Hi, and welcome to your Daily Mindfulness. Today we're going to talk about how the mind is a bit like the ocean. So a lot of the time in life, we get caught up. We get caught up in our thoughts. We get caught up in our worries, our fixations, our desires, our problems, our mental struggles.

And when we're caught up in all of these kinds of thoughts, it's a bit like the ocean, because the thoughts are like getting caught up at the surface where we're tossed around at the mercy of every wave that comes. But in the same way that the calm depths of the ocean is always there just below the waves, there is a calm, steady awareness within you that's always available to you. If you can just let your attention drop out of the mind out of the waves and drop into the present moment into the calm depths of awareness and you can come home to this place of calm and inner strength through even just a few moments of mindfulness. So you can try this right now by just bringing your awareness into the present moment. Maybe just by landing awareness on the feeling of the breath in your body.

Just letting go of whatever's on the mind. Letting go of the waves and just feeling the shifting tides of the breath, moving in your body, in this moment. Just riding the waves of breath with your awareness. And if the mind wanders to your plans or your problems or whatever, just gently draw it back into the present moment. Just feeling your breathing and giving yourself this time to rest in the calm depths of awareness.

So today as you go about daily life, just remember that if you find yourself feeling stressed or caught up that really just taking a few mindful breaths can calm you, steady you, and anchor you back in the peace of the present moment. But of course, you know, like anything worth having in life, the more you practice mindfulness, the more you experience the full benefits of what it can really offer. And the best way to strengthen mindfulness is through the practice of meditation. And if you keep that up with a bit of practice that peaceful, calm and steady awareness you build in meditation, it starts to flow into your day and into your whole life. So thank you for your practice and your presence here with us.

And just inviting me now to settle in for today's meditation.