When we get lost in the midst of daily activity, we can come back to ourselves, to the soothing space of our own presence, at any time.
A useful entry point is simply asking: ‘Where am I right now?’ This question serves a double purpose. We begin to notice our physical environment by moving our heads around and noticing objects in the environment: Colours, shapes, sounds. Another way of framing this is:
What am I noticing in this moment?
Or
What am I in touch with?
Engage the senses: Notice sight, sound, touch, taste, smell. Then tune into the sixth sense of thinking, lightly observing thoughts in the mind. Tune into the inner sense of the body and the waves of breath and emotion that move through it.
Take a moment to quietly contemplate these questions and allow your experience to speak.
Another way of understanding ‘Where am I right now?’ is to notice where the ‘I’ is perceiving from. Where am ‘I’? Where is the ‘I’ that notices all that is happening? Do I perceive myself behind the eyes, in the head, the body, or somewhere else? See if you can silently inquire as to the location of the presence of what we call ‘I’.
What happens when you inquire in this way? Can you locate the ‘I’? What is the experience of your own immediate and direct presence like?