All meditation approaches teach us in one way or another to be in the present moment, the Now. In Mindfulness meditation this is defined as being non-judgmentally aware of how your experience arises and changes from moment to moment. For this you need to be rooted in the present moment and not get carried away with the constant flow and flux of mental, emotional and environmental events. This ‘getting carried away’ is our usual state.  Some would call Mindfulness non-attachment or disidentification or decentering. It is the experience of being an observer of inner and outer events. This might sound cold and aloof, but it really is not. Being rooted in the present moment of Now we can connect with everything that goes on around us and within us in a much more compassionate and intimate way. When we are in the present moment we are centred in the heart and from there we are connected with our intuition, our higher wisdom and with a sense of one-ness. In Buddhism this is often expressed as Metta Bhavna (loving kindness), which was taught by the Buddha to his disciples and is often taught on Mindfulness courses. Here is one version of Metta Bhavna, in translation from the original Pali:

Whatever beings may exist,

weak or strong,

tall or broad,

medium or short,

fine material or gross,

seen or unseen,

those born,

or pressing to be born,

may they all be without exception

happy in heart.

Let no one deceive anyone else,

nor despise anyone anywhere.

May no one wish harm to another in anger or ill will.

Let one’s thoughts of loving kindness

pervade the whole world,

above, below, across,

without obstruction,

without hatred,

without enmity.

Being present in the Now brings you into your heart and it also has a number of positive side-effects. It makes you feel better and stronger, and it helps you tremendously to deal with life’s challenges. Mindfulness research has shown that it can help with a range of psychological and physical issues, from anxiety, stress and depression to chronic pain, psoriasis and asthma.

The following meditation introduces you to being in the Now. Please sit upright on a chair, ideally not leaning against the back of the chair, your feet firmly on the floor, your shoulders down and your chin parallel to the floor and slightly tucked in. Your eyes should be closed. If that is difficult, please gaze ahead in front of you about one meter away without focusing on anything in particular (can be on the floor as long as you don’t bend your head down too much).

Meditation: Letting go

This is a first introduction to meditation and using the attention on the breath to anchor us in the present moment. If you are doing this meditation just with yourself, read each paragraph, then close your eyes and follow the instructions in the paragraph before moving on to the next one.

The timings at the end of the paragraphs indicate the approximate time of silence to leave for carrying out the instructions in the paragraph.

Part 1

Sitting in an upright posture, have your eyes closed, half closed, or open gazing down 1m ahead.

We are starting this meditation with a breathing exercise that will help slow the breath and the mind. It is called ‘triangular breathing’. For this I would like you to count silently to yourself while you focus on your breath. Count slowly (about one count per second) up to 6 while you breathe in, making sure the in-breath lasts as long as it takes you to count to 6. Then hold your breath to the count of 6 and then breathe out to the count of 6. Do six rounds of this (you can count the rounds using the fingers of your hand).

Then take in one deep breath, breathe out straight away and wait for the next in-breath to happen by itself. Not breathing in any particular way, just letting the next in-breath and the next out-breath happen – and the next, and the next, from moment to moment. Following each in-breath and each out-breath with your full attention, letting your attention travel with your breath. --- 20 seconds.

Watching, observing the in-breath and the out-breath, and also being aware of the movement in your abdomen and your chest as you are breathing. --- 20 seconds.

Perhaps becoming aware that the in-breath is about  taking in, while the out –breath is about letting go. In and out. Silently say ‘in’ as you breathe in and ‘out’ as you breathe out. In and out. --- 1 minute.

Part 2

Now become aware what thoughts, images, feelings are there inside you – thoughts, images, feelings about about today, yesterday or whatever.

As best you can don’t feel the feelings or think the thoughts, just notice them, watch them, maybe as if they were written on a screen in front of you. Be aware of the tendency to get pulled into the thoughts and feelings. If that happens, gently put the thoughts or feelings onto the screen in front of you again.  --- 1 minute

Part 3

Become aware that most of those thoughts, feelings and images that you have tried to observe are about the past. Maybe some were about what will happen later, or tomorrow or next week. And maybe some of the thoughts and feelings were about nothing in particular – just like daydreams. For a moment consider that the past is now gone. It is not reality and only exists in your mind as memories about the past in the present moment - right here, right now. The same is true for the future. It does not exist yet. The future is being born in the present moment. Life is unfolding here and now, and only here and now. But the mind tries to reach ahead into the future with planning, worrying, fantasising, predicting etc. It can only do so in the present moment, usually forgetting that this present moment is the birthplace for the future. --- 20 seconds

Just be aware how your mind reacts to this. The mind often wants to cling to past and future as if they were reality. Can you sense how your mind wants to hang on to its usual way of being busy with past and future? Your mind might just reject what I am saying, or it might say something like: “But I need to remember the past so I can learn from it and I need to predict the future so I can make plans.” --- 20 seconds

Now see if it is possible to let go of all concerns about past and future. Maybe say to yourself: “I can come back to it later”. Focus your full attention again on your breath – the in-breath and the out-breath, saying ‘in’ as you breathe in and ‘out’ as you breathe out. You can use the breath to anchor you in the present moment. --- ½ minute

With your breath you can get a sense of ‘being here’. With each in-breath let your body sink deeper into the chair (or cushion) and your feet feel more firmly on the floor. With each out-breath let go of all concerns about past and future. Say silently to yourself ‘here’ with each in-breath and ‘now’ with each out-breath – HERE - NOW--- ½ minute