Where are you right now?
I know you’re hanging out on your couch/back deck/bed/front room. You may even be sitting on the toilet. No judgement, you do what you need to do. You may have music playing. Hopefully there’s a beverage of some sort nearby (hydration is really important). Possibly even a snack, unless you’re on the toilet, which is kind of eew, but again, no judgement.
But where are you really? You may be only half reading this on your phone with a TV on in the background or while you’re having a conversation with someone else.
Hit pause on all of that stuff and let me take the wheel. For less than three minutes. There’s nothing to fear, no high wire acrobatics, buckets of water or mind control. I’m just going to talk us through a little exercise. You’ll look completely normal to anyone else sitting at your gate at the airport or in the school pick-up line.
Just go with it for a few minutes.
Take a deep breath in and sigh it out.
Soften your gaze.
Allow yourself to breathe.
Drop into your body. Are there any physical sensations present: itchy, painful, hungry, fullness, bloaty, gassy, sleepy, sore, achy, hot, cold? Recognize each perception and move on.
Inhale deeply, bringing your awareness to your nasal passages. Wiggle your nose.
What do you smell? Bacon? Coffee? Is the trash making its presence known? Nope, don’t get up and empty it, just observe.
Inhale, deeper this time. Can you smell moisture in the air? Hot sun warming concrete, asphalt or wood? Maybe pool chemicals, somebody vaping, or the remnants of the last meal you cooked.
Bring all of your awareness to your nose as you take another deep breath, as if you are drawing air in from across the globe. What other scents can you detect? Hold the air in to explore what you may find.
Release your breath.
Now bring your attention to your ears. Give your earlobes and your outer ears a quick little massage.
What can you hear? Maybe a leaf blower or train horn in the distance. Perhaps the tappity tap of someone typing away on their computer or the grinding and whirring of the coffee machine just above the murmur of other coffee shop patrons.
Don’t try to tune any sounds out. Just acknowledge them and move on. This is not the time to launch into your regular tirade about how leaf blowers are a scourge upon the earth.
Keep breathing, slowly, deliberately.
Think about your scalp, think hard. Imagine how hard it works, sprouting thousands of hair follicles at the same time, making them all roughly the same color. Your scalp may feel tingly, you can bring your hands to the top of your head to give it a quick little massage.
Focus on your mouth. Run your tongue over your teeth, inside and out, top and bottom. Swallow. Let your tongue come to rest. Notice how it settles naturally on the roof of your mouth. Notice how much saliva you create. Swallow again.
Inhale.
Circle your head around your neck.
Now circle in the opposite direction. Roll your shoulders forward. And now back. Shake out your arms like cooked noodles. Wiggle your fingers. Now press your palms together.
Take a deep inhale and feel your chest expand, breathe all the way into your stomach. Observe how your shoulders rise and your chest and stomach expand to make room for air.
Release the breath and notice how your shoulders drop down and your stomach and lungs deflate.
Repeat it one more time, a big inhale into your belly, hold it. Listen to all of the sounds around you (A/C venting or truck backing up), exhale it all out.
Roll your neck again this way and that, because it feels good.
How are you sitting? Is your spine straight, or are you a bit slouchy? Try straightening up. Uncross your legs.
Now bring your attention to your tush, specifically your tailbone. Is there a lightness to it, or does it feel heavy? How hard are you sitting? Be aware of how much weight your spine and tailbone are bearing. Clench your buttocks. Tighter. Unclench. Maybe your toes curled at the same time. Bring your chin down to your chest. Lean your head as far back as you can. Bring it up to a resting position.
Inhale, sending breath past your lungs, past your stomach, all the way down to your feet. Flex your calves and point your toes. Make clockwise circles with your feet. Now make counterclockwise circles. If you can, depending on your shoes, point your toes, flex them. Wiggle your toes.
Relax your hands if you haven’t already.
Be still.
Breathe in.
Take the wheel back.
Now where are you? Are you in your body, in this moment in time?
Do you feel differently than you did 3 minutes ago when you began reading this piece? Do you feel more present?
You are beautiful.
You are perfect.
You are loved.
See you on Wednesday.
xxx
LOVE THIS. Thank you for the field trip to the present!