Gift Of Presence

Taking a moment to arrive,

Noticing your breath already happening.

And perhaps begin to invite a gentle,

Deeper breath into your abdomen,

Drawing it up into your chest and letting it go.

Allowing your awareness now to fall onto your breath anywhere along the breath pathway that is most calling for you today in this moment.

Perhaps that's at your belly as your abdomen fills and empties of air.

At your chest as your lungs expand and release.

Or at your nostrils as air rushes in and out over your top lip.

Allow your attention to simply fall.

Like a leaf falling from a tree,

Eventually nestles into the earth below.

Your attention can fall onto the breath at any moment,

Resting in awareness just as it is.

Notice where your mind is.

Notice where your attention is now.

And if it's wandered away from the breath,

That's okay.

That's just what the mind does.

Just like our stomach digests the food we eat and our heart beats,

To circulate blood throughout our body,

The job of our mind is to think.

So when you notice that you are caught up in the habitual nature of the mind,

It becomes a choice to step back and notice where your mind is,

Where your attention is.

And if it feels right,

Take a deep breath to re-relax your body,

Inviting a small smile of recognition of your humanness onto your face.

And then ever so gently guide your attention back to the breath once more just as it is.

And this is the practice of mindfulness,

Not to stop the mind from thinking,

But to become better aware of when we're caught up in thought,

Usually fear,

Judgment,

And the willingness to step out of those thoughts back into freedom,

Freedom of awareness,

Freedom of presence and flow.

And in this case today,

The breath always with us,

Always an opportunity to reconnect with and to begin again.

And now begin to expand your awareness.

Noticing other sensations in your body,

Perhaps wiggling fingers and toes.

Notice sound in your environment.

Notice color and light behind your closed eyelids.

And when you feel ready with no need to rush,

Go ahead and open your eyes.