Find a comfortable position. Close your eyes. Breathe.
Let your body settle into this moment.
This meditation is about impermanence. The fact that nothing lasts. And finding peace in that truth.
Begin by noticing your breath. In, and out. Each breath is different. Each breath is new.
This breath you just took, it's gone. It will never come again. The next breath, not here yet.
Only this breath. Only now.
Your thoughts are the same. They arise. They exist for a moment. They fade. New thoughts appear.
You can't hold onto a thought. You can't make it stay. It comes. It goes. Like clouds passing through the sky.
This is the nature of everything. Arising. Existing. Passing away.
Think of your body. Right now, cells are dying. New cells are forming. Your body is not the same as it was a moment ago.
In seven years, almost every cell will be replaced. You'll be entirely new matter. But still you.
Nothing in your body is permanent. Everything is constantly changing. And yet, you remain.
Think of your life. Your childhood is gone. Your youth is gone. Or going. Moments you thought would last forever, they passed.
People you loved, some are gone. Places you lived, you've moved on. Nothing stayed the same.
And yet, you're still here. Still experiencing. Still alive.
This is not sad. This is just how it is. Everything changes. Everything passes. That's the nature of existence.
The seasons change. Spring becomes summer. Summer becomes autumn. Autumn becomes winter. Winter becomes spring again.
Nothing stays. Everything moves. Everything transforms.
Civilizations rise and fall. Mountains erode. Oceans shift. Stars are born and die.
On a cosmic scale, nothing is permanent. Everything is temporary. Everything is in flux.
Your problems, they feel permanent. But they're not. They'll pass. They always do.
Your pain, it feels like it will last forever. But it won't. It will change. It will fade. Something else will take its place.
Your joy, too, is temporary. Enjoy it while it's here. But don't cling to it. It will pass. And that's okay.
Clinging to what's passing, that's suffering. Accepting that things pass, that's peace.
You can't stop change. You can't freeze time. You can't make anything permanent.
But you can be present. You can experience each moment as it is. Without trying to hold onto it. Without trying to push it away.
Just this. Just now. Just as it is.
Think of a river. The water is always moving. Always changing. You can't step in the same river twice.
But the river is still there. Still flowing. Still beautiful.
You are like this. Always changing. Never the same. But still here. Still flowing. Still alive.
Impermanence is not the enemy. Impermanence is what makes life possible.
If nothing changed, there would be no growth. No healing. No new beginnings. No second chances.
Because things pass, there's always room for something new. Because things end, there's always space for something to begin.
Your past mistakes, they're passing. Your current struggles, they're passing. Your future worries, they haven't even arrived yet.
All you have is this moment. And this moment is always changing. Always new. Always now.
Take a few more breaths. Feel the impermanence. The constant flow. The endless change.
You are not separate from this flow. You ARE this flow. Constantly changing. Constantly becoming.
And in this constant change, there is peace. Because nothing is stuck. Nothing is frozen. Everything can transform.
As you prepare to return to your day, remember this.
Whatever you're experiencing right now, it will pass. Good or bad, it will change.
That's not a threat. That's a promise. Nothing lasts forever. And that's what makes each moment precious.
Begin to deepen your breath.
Gently move your fingers and toes.
When you're ready, open your eyes.
Welcome back to this ever-changing, ever-flowing, ever-new moment.
