Settle yourself in a comfortable position,
And let yourself arrive here,
Exactly as you are.
Gently take one breath in,
And release.
Relax again in,
And let it all go.
Whatever tightness or weight you're carrying,
Whatever stories that is occupying your mind,
Just let it go.
The mind loves to wander.
It wanders into the past,
Replaying what happened,
What was said,
What could have been done,
What was done,
What should have been.
Or it leaps forward,
Rehearsing,
Worrying,
Planning.
This is what the mind does.
But the body always exists here.
This breath,
This heartbeat,
The emotions that you feel,
They all exist here.
The body never leaves this moment,
And it's waiting patiently for you to return.
Feel your feet.
Feel the weight of your feet,
Your legs,
The joints,
The contact points where your body meets the surface beneath you.
Feel that which is true in this moment.
Feel your hands resting.
The gentle rise and fall of your breath.
Simply be with it.
And expand your awareness outward.
Notice any sounds around you.
Without any judgment,
Simply notice.
They arise and they fade away.
Simply be present to what is.
Now return to your breath.
Don't change the breath.
Breathe naturally,
As you usually do.
And notice the pause between the inhale and exhale.
This pause is a portal.
To presence,
To this moment,
To now.
As you rest here,
You may notice thoughts arising.
A thought appears.
Instead of following it or pushing it away,
Simply notice.
Notice that thinking is happening.
If a feeling arises,
Notice something is being felt.
Realize that you are not that thought or feeling,
But rather the awareness which is present and witnessing it.
This is the heart of presence.
Open,
Awake attention that can hold whatever arises.
Without judgment.
Without judgment.
Without wanting it to be any different.
We don't need to manage this moment,
Change this moment.
We simply need to be here,
Aware of this moment.
Fully,
As it is.
If the mind has wandered,
It's absolutely okay.
Simply notice,
I wandered,
And now I return.
This returning is the practice.
So rest here in simple,
Open awareness.
No goal,
No achievement.
Just this.
Just now.
Now.
Just the quiet aliveness of being.
Of being here.
The present moment is always here.
One breath.
One return to what is actually here.
What is true in this moment is all that it takes.
And carry this awareness with you as you move through your day.
