Staying Present: A January Invitation
Dear friends,
January so often arrives with pressure to fix, improve, restrict, plan, and push forward.
This year, I’d like to offer something different.
An invitation to stay present, moment to moment because presence is one of the most powerful ways we can ease suffering and cultivate peace.
Staying Awake to Our Lives
(Not at night.. in life! ;-)
One of the most important things I’ve learned through mindfulness is this:
Peace does not live in the future, and it cannot be found by replaying the past.
It lives here in this breath, this moment, this body.
When I feel out of sorts, dissatisfied, or disconnected, it’s almost always because I’m not living in the now. I’m somewhere else worrying about the future, replaying the past, or gripping tightly to a situation that’s asking to be released.
If there are two things I hope you take into this new year, they are these:
Stay awake in your life. Give yourself the gift of presence as often as you can.
Practice accepting what is, exactly as it is.
This doesn’t mean resignation it simply means letting go of the fight. Stepping out of the mind’s looping story. Sitting with what’s here, even when it’s uncomfortable, because resisting it costs the body far more.
A Personal Note
As someone living with autoimmune disease, I know firsthand how frightening the unknowns can feel. Through learning and practicing mindfulness, I’ve discovered something profound: you can create a space within yourself that feels safe; a place you can return to whenever the unknown feels too vast.
Staying in the present moment is also one of the most supportive things we can do for the body. Rather than living under constant external pressure, eat this, don’t eat that, follow this plan presence allows us to tune in. Moment by moment, it becomes easier to hear what the body truly wants and needs, and how much nourishment is actually enough.
As a nutritionist, I deeply believe in the power of food. And just as deeply, I believe that the present moment is the most nourishing place we can live.
Allowing ourselves to be fully engaged in what is, this is a direct path to joy.
A Simple Practice: LovingKindness Meditation
One meditation I return to again and again is Loving-Kindness (Metta).
Jon Kabat-Zinn offers a beautiful guided version here:
LovingKindness Meditation by Jon KabatZinn (YouTube / Insight Timer)
Even reading the words can be deeply soothing:
May I be safe.
May I be healthy.
May I live with ease.
May you be safe.
May you be healthy.
May you live with ease.
May all beings be safe.
May all beings be healthy.
May all beings live with ease.
Mindfulness in the Kitchen
Another gentle way to return to the present moment is through cooking.
Choose a recipe you’ve been wanting to make, and let it become a meditation feeling, smelling, tasting, and moving slowly. Then allow yourself to truly enjoy the meal you’ve created.
Below is one of my favorites.
Miso-Glazed Salmon
(Adapted from Downshifting)
Ingredients
2 salmon fillets
1½ tbsp white miso
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
Instructions
Whisk all ingredients except salmon. Brush generously over salmon.
Bake at 400°F for 10-12 minutes or until just cooked through.
Finish with a broil for 1-2 minutes if desired.
Simple. Nourishing. Grounding.
If you’d like support weaving mindfulness, nourishing food, and compassionate health coaching into your life, I’d be honored to work with you.
I help people build sustainable, peaceful relationships with their bodies and health — especially during times of stress, transition, or chronic illness.
Contact me to schedule your complimentary 20-minute consultation.
Mention this January email to receive 20% off your first session or package of sessions.
Give the Gift of Health — Gift Certificates Available
Gift the gift of wellness to someone you love — or treat yourself. Gift certificates can be applied toward single sessions or packages, making it a thoughtful, health-focused present for any celebration.
January Reading List
If you’re looking to deepen your relationship with presence this month, these are some of my favorite companions:
Take a Pause — Erin Lee
Start Where You Are — Pema Chödrön
No Time Like the Present — Jack Kornfield
Women, Food, and God — Geneen Roth
(especially meaningful for anyone navigating food, body image, or healing)
A New Chapter in My Own Practice
I’m also excited to share that I’ve begun a yearlong, in-depth intensive at UCSF, deepening my mindfulness practice and training in:
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
Mindfulness for healing and trauma
Mindfulness for chronic pain
This work continues to shape how I live, how I nourish myself, and how I support others and I look forward to sharing more as the year unfolds.
May this January be less about striving and more about arriving.
Right here. Right now.
With warmth and presence,
Layla
Nutritionist | Mindfulness Practitioner
415-250-5517
Laylaflowerwellness.com