Meditation: The Center of Now (22:26 min)

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Tara Brach – Meditation: The Center of Now

Date: December 10, 2025
Duration: 22:26 minutes
Host: Tara Brach

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Overview

In this episode, Tara Brach guides listeners through a gentle, embodied meditation designed to anchor awareness in the present moment—“the center of now.” Drawing from both mindfulness and compassion-based practices, Tara leads an exploration of the body, breath, and heart, inviting the listener into deep relaxation and presence. The meditation incorporates techniques such as “smile yoga” and body scanning, and closes with extending heartfelt wishes to oneself and all beings.

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Key Discussion Points & Meditation Steps

Beginning: Grounding in the Body

[01:12] – [02:23]

• Tara emphasizes that “our gateway to presence is through waking up in the body.”
• The meditation begins with softening around the eyes, introducing a “slight smile at the mouth,” and then relaxing the face (“smile yoga” as described by Thich Nhat Hanh).
  • Quote: “It sets a kind of message to the nervous system to relax the fight, flight, freeze response and be more at ease.” (02:06)

Body Scan and Smile Visualization

[02:23] – [09:48]

• Spreading the sensation of a smile through the face, throat, shoulders, heart, belly, and down through the legs and feet.
• Encourages “feeling from the inside out,” using metaphors of “ice to water” and “water to gas” to visualize the melting and relaxation of the shoulders.
  • Quote: “You might imagine the shift from ice to water…that kind of melting sensation inside the shoulders.” (03:30)
• Repeatedly invites awareness back to areas of the body, reinforcing the sense of inner aliveness and openness.
• The heart area is highlighted as a space to both notice sensation and “the space that has room for this life.”
  • Quote: “Smile into the heart area…not to cover over anything, but to sense even more directly the space that has room for this life.” (06:26)

Expanding Attention and Embracing Aliveness

[10:18] – [12:55]

• Guides listeners to perceive the entire body as a “dance of sensation…vibrating, tingling.”
• Expands awareness to include sounds, comparing them to “points of light in the night sky.”
  • Quote: “Let everything happen…Sounds spontaneously are known…appear and disappear in this field of aliveness.” (11:05, 11:23)
• Continuously inviting the listener to “surrender,” rest, and let things be as they are.

Working with Thoughts and Returning to Presence

[13:58] – [15:10]

• Normalizes the mind wandering, encouraging a gentle and compassionate return to present sensations.
  • Quote: “At some point you'll notice quite naturally that the mind's drifted into thoughts…Let the practice be simple, just to relax. Open.” (13:58–14:05)
• Suggests using the breath as an anchor for particularly busy minds and reiterates, “You are here, right here. Right in the center of now.” (15:03–15:10)

Embracing Each Moment and the 'Center of Now'

[17:20] – [18:32]

• Emphasizes the practice of “relaxing back” whenever one notices the mind has wandered.
  • Quote: “No matter how far the mind has traveled, you can relax back in any moment. That's the gift of this intention: to be here.” (17:20–17:29)
• Reflects on presence as continual: “Moment to moment. A relaxed presence. Just noticing what's happening…And in that allowing, there is a realization of the very center of now.” (18:05–18:32)

Closing Practice: The Heart of Presence

[20:35] – [21:51]

• Drawing attention to “the heart of your heart,” inviting reflection on how the heart experiences presence and tenderness.
• Encourages offering a wish or prayer to oneself and then expanding care to include all beings.
  • Quote: “Sensing how this heart space naturally includes those around you. Naturally includes all sentient beings.” (21:32–21:41)
  • “Feeling your care extend to all beings everywhere.” (21:51)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Smile Yoga & Soothing the Nervous System

  • “As Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh describes it, this is smile yoga…a message to the nervous system to relax the fight, flight, freeze response and be more at ease.” – Tara Brach [02:06]

• Metaphor for Relaxation

  • “You might imagine the shift from ice to water, that kind of melting sensation inside the shoulders…then water to gas.” – Tara Brach [03:30–03:52]

• On Presence and Space

  • “Smile into the heart area…not to cover over anything, but to sense even more directly the space that has room for this life.” – Tara Brach [06:26]
  • “Let everything be just as it is.” – Tara Brach [12:55]

• On Returning to the Moment

  • “No matter how far the mind has traveled, you can relax back in any moment. That's the gift of this intention: to be here.” – Tara Brach [17:20–17:29]
  • “Right in the center of now.” – Tara Brach [15:10]

• On Compassion and Connection

  • “Sensing how this heart space naturally includes those around you. Naturally includes all sentient beings.” – Tara Brach [21:32–21:41]

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Key Timestamps

• 01:12: Opening embodied meditation; facial and body relaxation with smile imagery.
• 02:06: Introduction of “smile yoga”; relaxation and soothing the nervous system.
• 03:30: Shoulder relaxation metaphor—ice to water to gas.
• 06:26: Smiling into the heart area, making space for all sensations.
• 10:18: Expanding to whole body presence.
• 11:23: Noticing sound in awareness, field of aliveness.
• 13:58: Addressing mind wandering, gentle return to now.
• 15:10: Affirmation: “Right in the center of now.”
• 17:20: The gift of returning to presence, no matter where the mind wanders.
• 20:35: Closing reflection on the heart, extending care to all beings.

