Something in us might be short of choice when it comes to being hostage to the Cartesian ‘I think therefore I am’ mind, hostage to anxiety, worry, beliefs, convictions, depression and more.  Focusing Training Winter 2025 https://www.tickettailor.com/events/focusing There is another way, through Embodied Relational Presence for deeper healing and forward movement.

Healing Connection, Creativity, Community, Wellbeing through Relational Presence

A Focusing Meditation: An Invitation to Presence


Welcome, everyone, to this focusing experience.

And this is an invitation into the focusing paradigm in which presence is primary.

Shifting from Doing to Being

I believe much of the time, we're not necessarily in presence. Probably more in the doing, thinking mode, which clearly has a place.

But if we want to access our whole humanity, access rest, even, and presence is always available at all times.
Inviting Presence to Emerge

And we can just invite it to, as it were, emerge.

And we can just pause. It's a soft pausing, a quality of settling.

And as we pause, it just becomes increasingly available in a natural way, organic and natural.

## Sensing the Body

The body can just begin to sense itself more fully.

And most obviously, sensing contact with the earth, or where the body meets the earth through gravity. The seat, the ground itself.

And there, perhaps, is a certain comfort here in contact. It can rest in itself.

## Physical Sensations

Resting in itself, these sensations of touch, pressure, warmth, cool, soft material on the skin, here and there.

As the body, as it were, emerges, there's a whole sense of itself, shape of itself, breathing, being.

## An Invitation to Rest

An invitation here to rest in itself. The sensations just rest.

And your body can sense a space around it, radiating out.

## Expanding Awareness Outward

Hearing sounds here and there, maybe, beyond the four walls, out into nature and the elements.

Something can sense up into the ether, up into that starry night, into our solar system.

All those planets orbiting nearby, and the moon, and the sun, and a trillion diamonds sparkling.

## Sensing the Inner Universe

The body can just sense all of this as it is invited to sense within more fully. What's alive?

The inner universe. Something distant, something close, something intense or mild, enjoyable, less than enjoyable, or both.

## Making Room

Something that... just making room for that.

Maybe inviting a sense of softness and gentleness, that sense of warm awareness, to keep us company with whatever's here.

## Closing Invitation

Inviting safety and wholeness, curiosity, play and fun, healing, engagement, space, and rest.

Resting with it all.

Aligning with the Planets Focusing Attunement

# Guided Meditation: Presence and Creativity

## Opening Invitation

Here's a little attunement for you.

Feel free to close your eyes, and sit as you wish, lay down, stand on one leg—whatever works for you.

Attunements for herons.

That'd be a good one, wouldn't it?

Settling In

So, just pausing.

Yeah, I've got an image of a heron actually coming up.

The way they kind of stand.

And they can be really still.

And they're kind of poised, really, in this... well, you could say quality of awareness and presence.

Yeah, fully aware.

Becoming Available

So... yeah, just becoming available.

And whatever's alive in us, whether it's less alive or more alive.

We can sense our feet on the ground, or body on the chair or cushion.

Fantastic.

Whatever it's on.

Body Awareness

Tuning in to sensing from your feet... the shape of your body.

Just being available to that.

And it normally comes with a whole load of sensations.

A patchwork quilt of sensations.

A kaleidoscope of sensations.

Clothing... pressure... temperature... tingling... pulsing... moving... still.

Expanding Awareness

Perhaps sensing from the body, the space around.

Beyond the four walls.

Into that magical... still... eternity.

An infinity of... diamonds... worlds... planets... stars.

Comets.

And here we are, rotating on our axis, spinning around the sun—our own star.

Inner Sensing

And then, all of this... sensing within what's there.

Some mood which is obvious, some tiredness, some... something calm, something anxious, something... it's like... maybe it doesn't have a word.

Maybe it's subtle, maybe it's really obvious.

In that space.

Receiving With Compassion

Receiving that in a way that works for you.

Tenderly... gently... spaciously... compassionately.

