I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to show up for ourselves—not in the self-optimisation way we’re usually sold, but in the quiet, ordinary sense. The way we show up when we sit down, close our eyes, and let ourselves be a person again. Not a task list. Not an identity. Just… a person.

In today’s practice, I invite you into a gentle reset. We begin with intention—an honest look at what brings you here. Sometimes the intention is clear (“I’m overwhelmed and I need help”). Sometimes it’s soft, more like a whisper beneath the noise of the day. Whatever rises is welcome.

From there, we move into the body. A simple body scan, head to toe. Not to perfect anything, not to fix anything—just to feel what’s already happening. I think of it like arriving home and walking through the rooms, turning on the lights. “Oh, this is what’s here today.”

This kind of presence shows up everywhere in real life:

* When you’re stuck in traffic and your jaw is clenched so tightly you don’t realise you’re rehearsing an argument with someone who isn’t even there.

* When your kid is melting down and you feel your shoulders creeping up toward your ears.

* When a coworker sends that email and your breath shortens before you even read the whole thing.

* When your body hurts, and the story you tell yourself about that pain is louder than the pain itself.

The scan teaches us to feel without panicking, to notice without narrating. To recognise: “Oh, this is tension,” instead of, “Everything is wrong.”

After the scan, we transition to the breath—this quiet metronome you’ve been carrying your entire life. I guide you to lay a simple mantra across the exhale: I am here for you.

This phrase can be surprisingly uncomfortable. Sometimes the body doesn’t believe it. Sometimes the mind argues back. But that’s why we practice it. It’s a way of training ourselves to meet each moment the way a good friend would meet us—steady, warm, unhurried.

When life throws something at you—an unexpected bill, a breakup, a mistake, an ache—you can remember this moment. This breath. This phrase. You can feel yourself re-entering the body instead of spiralling into the story.

To close, we open the attention back up. Not forcing stillness. Not demanding peace. Just witnessing. Watching how sensations, thoughts, and emotions all rise and fall like the weather. And then offering yourself a little gratitude for showing up at all.

That’s the heart of this practice:

You must be here to benefit from it.

And you made it.

I’m grateful you’re here.

I hope you’re grateful, too.

Timestamp Breakdown

00:00–00:01:06 — Opening & Intention

00:01:06–00:03:19 — Posture, Breathing, and Settling In

00:03:19–00:07:05 — Orienting to the Moment & Emotional Tone

00:07:05–00:15:03 — Full Body Scan: Head to Belly

00:15:03–00:20:04 — Lower Body Scan & Grounding

00:20:04–00:23:45 — Attuning to the Breath

00:23:45–00:26:21 — Mantra Practice: “I Am Here For You”

00:26:21–00:30:21 — Open Awareness & Witnessing

00:30:21–00:31:42 — Closing & Gratitude

💬 Let’s Reflect Together

* Where in your body do you tend to hold tension during stressful moments?

* How did the mantra I am here for you land for you—welcoming, resistant, or something in between?

* What real-life situation this week could benefit from a 10-second body scan?

* When you slow down and pay attention, what shifts first: your breath, your posture, or your thoughts?

* Which part of the practice helped you feel most grounded?

* How does witnessing your experience differ from reacting to it?

Share your reflections in the comments—I’d love to hear how impermance is alive in your practice.

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