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Conclusion

This episode is a gentle, skillful invitation to anchor in the present by relaxing the body, quieting the mind, and expanding the heart. Tara Brach’s signature blend of mindfulness, self-compassion, and inclusive love encourages listeners to “let everything be just as it is” and “realize the very center of now”—making this meditation both restorative and deeply connecting.

Transcript

[A]

Foreign.

[B]

Welcome friends, to the Tara Brak Podcast. I'm so glad you're here.

Each week I share teachings and guided meditations to help us awaken our hearts and bring healing to our world.

You can learn more or support this offering by visiting tarabrock.com where you can also join our email list.

Now let's explore together the many ways we can live from the love and presence that's our deepest essence.

[A]

Namaste.

Our gateway to presence is through waking up in the body. Many times.

It can be quite simple to begin with the eyes. Often when we are thinking a lot, the muscles around the eyes get tight. So you might intentionally soften around the eyes as if you are smiling into the eyes and letting the outside corners of the eyes gently be drawn upward a bit.

Let the brow be smooth.

Slight smile at the mouth.

The inside of the mouth smiling.

As Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh describes it, this is smile yoga. It sets a kind of message to the nervous system to relax the fight, flight, freeze response and be more at ease.

Just feel that inner and outer smile, very slight but real.

The atmosphere of a smile spreading through the face.

Through the brain.

You might sense the curve of a smile at the throat and sense the space and the ease spreading there.

Letting the throat fill the neck area. Sensing that, visualizing that curve of a smile.

Feeling the sensations that are there.

Allowing the shoulders to relax back and down a bit.

Let the awareness fill the shoulders you are feeling from the inside out.

You might imagine the shift from ice to water, that kind of melting sensation.

Inside the shoulders.

Ice to water.

And then water to gas.

Can you feel sensations moving in the shoulders.

And also the space that they are floating in, untangling in.

Letting the hands rest in an easy and effortless way.

Softening the hands.

Softening and then from the inside out, sensing the aliveness that is there.

See if you can notice the tingling and the vibrating, the movement of sensation.

Letting there be an openness at the chest.

And then feeling the region of the heart from the inside out.

Be aware of whatever sensations are there.

With interest with a gentle attention.

Noticing both the sensations of the heart and also the space that sensations are moving in, unfolding in.

You might smile into the heart area, visualizing and noticing the felt sense of a smile spreading through that region.

Not to cover over anything.

But to sense even more directly the space that has room for this life. Just letting life be.

Continuing to scan down the body, letting the curve of a smile, that image and felt sense spread through the abdominal area.

Below the navel.

Just visualize and feel that and sense the aliveness in that region.

You might let this next breath be received in a softening belly. This breath.

And then another.

Aware of the movement of sensation.

And the space that it's floating in.

Rechecking back to the area of the eyes. Soft smiling into the eyes. The corners uplifted a bit.

Brow smooth.

The mouth. Slight smile there.

The throat.

Sensing the curve of a smile. The aliveness there.

The heart.

Space and aliveness.

The belly. Soft open.

Feeling the energy there.

Continuing to scan down. Feeling the pelvic region again. You might sense the curve of a smile. Just visualize and feel that curve of a smile in the space. The openness. That aliveness happens in.

Just feeling the dance of sensation.

Deep in the torso.

Feeling the length and the volume of the legs.

Filling the feet with awareness.

So you can feel the tingling and vibrating there.

Places of warmth, pressure.

Including the hands. Again, softening the hands.

Then widening the attention to sense this whole body.

As a dance of sensation.

Vibrating, tingling.

Just let everything happen.

Sense that you can surrender over and over into this field of aliveness.

Just letting life lift through you.

Notice how sounds spontaneously are known.

Appear and disappear.

In this field of aliveness.

Aware of sound and sensation.

And the vast openness.

That they appear and disappear in like points of light in the night sky.

Continuing to relax back and just surrender. Rest. Be that awake open space.

That knows this changing play of sound and sensation. Feelings. The dance of life.

Letting everything be just as it is.

It.

At some point you'll notice quite naturally that the mind's drifted into thoughts.

Let the practice be simple, just to relax. Open.

Noticing again the sounds that are actually right here.

Noticing the play of sensations.

Coming back to your senses.

And to the wakeful openness that everything is happening in.

If the mind is particularly busy, it can be helpful to let the breath be in the foreground.

Relaxing with the inflow.

Relaxing with the outflow.

Still aware of the play of sound and sensation.

Knowing that you are here, right here.

Right in the center of now.

No matter how far the mind has traveled, you can relax back in any moment.

That's the gift of this intention. To be here. Just when you notice. Oh, okay. Thinking, thinking.

Gently reopen the attention. Surrendering the storyline.

And reconnecting with the aliveness that's right here.

Moment to moment.

A relaxed presence. Just noticing what's happening.

Allowing this changing flow of life to be as it is.

And in that allowing.

There is a realization of the very center of now.

As a way of closing. Bringing the attention to your heart.

And sensing how the heart of your heart experiences presence.

Sensing the intrinsic tenderness of heart space.

And from that heart space, offering whatever wish or prayer to your own being most resonates in this moment.

Sensing how this heart space naturally includes.

Those around you.

Naturally includes all sentient beings.

Feeling your prayer.

Feeling your care extend to all beings everywhere.