It's a quiet morning. My mind feels spacious. There is a stillness in the air, and as I sit at my desk writing my Mindful Monday message to you, the words fall on the page easily.

What is touching my soul right now is considering the constant flux that life is in – that we are in.

Every moment is new and fresh, never to be the same as the last. Our bodies are in a constant state of change. Each breath is unique, never to be the same as the previous. This moment will never be the same as any other moment we experience in our entire life.

Having said all this, I find it humorous and enlightening how the mind can be so caught up in the future, whether it be commenting on what will happen a few minutes from now, a few hours, next month, or next year.

It creates scenarios and can be so darn convincing!

But this is what the mind likes to do. It wanders. It speculates. It's in a dream.

Observers can notice this mental activity and chatter rather than identifying with it and being swept away.

Thoughts will come and go. Consciousness is the constant. It never leaves us. It is who we are.

Consciousness is like a movie screen or backdrop. The thoughts are moving across the screen; consciousness is aware, but there is no reactivity. It is a silent observer and witness.

When we get lost in thinking, we are not present in the preciousness of this moment, and we lose contact with our true nature. But it has not left us. It is who we are.

Meditation is the tool for re-connection. It moves us from the surface level of the mind to a depth where we meet stillness, space, and truth.

When the mind can sink to these depths - to drop into the body - we become in flow.

We become connected to essence.

We are essence.

We are more resilient, and life has more meaning.

But because the mind likes to focus on the past or future and the body is always present, there is often a disconnect between the two that separates us from our true nature.

This separation creates suffering that the Buddha and other spiritual teachers talk about.

The ego tells us that our suffering can be solved by staying busy and striving, and this is an illusion our society subscribes to. Our practice purifies the mind, relaxes our nervous system, grounds the body, and guides us inward. As our practice develops, our souls continue to awaken to the truth.

Being grounded in the here and now provides comfort and freedom.

When turbulence, unexpected events, thoughts, and emotions come – we are in the eye of the storm. We don't get swept away; if we do, we have the capacity and awareness to return home. This return home dissolves tension in our mind and nervous system. We can release built-up stresses and old conditioning that we have carried for decades.

When we are living more in the present, we start to unwind and relax.

It doesn't mean we don't plan for the future or don't organize our schedule. It means we are present as we do this, too. We are in flow. There is less striving and more being. There is less stress and more allowing.

Our life practice is choosing to be present as we move, sense, see, smell, taste, and engage all day.

What does this look like?

* Feeling my breath as I inhale and exhale.
* Being aware of the sound of the wind as it swirls outside.
* Seeing the words on this page.

This moment is what's happening. This moment is real. It is simple and yet deeply profound.

With love,

Diane