Nate Hagens

Not really.

So when you find yourself gone, the most reliable way home is through the senses.

What do I hear right now?

What do I see?

What is the texture of this coffee cup against my hand?

This is what every contemplative tradition has known for thousands of years and what neuroscience is now confirming.

Somatic attention quiets the default mode network.

The Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh built an entire body of work around this.

Drink the tea.

Wash the dish.

Walk the path.

Each of these is an entire practice, if done with the senses awake and aware.

The second is the pause, a speed bump before the reach.

And there's a moment, almost subliminal, between the impulse to grab the phone.

and the actual grabbing of the phone.

It's the same moment before the news app before the email before the next thing.

And in that moment, if you can find it, and if you're like me at first, you will not find it and that's okay.

There is a small window of choice.

And most of the practice of presence in our

super normal, unbelievable modern era comes down to learning how to recognize that tiny window.