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~I invite you to listen to the audio version shared above, where a guided meditation is provided that follows what is shared below in the text.
One afternoon while I was typing away while sitting in my reading nook in the living room, a young fledgling was dancing in and out of the bird bath which sits just outside the window. First, sitting on the edge, then dipping its feet in and flicking some water on its belly and chest. This back and forth went on for a while as though it was quite enjoying the phenomenon, playing in the water. It tickled me and I couldn’t help but smile, grateful to be able to offer the birds this safe space to drink, bathe or play in the water as this young bird enjoyed doing.
We notice such things in our everydays because we are present. And we are present because we have made a conscious choice to do so. Meditation teaches us to feel comfortable being wholly in the present and to appreciate how simple it is. No effort, just see. Just be here, right now. And if it does become uncomfortable, bring yourself back to your breath, pay attention to its rhythm. Notice the depth of your inhale and the length of your exhale. Just this, paying attention to your breath, is holding you in the present moment. This is how we practice.
And with practice, it then becomes easier to be fully present, and then it becomes our healthy default to see all that is happening around us: the gentle breeze, the birds dancing about on the tree limbs, or dipping their toes into the bird bath. This gives us stability, which gives us calm, while also reminding us of how much we have to be grateful for.
The joy-filled practice of noticing the little things sprinkled about our everydays is a practice that complements our meditation practice. The more we notice, the more we appreciate, the more we are learning how to be present and that is a skill we are bringing into our entire day which is all to the benefit of elevating its quality.
Let’s begin . . .
~To conclude each meditation session, I encourage you to recite a mantra of your choosing and design. In the Contentment Masterclass, I share my example, which you are welcome to use, tweak, or look to as a template to design your own. Also provided to enrollees of the course is a free trial of the guided meditation app I use.
Click here to listen/read the previous Méditation in the series.
No. 34 — The Tool that Makes the Shift
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~Learn more about TSLL’s Contentment Masterclass: Discover the benefits of Meditation, which is included in the detailed syllabus shared here, watch the trailer, and read student reviews.
~Comments will be turned off for Meditation posts as you cultivate a practice guided by what you need and your journey to cultivating inner peace and aligning with your true self.
