Listen now
Each of us is far more capable than we generally give ourselves credit for. This is especially true when it comes to mindfulness meditation. We may feel as though our minds are too busy or full to be still. And yet, we’ve all had glimpses of what it feels like to be fully present in body and mind. Sustaining this presence takes practice, but it’s something we can do.
In this guided meditation with Sean Fargo, we’re invited to place our attention on our natural capacity to meet this moment, just as it is, with presence and awareness. Through this practice, we strengthen this ability, allowing us to meet deeper layers of our experience with mindfulness.
Please listen in a safe, quiet place where you can be relatively free from distraction. Find a posture that balances comfort with alertness, whether standing, seated, or lying down. May this meditation be of benefit to you in your mindfulness journey.
Find hundreds more guided audio meditations or download 200 meditation scripts to expand your personal practice, or to share with others.
Mindfulness is something we are innately capable of, and yet still, it is something we need to train in. It may not be our habit to bring mindfulness to each moment, but with practice, we most certainly can.
We are all capable of awakening and meeting each moment with caring curiosity. We also have the capacity to sustain this embodied presence throughout our meditation practice and into the rest of our day. And where we may feel that we fall short, we can offer ourselves kindness and a simple sense of care as we continue to practice.
As mindfulness teachers, we often speak of the importance of courage as we practice. The courage to sit with discomfort, to open our hearts wider, or to be present for the fullness of our experience. To explore capability encourages courage from a different angle, by shedding light on the truth of our infinite potential.
In this particular meditation, we hear repeats of the phrase, ‘You are capable.’ This particular approach differs from that of repeating a positive affirmation, something which tends to fall flat for those without high self-esteem. The difference lies in exploring and embodying the felt sense of accomplishment that is already within us.
Despite our proclivity for distraction, we have moments in meditation, however brief, where we experience connection to and complete acceptance of the present moment. As we learned in Episode #006 with Rick Hanson, rejoicing in such moments of clarity makes it all the more likely for this presence to arise again in the future.
It’s common to be more practiced in ‘checking out’ of our experience, whether due to fear, trauma or simply the strength of habit. Hearing the reminder that we are capable of choosing differently is sometimes all that is needed for us to shift our attention, especially in meditation.
Meeting this moment and accepting its truth is enough. Presence need not be a precursor to fixing, changing, or solving a problem. We are already meeting moments, in small ways, each and every day. By acknowledging that with the attention of body and mind, and by letting go of expectations, our agenda, or comparisons to others, we become encouraged and empowered.
Each time we return to the present moment in meditation, we come back to ourselves and the awareness of our genuine capability for awakening.
Explore the concepts of capability and confidence with these additional free mindfulness resources:
About Sean Fargo:
Sean Fargo is a former Buddhist monk and the founder of Mindfulness Exercises. The online platform, which has shared free and premium mindfulness resources with over 3 million people worldwide, has now certified over 500 Mindfulness Teachers.
Sean is the lead instructor for the teacher training program, a unique self-paced approach which invites world-renowned mindfulness teachers to share their insights and experiences. Sean has taught mindfulness and meditation for corporations including Facebook, Google and Tesla and for health and government organizations, prisons and hospitals around the world.
