Week 106: Revisiting Returning to the Present Moment

The other day, I found myself thinking about the impact the quality of our automatic, endless thoughts have on us, even when we aren’t aware that we’re generating mood states based on what we’re thinking. One of the benefits of mindfulness meditation is that it awakens us to the constant flow of thoughts and feelings, and of sensations and responses that arise in us from moment to moment. As I’ve mentioned many times, the practice is to offer ourselves an opportunity to constantly return to that awareness so we can choose how we want to move through any given moment.

And so, for this week’s experiment, I invite you to notice what happens when you become aware of thinking a sad thought, a scary thought, a projection into the future about some upcoming task or event that makes you uncomfortable – a doctor’s appointment, a talk you have to give, your worry about a loved one. The moment you become aware of the thought that’s causing you discomfort or distress, let it go, and notice what happens when you drop back into the present moment – fully, experientially be here now. Feel your body, notice the sensations you have when you find a place in you that is grounded or settled in some way. Build your sensory awareness of being in your body, right here, right now. Notice the shift from fantasy or thought into body awareness in the present moment and become aware of what shifts in your mood.

As always, this is one more invitation to become mindful, to have as your greatest friend your ongoing awareness. Remember that awareness offers choice and, while we cannot control what comes at us from the outside, we can become more skillful on how we handle ourselves on the inside.

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