I Am Here Now
A Meditation in Loving Presence
Thank you for sharing an evening of exploring the connection between body, mind, and the power of loving awareness. This space offers you the meditation we practiced together, gentle reflection questions, and resources you can return to in your own time.
Return to the practice
This 28-minute meditation begins with the breath, travels through the body with luminous awareness, and invites us to meet a tender or contracted place with compassion. It ends with the image of a shared field of loving presence.
From the Three OUTS to Going IN
In Heal What Hurts, we explored how we sometimes respond to painful emotions or triggering moments by moving away from what we feel. I call these familiar, often habitual protective patterns the Three OUTS. The invitation is to notice them without judgment or shame, so we can begin to choose another way.
Lash out
Directing our hurt outward, perhaps through anger, blame, or reactivity.
Numb out
Reaching for sugar, alcohol, excess food, pornography, compulsive scrolling, or other ways of dulling what we do not want to feel.
Check out
Disconnecting, withdrawing, or becoming less present to ourselves and the moment.
The invitation: Go IN with love.
Rather than adding shame to our pain, we can turn toward what hurts with a love greater than shame. The I Am Here Now meditation is a way of practicing this: becoming present in the body, making room for what we feel, and offering loving attention instead of automatically reaching for one of the OUTS.
We can cultivate that awareness every day, not just when we sit down to meditate. When something triggers us, the body may contract in a particular place and the breath may become tight, shallow, or held. The earlier we recognize those signals, the sooner we can turn inward with love.
- Notice: Pause and ask, “Where did my body tighten? What happened to my breath?” A gentle body scan can help you find the place asking for attention.
- Breathe: Without straining, invite your breath more fully into the body, including the area around the contraction. Let the breath reconnect you with the present moment.
- Call upon the Divine: Ask God to bring loving light deeper into the pain. You might pray, “God, please bring Your light and love into this place in me.” Let that love meet what shame cannot heal.
- Use the spiral: If it feels natural, make a gentle spiraling motion with your hand over or just above the tight area, imagining light and love moving deeper into the density of what you feel.
I sometimes use that spiral myself, as a way of “driving light and love into the density.” The movement helps me stay present with a contracted place rather than abandoning it or demanding that it change.
As the body begins to soften, you may notice a yawn, a sigh, tears, or a shift in your breathing. We spoke about these as possible expressions of releasing stress and contraction. Nothing needs to be forced, and there is no particular experience to achieve. Breath awareness, body scanning, prayer, and loving presence are ways of learning to stay at home in ourselves, more often and for longer, one moment at a time.
Three invitations to reflect
You might write a few words, discuss these questions with a classmate, or simply notice what they bring up. There are no right answers. If memories did not arise or nothing shifted, that is equally welcome.
Notice
What did you become aware of in your breath, posture, or physical sensations as you turned inward? Did anything change, or stay the same?
Respond
What was it like to meet a tense or tender place with curiosity and loving words rather than trying to make it disappear?
Connect
How did imagining a shared field of light affect your sense of connection to others, if at all? What might this suggest about presence in community?
Your practice resources
These are free to use at your own pace. The transcript follows our St. Kate's meditation; the companion provides a deeper, optional inquiry process related to my Heal What Hurts method.
Meditation Script
Read the words of I Am Here Now, organized into the five stages of the practice. Useful if you prefer reading, want to revisit a phrase, or wish to reflect without replaying the entire recording.
Download the script →Heal What Hurts Practice Companion
For those who want to explore more deeply, this printable guide offers preparation and reflection prompts around bodily sensations, emotional patterns, and loving presence. It supports the broader Heal What Hurts practice.
Download the companion →More free practices
If tonight's meditation resonated with you, here are three other guided practices to explore. Visit the Heal What Hurts practice page or find more free meditations in my community library.
Heal What Hurts
A deeper guided practice of listening to the body and meeting painful experiences with loving awareness.
Explore the practice →Heaven and Earth
A grounding meditation that invites a sense of spaciousness, embodiment, and connection.
Find in the free library →Higher Self
An invitation to connect with inner wisdom and an expanded perspective on your experience.
Find in the free library →