Just as you are.

Theme Introduction

Yeah, so the theme of this module is creativity.

Finding creative holding... maybe... agility... guest... sensitivity... playfully... perhaps.

Keeping the inner universe company in this way.

Closing

And taking your time to emerge.

Still like a Heron Presence Attunement

Let's entertain some presence, and...
And where is our real home?
Always available at all times.
Whether we live in a palace, or a shanty town.
I guess our real home is presence, really.
Opening to Connection
Presence brings us into relationship with Nature, the stars... others... the animals and plants.
A life coursing through us.
In this magical mystery tour.
Yes, roll up.
...
Yeah, and I do believe, actually, presence... it will take us to the cusp of the mystery in some shape or form.
Whatever that means.
Might be more of a pragmatist or nihilist.
It's all good.
Cultivating Curiosity
Just... arriving...
Inviting a soft... open curiosity to emerge.
Like a child playing... exploring...
...
More sensitive to the sensing.
And from the sensing.
...
Very heart of life. It's in the sensing.
The Living Moment
I feel it. Nobody sensed it.
It's living... moment.
What's that like?
...
Where is that?
Whole body sensor living... or is it more localized?
...
Grounding and Reaching
Perhaps send some breath to your feet. Your seat.
Grounding.
...
Imagine a giant redwood tree.
This massive root system burrowing down.
Grounding and earthing.
...
Immovable.
Stable...
...
Following its trunk up.
The branches to the top.
Reaching out into the ether.
Sensing space.
Spaciousness, yet solidity.
Expanding into Infinity
Grounded, and then spacious.
...
And space.
Radiating out to the infinity of things.
Including the stars... and beyond...
Galaxies.
...
Milky Ways.
...
Coming Together
Here we are. Together.
In community. Sharing.
...
Acknowledging those of us here.
Friends... beings.
Being breathed by this very universe.
Sensing Inward
Sensing inwards.
What's alive here?
...
Something inside there.
Maybe wanting a gentle... kindly company.
...
Closer, or giving it space.
...
Maybe a little hello?
...
Getting accompanied... being in company.
Majesty of the universe.
...
Let's rest here.

Finding our Real Home  - Majesty of the Universe Presence Invitation

Vast Universe in Presence

Freshness in Presence
Yeah, so welcome, everyone, to this focusing session experience. This module, Focusing Intuition and Creativity. Yes, playful energies that we can access.
Pausing and Settling
So, just pausing and settling.
The Invitation of Presence
So presence is really an invitation to the freshness of experience. So I think it's easy to get into by rote, in other words, habit. In habit, it's really the antithesis of intuition and creativity, and even presence, to be honest. There's a kind of open space in which freshness can begin to emerge.
Recognizing Freshness by Its Absence
And we'll often know it by its absence. Something can be bored, or judgmental, or not available to the freshness, in whatever shape or form. So just checking in with yourself. What does that mean for you? What is this freshness?
Cultivating Curiosity and Adventure
As we pause, is there a genuine curiosity here? A kind of opening. A kind of sense of adventure.
Leading Ourselves into Presence
So in a way, we lead ourselves into presence. Sensing the freshness of where the feet meet the ground, as if for the first time. Where the body meets the chair. And where the edge of the body meets space. Sensing outwards. Sensing outwards, freshly. Out into space, up into the stars.
Turning Inward
And pausing again. Making room for what's alive inside, in a way that's new. Sensing the subtlety of what's there. The edges, the shapes of it, the intensities, the complexity.
Coming Alongside with Compassion
Coming alongside with a sense of warmth or care, or compassion, even. And if you like, a little hello, or acknowledgement of some type.


Freshness in Presence

Presence Deep Rest Meditations and Reflections inspired by Focusing, Mindfulness and Nonviolent communication Embodied Relational Presence training and personal coaching.  https://www.living-presence.co.uk/

Finding our Real Home - Majesty of the Universe Presence Invitation

Simon McKibbin Presence Meditations & Reflections