Breathing

Breathing in, I know I am breathing in.
Breathing out, I know I am breathing out.

Thich Nhat Hanh

I love this quote from the Vietnamese Buddhist Thich Nhat Hanh. Paying attention to one's breath, is such a great way to center oneself in the present. And, the nice thing about breathing is that you can do it anywhere!

For today, I am going to pay attention to my breathing. If I feel upset or anxious or tense, I'll say silently: Breathing in, I know I am breathing in...breathing out, I know I am breathing out.

Noticing

I wasn’t sure what I was going to write about today. But I had a dream this morning about noticing. Yes, noticing. Receptive states are experiences of being in the present and one of the ways to be fully present is to simply notice or pay attention to what is going on around you.

So, for today I am going to pay attention and notice what is in my environment, what I am doing and what I am feeling or thinking. Right now I am noticing how comfortable my chair feels. I see that the blinds I forgot to open are still closed. I just heard the heater turn on (yes, it’s been chilly here in Arizona!). I am also noticing how peaceful my home feels.

I don’t often think about the importance of noticing. But today I will.

Gratitude

I've been writing in my gratitude journal (sometimes more and sometimes less) since I started teaching my Receive classes several years ago. I made writing gratitudes a part of the class curriculum when I realized that whenever we are focused on feeling grateful, that we are are also fully in the present. It's about being receptive to life's givingness.

I want to start this year with the reminder that whenever I make a point to write down five things each day for which I feel grateful, I tend to keep noticing things throughout the day that I also feel grateful for whether a beautiful tree, a phone call from a friend or my morning coffee.

So for today, my five gratitudes:

1. I am grateful I live in beautiful Arizona!

2. I feel so blessed to have such good friends.

3. I am lucky to have found work that I love.

4. I am thankful I found a handyman who is a nice guy to fix things in the house.

5. I'm really glad I ate only half of the Doritos in the bag last night!

I like to spend sixty seconds immersed in one of my five gratitudes. Today I am choosing the one about feeling blessed to have such good friends. And for the rest of the day I am going to make a point to notice and say thank you for all of the ways that life gives to me.

Feel free to add your own gratitudes or any other message.