yourself.
I'll be quiet for a few moments and then come back.
You could say that phrase or some other phrase that calms you,
But if it works for you,
You can use the phrase,
Peace,
Be still.
Let your awareness return to the room around you,
To the weight of your body,
To the sounds nearby.
You may have come here today carrying something,
And you don't have to pick all of it back up.
Just simply take what you need and leave the rest.
As you move back into your day,
The still point is always here,
Underneath the noise,
Behind the rush.
You know where it is now,
And the path only gets easier to find.
Thank you for slowing down with me today,
For being willing to come home to yourself.
Peace be with you,
And take good care.
