Hello and welcome to holistic joy my name is Tara Van Dam.
Today let's explore the moment before.
The moment before any thought,
Before any action.
The moment of truth and stillness.
That is your perfect self.
When you feel ready you can close your eyes or just keep a soft gaze that is as free from distraction as possible.
And once you are settled what can you do to make yourself 10 maybe 20% more comfortable than you are.
Maybe it means adjusting a pillow or just gently shifting a leg or your arm.
So that what you are left with is something that you are perfectly content to stay in stillness in for the next few minutes.
And from this place of comfort and contentment.
Let's begin.
Begin by shifting your awareness to your breathing.
Gently in and out through your nose.
Notice any areas of tension.
We often hold onto something physically in our body that we're not even aware of until we take a deliberate moment to stop and pay attention.
Release any tension from your toes.
Expand the muscles that are your hamstrings and your quads.
Pull out your core.
Allow your shoulders to drop,
Get heavier and as they get heavier.
So you get softer.
Less resistance.
Loosen the muscles in your jaw.
Feel the skin on your cheekbones melt.
Broaden the space between your eyebrows.
And connect to the possibility,
The potential that exists just above the crown of your head.
As if you're growing into that space.
In fact,
With every breath in.
Feel yourself elevating.
Forever moving upwards,
Forward.
And as you breathe out,
You're getting grounded.
Allowing yourself to rely on the support of the earth beneath you.
And now I ask you to bring all your awareness to the moment before you breathe in.
That slight pause before your inhale.
Where your lungs are emptier.
But there's a knowing that the air is coming.
Before any thought,
Before any reaction or response,
There's a moment.
There's a moment of stillness that is reflective of you.
In that moment before.
Before the thought,
Before the action.
It's just you in perfect stillness.
In perfect clarity.
As you move through your days.
And you start to add layers and layers on top of that moment before.
And things start to seem a little turbulent or busy.
The true peaceful you is still there.
Always.
Just because there are clouds in the sky does not mean there is not still a sunshine.
A blue sky behind it.
Just because there are tall buildings in our way does not mean that there is not a sunset.
And as your life challenges you.
As you start to feel the weight of your experiences and your life and your interactions.
Come back.
Come back to the pause.
The moment before.
Before the thought.
Before the action.
Because in that moment.
However small fleeting it might be.
In that moment is you.
You as your truest.
Most authentic.
Most peaceful.
Self.
There's a glimmer of it at the end of every exhale.
If you just pause.
To find it.
And in that moment.
Of your deepest connection to your truest self.
By something else.
That we often miss.
Choice.
We live our lives from a place of trigger.
Reaction.
Awareness.
Once we are able to connect to the moment before.
Before the thought.
Before the action we give ourselves the option.
To be triggered.
Allow for awareness.
And then choose.
Our reaction.
Behind every challenging day.
There is still a true perfect version of you.
Just as behind every cloudy day.
There is still a sunrise and a sunset.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
And pause.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
And pause.
Connect to the moment.
Before.
That is you.
And as you move into the rest of your day.
Your week.
Know that you can always come back to that moment.
It is waiting for you.
To connect to it and each time you do.
It will become a closer friend.
So that next time.
You'll find it quicker.
Before the thought.
Before the action.
There is a perfect content peaceful.
You.
Stay as you are.
Or.
Connect to your physical presence within the room that you're in.
And very gently.
Allow the light back in.
