What is this practice?
In this gentle preparatory practice, your breath and your body become your companions. With their help, you gather your scattered attention and arrive into a calm, open state of presence. You don’t need anything special — just yourself. This is the gateway to connection.
Perhaps you too have noticed how much the world around us floods us with. The constant stream of stimuli — news, messages, endless tasks — easily scatters our attention and quietly wears us down. This short practice I am inviting you to now helps you return to yourself, gather what has been scattered, and allow your mind, body, and soul to rest. You don’t need any special knowledge — just a few minutes where you let your breath and body gently show you the way.
How to practice?
Where do you feel truly comfortable and safe? If you have a cozy spot at home — a favorite chair, a warm corner, a soft cushion — settle yourself there. It’s best to sit upright, so that your body remains gently awake while your attention gradually comes to rest. As you sit down, you’ll begin to sense your breath slowing slightly. There’s no need to control it — simply allow it to happen. Notice how, with each exhalation, your body softens a little more — simply because you’re offering it your attention.
If you notice any area in your body that still feels tense, gently turn your awareness toward it. Breathe into those places with care, as if offering them a little extra kindness. It can also be helpful to slowly scan through your body — noticing where your back meets the support of the chair, or how the fabric of your clothing gently touches your skin.
And when you feel that your body has joined you in this quiet, relaxed presence, you can invite a simple inner image:
- Imagine breathing in through the crown of your head,
- and breathing out through the soles of your feet.
There is no need to decide how this could be possible — just allow the image to open naturally within you.
- Breathing in through the crown,
- breathing out through the soles.
And with each exhalation, a little more tension, a few more unnecessary thoughts, quietly leave you. As if you were gently escorting beloved guests to the door — thankful they came, but ready to let them continue on their way.
Stay a little longer in this peaceful, quiet state. Let your body and attention prepare together for the deeper experience of Connected Presence.
What might you experience through this practice?
You begin to notice how your thoughts gently quiet down. And it’s not only your mind that’s listening anymore — your whole body is present with you now, through the pores of your skin, through every sense. You arrive into a space that feels peaceful, open, and quietly ready for something new to unfold.
Closing Note
It is recommended to begin each of the following practices with this short preparation — especially during the first two months. This is the time your body naturally needs to settle into this gentle, restful, and receptive state. Over time, you may find that your body can shift from everyday activity into deeper presence within just a few seconds.
While this new way of being gently weaves itself into your life, please remain patient and tender with yourself. This is not a task or a performance — but one of the simplest and most attentive ways to offer yourself rest and care.
