G'day everyone,
And from wherever you're tuning in from,
Welcome.
In Wynwenda's cult classic,
Perfect Days,
There's a weighty moment,
A quiet scene between our beloved protagonist,
Hirayama,
And his estranged niece,
Niko.
The two cycle across a bridge in Tokyo,
Weaving back and forth into the sunset as they call out to each other,
Kondo wa kondo,
Ima wa ima.
Loosely translated as,
Next time is next time,
And now is now.
In a film that says very little explicitly,
This moment reads like a mission statement.
Let's break it down.
We often see the present as a stepping stone to something better,
Something more complete,
More impressive.
But that mindset traps us in waiting,
In dissatisfaction,
In performance.
Ima wa ima,
Now is now,
Challenges that.
It says,
Be with what's here,
Don't fast forward your life,
Let this moment stand on its own.
Kondo wa kondo,
Next time is next time.
Frees us from the need to fix,
Predict,
Or control what's happening.
It's not avoidance,
But rather trust.
It suggests,
Let the next moment arrive when it's ready,
No need to drag it into this one.
The mindset cultivates patience,
Boundaries,
Emotional maturity.
It echoes the stoic ideal of amor fati,
Loving what is,
Rather than bargaining with what isn't yet.
In this meditation,
We'll work with perfect breath and breath counting,
Tools to root you in presence.
As the architect of your own experience,
These practices can help you return to yourself,
Wherever you are.
Let's begin.
Go ahead and find a comfortable meditation posture,
Whatever that means for you today.
Feel the spine is nice and long from the crown of the head through the tip of the tailbone.
Allow your shoulders to relax away from your ears,
And any tension in the jaw begin to soften as you settle into stillness.
Let's start with the breath together.
Soften the lips,
A big,
Gentle inhale through the nose,
And open the mouth,
Let it go.
Settling back into your natural breath,
Again,
Your lips close gently and trace your inhales and exhales through your nose.
In a moment,
We'll move through into the perfect breath.
Roughly five seconds in,
Five seconds out.
Now,
Emptying all the air out of your next exhale.
Now,
Inhale for two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
Lips close,
Exhale for two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
Inhale,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
And let it go,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
In through the nose,
Out through the nose,
Continuing now on your own.
Staying with the pace,
Breath light,
Shoulders relaxed.
Now,
Coming back to your natural breath.
Gently bring your attention to the tip of your nose,
Right where the air enters,
Noticing the breath as sensation,
Not thought,
Cool air as it comes in,
Warm air as it flows out.
Staying here for a few breaths.
Notice what's here,
But you don't need to change anything.
Dropping the awareness into the neck,
Shoulders,
And chest.
There's tension,
Breathe into it.
Not to get rid of it,
But just to meet it exactly where it is.
Now,
The belly,
Let it be soft.
Arms,
Your hands resting,
Legs supported,
All the way down to the feet,
Hips,
Your toes.
Whole body held by the ground beneath you.
Now,
Let's shift into a practice called noting.
It's simple.
Whenever thought,
Feeling,
Or sensation arises,
Just note it like a soft label.
Thinking,
Itching,
Remembering,
Worrying.
Note it and come straight back to the breath.
No need to follow the thought,
Just name it like watching clouds pass.
If your mind says,
Am I doing this right?
That's the thought.
Note it and come back.
Memory surfaces,
Notice it and let it go.
Boredom,
Restlessness,
Even judgment arise.
Just name them gently and let them go.
You're not trying to clear your mind here.
You're just watching it without getting pulled in.
Breath at the nose is your anchor.
The noting is your tether.
And your presence is the practice.
Letting go of any technique now.
No need to focus or label or to hold on.
Just let yourself be.
Breathing in.
Breathing out.
Now saying quietly to yourself,
This moment is enough.
Maybe next time is next time.
Now is now.
Let those words land somewhere in you,
Not as a rule,
But as a gentle reminder.
Begin to notice your body again,
The room around you.
When you're ready,
No rush.
Gently opening your eyes.
Thank you for flowing with me.
I'll see you again next week.
