Change is Constant

One day we feel angry at a situation. The next day we may laugh at the very same thing. Our perception is constantly changing, our experience defined by the mind. So very often in life we might think that things are sort of stuck, that we are a certain kind of person, that the mind is a certain kind of way. And we forget to notice the changes. But when we see those changes, we see that as important as external factors are more often than not our sense of happiness or unhappiness is really coming from within is defined by our perception of what's going on in our life. One day we stand in a queue and we're grateful for the rest. Another day, we stand there tapping our feet really frustrated that it's not moving any faster. Clearly the queue is not the problem. It's our approach and our relationship to that situation in life. So just taking a moment to settle both the body and the mind, we'll start with the eyes open. And when you're ready, just a big, deep breath breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth. And as you exhale this time, just gently closing the eyes. Just starting to notice the body in particular that feeling of weight, the body pressing down. Perhaps the feet on the floor, the hands, the arms just resting on the legs. And starting to notice the different sounds around you. Allowing sounds to come and go without thinking about them, just noticing the different sounds and then bringing the attention back to the body. Noticing if there's any sense of restlessness or stillness in the body today. And not thinking about it, just noticing. And noticing how the breath is behaving today. So just noticing whether the breaths are long, short, deep or shallow just following that movement. Place your hand on the stomach if you find it easier, or just resting the mind on that sensation. And now just letting go of that focus, bringing the attention back to the body, back to that feeling of weight, of contact back to the sounds around you. And when you're ready, just gently opening the eyes again....