WEEK 18.1 (MAY 3-9) – BALANCE BETWEEN GIVING AND RECEIVING
CLASS THEME
Where Am I Right Now?
MANTRA
I come back / I am here
OPENING (1–2 Minutes)
Welcome everyone.
I want to start with something we’ve all experienced.
Have you ever been talking to someone…
you finish what you’re saying…
and you see that look in their eyes…
and you just know…
they didn’t hear a word you said.
They were somewhere else.
Maybe replaying something…
maybe thinking about what’s next…
maybe just lost in their own world.
And if we’re honest…
we’ve all been that person too.
Physically present…
but mentally somewhere else.
And I’ve noticed in my own life…
I can be in a perfectly good moment…
and completely miss it.
Not because something is wrong…
but because my mind is somewhere else.
And the truth is…
most of our stress doesn’t come from this moment…
it comes from where we’ve placed our attention.
So tonight’s practice isn’t about fixing anything…
it’s about noticing…
Where am I right now?
And gently coming back.
Back to the breath…
back to the body…
back to this moment.
Let’s begin with our mantra:
I come back…
I am here…
TOPIC 1 – Noticing When You Leave
Short Talk
Notice during practice tonight…
how quickly the mind leaves the moment.
It goes to discomfort…
to comparison…
to what’s next…
One pose ahead…
one thought away…
And that’s the practice.
Not stopping the mind…
but noticing when you’ve left…
and choosing to come back.
Again and again.
Call to Action
When you notice your mind wander tonight…
don’t judge it…
just come back.
Metaphor – Missing the Step
Imagine walking down a set of stairs…
but your mind is somewhere else.
All it takes is one missed step…
and you’re thrown off.
Presence keeps you steady.
Not perfection… presence.
Quotes
“Wherever you are, be there totally.” — Eckhart Tolle
“Be where your feet are.”
“Awareness is the beginning of change.”
“Return again and again.”
“Presence is power.”
TOPIC 2 – Let Good Moments Be Good
Short Talk
Even when life is going well…
how often do we catch ourselves thinking…
This won’t last…
or what’s going to go wrong next?
It’s almost like we don’t trust happiness.
We brace for impact…
instead of enjoying the moment.
I’ve done this myself…
Everything is good…
and instead of feeling grateful…
I’m scanning for problems.
Sometimes we ruin a good moment…
by trying to protect ourselves from a bad one that hasn’t happened.
But here’s the truth…
When life is good… let it be good.
And when life is not so good…
be patient.
Because just like the good moments don’t last forever…
neither do the difficult ones.
Call to Action
When things are good… let them be good.
And when they’re not… remind yourself… this will pass.
Metaphor – Ice Melting in Your Hand
Imagine holding a piece of ice in your hand.
If you grip it tightly…
trying to hold onto it…
it melts faster.
But if you simply allow it…
it lasts longer.
The tighter we hold onto moments…
the faster we lose them.
Quotes
“This too shall pass.”
“Enjoy the moment before the mind interrupts it.”
“Impermanence is not a threat, it is a promise.”
“Gratitude turns what we have into enough.”
“Relax into the moment.”
TOPIC 3 – Seeing People Clearly
Short Talk
One of the biggest sources of disappointment…
is expecting people to give us something…
they simply don’t have.
Love…
understanding…
emotional presence…
And sometimes…
it’s not that they don’t want to give it…
they just don’t know how.
Because they haven’t learned how to give it to themselves.
We ask for patience…
from someone who lives in frustration.
We ask for reassurance…
from someone who is full of doubt.
We ask for love…
from someone who doesn’t even love themselves yet.
And it doesn’t make them bad…
it just makes them where they are.
Peace begins when we stop trying to change people…
and start seeing them clearly.
Clarity can feel uncomfortable…
but it is always more peaceful than confusion.
Call to Action
Notice where you may be asking for something…
that someone isn’t able to give…
and begin to meet that need within yourself.
Metaphor – Borrowing from an Empty Cup
Imagine going to someone with an empty cup…
asking them to pour into yours.
You wait…
you hope…
But if their cup is empty too…
there’s nothing to give.
It’s not rejection…
it’s limitation.
Quotes
“You cannot give what you do not have.”
“When someone shows you who they are, believe them.” — Maya Angelou
“Acceptance is the foundation of peace.”
“See clearly, suffer less.”
“Compassion begins with understanding.”
TOPIC 4 – Softening the Grip
Short Talk
A lot of our stress comes from trying to control everything.
Trying to make things go our way…
trying to hold it all together…
trying to force outcomes.
But the tighter we grip…
the more tension we create.
Call to Action
Notice where you may be gripping…
and gently soften.
Metaphor – The Tight Fist
Imagine holding your fist as tight as you can.
Feel the tension…
the effort…
the strain.
Now slowly open your hand.
Nothing outside changes…
but everything inside softens.
That’s what letting go feels like.
Quotes
“What you resist, persists.” — Carl Jung
“Relax your grip.”
“Softness is strength.”
“Let go, or be dragged.”
“Ease is available.”
TOPIC 5 – Choosing to Come Back
Short Talk
Peace isn’t something we find later.
It’s something we practice.
Moment by moment.
Not when everything is perfect…
but right in the middle of life.
The practice is simple…
notice when you’ve left…
and come back.
Again and again.
Call to Action
Right now…
take one breath…
and come back.
Metaphor – Returning Home
No matter how far you wander during the day…
there’s always a place you return to.
A place that feels like home.
Your breath is that place.
Quotes
“Peace begins with a single breath.”
“Come back to yourself.”
“Stillness is strength.”
“You are already here.”
“Return.”
SAVASANA CLOSING (Short and Impactful)
As you rest here…
notice…
you are here.
Not in the past…
not in the future…
just here.
Breathing.
And maybe this is the practice…
not having a perfect life…
but not missing the life you already have.
Because how many moments…
have we been physically present…
but mentally somewhere else?
Tonight…
you came back.
And you can do that again…
and again…
and again.
Let’s return to our mantra:
I come back…
I am here…