Staying in the Present

Hi, welcome to this guided practice. It's Eve, here with you. So speaking from personal experience, I know how hard it can be not to jump ahead to thoughts of the future, especially if you are waiting for results or have been trying for a while to have a family. There can be so many what-ifs, and as humans, we tend to lean towards the more negative what-ifs than the positive ones. I'm not saying we can't hope and dream. In fact, it's really important that we do, but more often than not, we tend to imagine the worst-case scenario. So today's practice is all about staying in the present moment. The truth is, all we have is the present moment. And when so many things feel outside our control, the one thing we can choose is how we show up moment by moment. So the technique we're going to practice today is called noting. It's a really effective technique in helping us to break the cycle of worrisome thoughts and feelings so they don't have so much control over us. So inviting you to get into a comfortable position, either sitting down or lying down. And it's okay if you have a really busy mind. We are not trying to stop all thoughts or feelings. Instead, what we're going to do is notice when the mind gets distracted by thinking or a feeling, and then gently note it. And each time, we bring the mind back. It's a moment of coming back to the present moment. So as we settle into the practice, inviting you to close the eyes or rest the gaze downwards, allowing the full weight of your body to be supported and taking a couple of slower, deeper breaths here, breathing in through the nose and then out through the mouth. And then settling your attention on the breath, that rising and falling movement in the body. Starting to notice the rhythm of breathing. Noticing where in the body you feel that movement. Perhaps it's in the belly, the chest, the shoulders, and with each in breath and each out breath, gently letting go of any tension in the body. So it's normal to get distracted. The mind is designed to think, and we can feel deeply. So when you notice that you've lost focus, got caught in the thought or a feeling, just gently note the distraction. Okay, thinking, or, okay, feeling, and come back to the breath. It's a very gentle and soft noting. I sometimes note by saying, "I see you worry." "Thanks, but not right now." And then gently letting the thought or feeling go and coming back to the breath. No need to judge or to criticize. In noting, we're acknowledging that thoughts or feelings are arising, but we're not getting so carried away by them. Try not to judge yourself or be too critical. We put so much pressure on ourselves. Be gentle. This technique gradually allows us to put...