“The present moment is the only place where the past has no voice.”
The past is persistent. It echoes through our thoughts, our choices, our bodies.
But it is not happening now.
Now is breath. Now is the sound in the room. The way your chest rises. The light on your hands.
When you fully enter this moment, the past cannot follow. It loses its grip because it has no place here.
Letting go doesn’t require forgetting. It requires *returning* — again and again — to what is true in this breath.
And in this breath, you are not broken. You are not powerless. You are not in danger.
*You are alive. And free to choose what this moment becomes.*
So practice presence like it’s a rebellion against every ghost that wants to keep you frozen.
Because it is. And you are winning.
Find a place where you won’t be disturbed for five minutes. Sit comfortably. Close your eyes. Begin naming aloud (or silently) what you notice: A sound… a sensation… the feeling of your breath… Every time your mind drifts to the past, gently say, 'Not now.' Return to noticing. Return to now.
Set a timer to go off three times today. When it does, pause and ask: 'Where am I right now?' Take one slow, deep breath. Remind yourself: 'This is a new moment. I choose how I meet it.'
Andre M. “I used to live in flashbacks. Triggers would send me spiraling. But this practice — just returning to my breath, to the room — it saved me. It reminded me I’m not trapped there. I’m here. And I’m okay.”
You are not behind. You are right on time — because you are right here.