Being Present with Andy Puddicombe

(gentle music) Headspace Studio. Hi, I'm Dora, and welcome back to the Sunday Scaries. In my mindfulness practice, it's become easier to stay in the present moment, but getting to a place where I'm not always thinking about what's next can be challenging, especially when there's so much to get done. Today, and for the next few episodes, Headspace founder, Andy Puddicombe is here to help us get in touch with the present moment, something that's easy to forget as we head into the new week. I hope you find it as helpful as I did. So it's surprising how quickly and how far away the mind can get from us. It's a Sunday afternoon, but already we're thinking into the week. But the interesting thing is no matter how much we think about the week ahead, who we're gonna be speaking with, what's gonna be happening to us throughout that week, the truth is right now it's still Sunday and we're still just sitting in the chair. The very least we can do is wait until the actual thing has happened before we give it any energy. So rather than spending lots of time anticipating what could happen, what might happen, instead, try just stepping out of that thinking, coming back to the present, and just enjoying the fact that right now, there is nothing to do, there is nowhere to go, and you can just enjoy spending some time letting the body and the mind unwind. So just take a moment to get comfortable. Take a deep breath, breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth. And as you close the eyes with the out breath, just feeling the weight of the body pressing against the seat, against the floor, wherever you are right now. Allowing any thoughts of the week ahead just to come and go. Just starting to notice how the body feels, starting to notice how the breath in the body feels. And if you can't feel the breath, just gently placing your hand on your stomach and just staying with that rising and falling sensation, knowing that right now, in this moment, that's the only thing we know for sure. And then just bringing the attention back to the body again, coming back to that weight, that contact. Coming back to any sounds around you, and whenever you're ready, just gently opening the eyes again. All right, everyone, that's it for today. Next time, Andy is back to talk about easing into the work week. Thanks for listening and I'll see you back here soon. (gentle music)...