Staying in the Moment

Whether we're thinking about what will happen at the end of this day, this year, or even this lifetime, it's all a movement away from this moment. This moment being the only certainty that we know. Though it's so tempting for the mind to drift forward, to look to the future, to imagine perhaps the things that we'd like. Or perhaps sometimes, even, we find the mind drifting to the future fearing, worried about a particular outcome in life. And we forget, we get so caught up, the stories so believable, that we forget that actually none of these things have happened yet. And in truth, we don't know the outcome. We assume we know the outcome, but we don't know the outcome. The only real sort of certainty we have, the only truth we have, is this experience that is happening in this moment right now. Doesn't mean we need to forget about the future. It doesn't mean negating the future. We can still plan with a sense of purpose. We can still have dreams and goals and everything else, but if we are constantly caught up in a storyline of the future, then we're missing out on life as it happens right now. So just take a moment. Make sure you're sitting comfortably, back upright, eyes open. And when you're ready, just taking some nice, big, deep breaths, breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth. And with the next out breath, as you close the eyes, just allowing the breath to return to its natural rhythm. Just bringing the attention into the body. Becoming more aware, the weight of the body and the different points of contact. And at the same time, just beginning to notice the different sounds around you. And as you bring the attention back to the body now, just taking a moment to notice how the body feels right now. Not assuming that it feels any particular way, being interested, noticing how the body feels, and then starting at the top of the head just gently scanning down, all the way down to the toes. So beginning to shift the attention to the breath, noticing where in the body you feel that movement most clearly. And noticing a particular rhythm of breathing right now. And as you continue to follow the breath, just beginning to count the breaths as they pass if you find that helpful, knowing that thoughts are going to come and go, and just remembering in the moment you realize the mind's been distracted, just letting go of that, and gently bringing the attention back to the breath again. No real effort required. Just watching the breaths as they pass. So each time you realize the mind's wandered, just acknowledging that distraction, letting it go. And then coming back to that sensation, the rising and falling movement. Just resting the mind on the movement of breath, realizing when it's wandered, and gently coming back. And now just letting...