Threshold: May 31 - June 6

I've been writing a lot these past few weeks about earthly home and heavenly abodes. I just moved out of the place that held my life and those most dear to me for the better part of my adult life. I now stand at a threshold, one of those in between places, a bit scary but filled with new possibility. Many traditions recognize these liminal places as opportunities for transformation, where one way of being falls away and a new one emerges.

Mindfulness plays a key role in this new way of seeing and appreciating my life and I suppose age has something to do with it too (my 64th birthday lands in the middle of this month.) When I look back over the last 6 decades, I see the difficult times and the struggles but what shines most clearly is the steady love of family and friends. I have faith the future will be just as bright.

Mindfulness prompts me to be fully present to the present moment. Today already brims with the blessings of newness, the beauty of nature, the miracle of being, and a community of love, if only I pause long enough to notice and appreciate it.

Practice

We've done this week after week, the body already knows the way. Follow your innate knowing. Rest your feet on the earth. Feel the sun on your face. Receive the gift of another day. Let go of accumulated worry and relax into the fullness of the present moment. Let's use the breath to tether us to the here and now.

Breathe in and know that you are breathing. Breath out and know that you are breathing. Sense where the breath enters the body through the nose and the mouth. Be aware as life fills your head. Pause in this space. Feel aliveness in between the ears and above the neck.

Breathe in and know that you are breathing. Breath out and know that you are breathing. Trace the path of the breath to the chest and the lungs. Be aware as life fills your heart. Pause in this space. Feel aliveness in the chest and the upper part of the body.

Breathe in and know that you are breathing. Breath out and know that you are breathing. Journey downward as the breath expands and contracts the belly. Be aware as life fills your gut. Pause in this space. Feel aliveness in the lower part of the body.

Breathe in and know that you are breathing. Breath out and know that you are breathing. Experience the breath as it flows through the whole body. Be aware as life fills your entire being. Pause in this space. Feel aliveness from left to right, front to back, top to bottom.

As you return to the comings and goings of the day, every now and then, pause and remember the breath. Everything you need is already here. Be thankful.