I spent last weekend on a meditation retreat. It had been too long since I’d sat for an extended period of time, and I was reminded of something simple yet profound: all the healing work we do—yoga, therapy, mindfulness—is ultimately so that we can sit with ourselves. Not to escape, fix, or change, but to be fully present in our experience.

People often ask me, How do I shift out of difficult emotions? What’s the *thing* that will make me feel better? I get it—I’ve asked my own therapists and healers the same thing in moments of desperation, when my tolerance for discomfort was running low. But what I was reminded of this weekend is that the most essential tool of all is awareness.

I know, it sounds too simple. People sometimes feel disillusioned by this. Okay, but then what? they ask. Here’s the thing: the moment you recognize that you’re caught in something—whether it’s anxiety, frustration, or reactivity—you’re already back in the present moment. In the moment of recognition is present moment awareness. And from the present moment, you have access to choice. You get to decide how to respond, internally or externally, in a way that is aligned with your most grounded self.

This week’s “tip” is a gentle reminder of how powerful it is to simply notice what’s going on inside of you. This is the foundation of all transformation where we can create space for and open toward our experience, and it’s exactly why we practice checking in with ourselves here each week.

So, let’s pause together, maybe take a full breath, and notice what you notice. Feel free to share what you notice without judgment in the comments below.