Moments of Peace

What is it about the present moment that causes us to frantically search for the quickest exit.  Running from presence can come in many forms – obsessive thinking, busyness, anger, substance abuse, impulsive shopping, excessive phone use, mindless social media activity.  There is an endless supply of ways in which we can escape the discomfort of NOW.  Anxiety is evidence that we are no longer present, we have exited this moment, entered the future, or are hanging out in the past.

Sitting with a client who was dealing with a great deal of anxiety, I asked if she could recall a time of pure presence – she asked me to describe “pure presence.”  I went on to describe a moment of being exactly where she was, in the flow, free of thought, simply there, unafraid, not figuring anything out, just at peace.  In that moment she looked up from the floor, her eyes lit up as they met mine.  She said “yes!”  With an excitement I had never seen in her, she went on to describe an experience on the soccer field in her early college days:  “The crowd was cheering, I moved the ball from one end of the field to the other, it was like the ball was moving me, there was no thought about what to do next, I just allowed the experience to guide me.  I can recall the sound of my breath, I can even remember the way the air felt on my skin.  The memory is so very vivid.”  In that moment, I watched her anxiety lift as she remembered what it was like to actually be present in her body.  It was a hope filled moment as she realized that she had all the tools necessary to practice presence, to practice living in the moment, to practice letting go of all forms of escape.

I love the word practice.  It reminds me that we never arrive, but that in each moment we can seek a willingness to let go of all forms of escape.  Meditation is quite simply the practice of being here in this moment, for just a minute or two.

• Breathe in just as deep as you can.  Feel your belly expand as the air fills your body.
• Exhale slowly, just as slowly as you can.
• As you do this a few times, notice: the coolness of your inhale, and the warmth of your exhale.  Notice that as you exhale your body relaxes.
• Continue this deep breathing for just  a couple of minutes.
• Notice how you feel in your body, see if you can relax your face and then your shoulders.
• Where can you let go as you exhale?  Scan your body, relaxing on the exhale.
• What would it be like if, in this moment, you could find safety just by focusing on your breath.
• Try it.  There is no right, no wrong, no failing or not getting it right.  As you practice listening to your breath in this moment, also practice being kind to yourself in this moment.

Today is the day we have been given to live.  Practice, practice, practice.