Hi, and welcome to your daily mindfulness. So let's just take a moment to settle in here and become present. You know, your mind might've been racing to all kinds of things, but see if you can just now become present in, in this time, in this place, in this moment. So just inviting you to be attentive to the feeling of your body against the surface you're sitting or perhaps laying on. Just feeling any and all sensations at those contact points.

And taking in the sounds all around you and what you can see. And perhaps noticing the gentle rhythm of your breathing. Just taking a moment here, just to reconnect, just to be. You know, if you're anything like me, you know that when we're stuck in our own storylines, our minds can feel so narrow, so constricted. Whether it's worrying about what could happen or ruminating about a problem, or just entangled in the dramas of daily life, we can so easily go through our day with ever, without ever really feeling totally connected and present.

And without that mental space, we start to lose touch with our innate kind of wisdom, compassion, calm, and joy. And these are the qualities that we need to live a meaningful and fulfilling life. These are the qualities that we need to thrive in an ever-changing world. And these are the qualities that we need if we want to feel truly connected, you know, to ourselves, to each other and to the world around us. So today I've got a simple invitation for us all.

Let's see if we can bring more mindful pauses into daily life, as many as possible. So when you get into your car, for instance, and you shut the door, could you just pause there for 10 seconds or so. Before you send an email, you could just pause for a few moments and feel the energy inside your body. Look at the play of light and shadow in the room. Now the mind might tell you, I don't have time for this, but that really is just a story in the mind.

Even the busiest person has a few seconds to reclaim some mental space. And it may be the most important thing you do all day. And if you care to now, we can take a longer pause together in the form of meditation. By sitting in meditation together, we cultivate a calm, clarity and focus that can carry us through the rest of our day.