Imagining Ourselves Fully Present

Giving ourselves and our children, our full attention is an act of generosity and love. In order to provide such a presence, we have to give ourselves time to digest our own thoughts and feelings that are stirred up by our busy lives. In this practice, you can imagine that you're hosting office hours for your inner experience, which includes thoughts, feelings and sensations. Imagine that you're inviting your feelings and thoughts for tea and a chat as you lend a receptive, open and nonjudgmental ear. So, let's start by finding a comfortable seated position. And as you get comfortable, just feel a lengthening in your spine and just feel the support of the surface underneath you. And you can rest your hands on your legs or in any other comfortable position. And if it's comfortable for you, you can close your eyes. And as we start, see if you can give yourself permission to arrive in stillness, allowing it to be a really smooth and easy transition. And just imagine the ease you feel when you're done with the day's tasks and it's just time to relax in whatever way you'd like. See if you can bring that ease to this moment as you let go of what you have to do later and just arrive here in this precious stillness and then just take a deep breath in through your nose, feeling your abdomen expand. And as you exhale through your nose, just feel the belly relax back down. And just do that a few more times, tracing the path of a few deep slow breaths. Now, just let go of any effortful breathing and allow your breath to find its own natural, easy rhythm. And now we'll bring our spacious awareness to body sensations, listening to the body as we scan through it. So, notice where you feel your natural breath moving your body. Maybe it's in the abdomen as it rises or falls or the chest as you feel your lungs expanding and contracting or maybe right at your nose, feeling the air as it enters and leaves the nose. And at any point in the meditation today, you can always drop my guidance and just rest in whatever spot you naturally gravitate toward. So, now just allow your awareness to expand from that one spot to other parts of your body, starting with your lower body, noticing sensations in your feet, your legs, your hips and your abdomen. And scan your upper body, noticing sensations in your chest, your neck and your throat and noticing your back and your arms, all the way down your arms to your hands and your fingers. And now bring awareness to your face. If you discover any tightness or tension around your forehead, your eyes or your jaw, just invite a feeling of ease without forcing it. Inviting the tiny muscles of your face to let go and relax. And now just witness your body is seated here, noticing...