In this meditation we explore the feeling of presence and the impact it can have on our bodies and our minds.
When we feel present we also feel more grounded and joyful. We are most ourselves when we are in the present moment. So the aim of this meditation is simply to invite you to get curious about what it feels like to live in the present moment.
20 minute listen. We recommend listening to this meditation with headphones on.
Listen to other meditations in the Powerful Pause series.
This guided meditation was written for one of our new Powerful Pause meditation sessions, where we come together to meditate every few weeks. If you’re a Performer member you can take advantage of these free sessions by booking a session via our newsletter so please ensure you’re opted in to receive our emails.
Meditation Transcript
Bea Grist, Health and Wellbeing Manager:
So welcome to this meditation on presence
And there are many ways to describe the feeling of presence
It is the openness and the stillness that exists within you
When we feel present we also feel more grounded and joyful
There is an ease
When we are present we are most ourselves
So before we begin our meditation today
I’d like to invite you to just take a moment to consider what presence means for you.
And wherever you are
Just getting comfortable now
So making any adjustments that are needed
Ensuring that you’ve got a nice straight spine
And before you begin
Let’s take a big inhale here
And just hunch your shoulders forwards and up towards your ears
And breathe out and roll your shoulders away from your ears
Pressing gently backwards
so that your shoulder blades move towards each other
Like a big shoulder roll
And feel your chest open forward
Open your mouth in a big yawning motion
Feel the tension in your jaw starting to release
When you close your mouth
Let you tongue rest at the bottom of your mouth
And feel a soft openness in your jaw muscles
And if you’ve not already done so
Just closing your eyes now
Or softening or lowering your gaze if that’s more comfortable
You have chosen to take this time for yourself
That’s a wonderful thing to do
So maybe take a moment
to give yourself some gratitude for showing up today
And as you sit there
Just take a couple of nice deep breaths
Breathing in through the nose
And breathing slowly out through the mouth
And the next time when you breathe out if it feels comfortable
You can just gently close your eyes
As you breathe in through the nose
Feel a sense of taking in fresh air
The lungs expanding
The body expanding
Breathing in positive, radiant energy
Allowing it to nourish every part of your body
Following the flow of air
As it goes in
and comes out
And now just imagine the warm tropical rain
Showering the body and the mind
Washing away any tension or tightness
Feeling the body get heavier and heavier
as it relaxes and melts into the ground
And the next time as you breathe out
Feel a sense of letting go
Letting go any feelings of uncertainty, fear or perhaps doubts
Letting go of whatever has been going on for you today or this morning
Inviting a gentle current of softness into the body
Releasing any negative energy out of your body
Welcome any sensations of peace and heaviness that may be in your body
Breathing in
And taking a long deep exhale out
This is your time
To be with yourself
Deep breath in
Exhale out
Just a couple more times
Taking deep breaths in through the nose
And out through the mouth
And as you sit there just enjoy that initial sense
Of putting everything down
Having left everything behind
And just that feeling of being present again
Noticing the sensation of the body pressing down
Into the seat or the chair beneath you
That feeling of being grounded
The feet may be on the floor
The hands and the arms on the legs
And as you sit there
Starting to notice how the body feels
And allowing any tension or emotions to come to the surface
Knowing that’s a good thing
Let yourself really welcome
Whatever it is that you’re feeling
And just starting to notice the breath now as well
The breath is also a good indication of how we’re feeling
In both body and mind
And without trying to change the breath in any way
Just noticing if the breath is long, short, deep or shallow
You can just gently place your hand on your stomach
If you find that more comfortable
Or perhaps easier to feel that movement
And even though thoughts may continue to pop in
Perhaps about what’s happened during the day
Where you’ve just come from
Or maybe even jumping ahead about what’s to come
Each time you see the mind wander off
Just letting go of that
And coming back to the present
That feeling
That sensation
The movement of the breath
Remember that mindfulness is not about having a blank mind
It’s normal to think
So don’t judge yourself for thinking
Simply allow any thoughts to come and go
Just like the clouds in the sky
So in meditating we’re changing our relationship with the passing thoughts and feelings
We learn how to view them with a little more perspective
And when we do this we naturally find a place of calm
We will sometimes become distracted
And that’s ok
But as soon as we remember
We’re back watching the clouds again
Knowing they will pass through
Perfectly at ease
In both body and mind
Thinking is not important here
Realise that you are
More fully yourself
when you’re not thinking
And when you’re not thinking
You can realise what being is
What it means ‘to be’
And you can sense the being that you are
Feeling that sense of presence in your whole body now
Feeling the aliveness inside the body
Being present with every cell of the body
When we sit in this presence
We are in our natural state
This is where we are most ourselves
This is the place where we belong
In presence
In peace
Actual presence is when there is no background commentary
We are just simply being
In the moment
So just notice the impact
When you’re in this place
What is it like to be here?
If you lived your life from this place what might the impact be?
Just notice what comes up for you
There are no right or wrong answers
Only what is true for you
So give yourself permission to let go of any expectations that might be there
And just lovingly accept whatever comes up
All we’re doing is realising presence
We’re just noticing what it means to be present in our lives
There’s no time here
Past and future become irrelevant in presence
You are already complete
You don’t need the past to realise you who are
You don’t need the future to to be more fully yourself
You are already enough
Presence is already complete
You are complete in presence
Just like with each breath
It’s an opportunity to bring yourself into the present moment
When you focus on your breath
You are always focused on the present moment
You cannot get back a past breath
You cannot breathe in a future breath
You can only breathe this breath
Right now.
So just breathing into the present moment
And welcoming it
And if thoughts come in or your mind wanders
That’s ok
That’s normal
Don’t judge yourself for that
Shortly we’ll bring this meditation to a close
So let’s take a deep breath here
In through the nose
And let’s sigh it out through the mouth
Let’s take another of those cleansing breaths
Breathing in through the nose
And sighing out through the mouth
Breathing in this experience
Whatever came up for you
Breathing in life and vitality
Letting the body know it’s time to wake up
Another deep breath now
returning to this time
and this space
Another breath
Becoming aware of where you are
Maybe feeling the chair or whatever is underneath you
Feeling that sense of support and rootedness
Noticing any sounds that might be around you
And just moving your body in any way that is needed
to come back to your present state
take a stretch and move your body a little if that feels good
And when you’re ready
If you haven’t already, slowly open your eyes.
