There are many practices for building resilience.
And one of them we can do is to practice cultivating a sense of calm in the mind.
Practice cultivating inner calm.
And one way to do this is to imagine the mind like a snow globe.
As we go throughout our day,
Moving around,
Acting,
Doing all the things that the day demands of us,
We are shaking up the snow globe.
And by taking a few minutes to pause,
We can allow all the pieces of glitter or snow,
However you'd like to think of it,
We can allow those pieces to settle.
So taking a few minutes now,
Find a posture,
A way of sitting where you can be relaxed but maintain alertness.
You can allow your mind to focus on the breath,
Just as a way to bring it into this moment.
And as thoughts kick up,
Which inevitably they will,
You can imagine them like the pieces of snow in the snow globe.
They kick up and then if you let them be,
They'll settle down.
Each time you return your attention to the breath,
That's allowing that piece of snow to settle.
Something new may come in,
A new thought or perhaps a new sound or sensation.
Gently returning the mind's attention to the breath and allow that to settle and fall away.
You may have a thought that comes up again and again.
You can acknowledge it and allow that to fall away.
Over time,
You might find that if you don't grab onto it,
You don't interact with it,
If you simply acknowledge it and let it be,
Its natural tendency,
Just like the snow in a snow globe,
Is to settle and fall away.
You might feel bombarded by pieces of snow.
That's okay.
Acknowledging them all,
All the thoughts,
Feelings,
Sensations that come up,
Even if they are many all at one time.
And simply returning to the breath as a way to let them settle.
Notice how you feel as you allow thoughts and feelings to be letting them float down.
Over time and practice,
Allowing calm and clarity to emerge in the mind.
Knowing that as the snow gets kicked up,
That's okay.
That is human nature.
And by practicing in this way,
You can slowly build our ability to come back to the present moment,
Our ability to find some calm in the midst of the swirl.
And bringing our practice to a close,
Taking one or two deep breaths with full attention.
And coming back to whatever is next in your day.
