Shadowing Practice: How to Stay Present and Mindful in Everyday Moments - Learn English Speaking with Video
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What's going on everybody?
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It's your boy DG from DG Mindset.
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If it's your first time, go ahead and hit like, go ahead and hit subscribe, and let's go ahead and jump into this real quick.
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A lot of people don't realize there's this never fleeting moment.
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There's this thing that never departs.
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There's this thing that's always existed and always will exist.
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Most of us, especially in the Western world, are not aware of what this thing is.
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It is literally the most important thing there is.
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It's called the present moment.
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This is life.
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That's what life is.
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Life is your existence in the present moment.
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In the present moment is all there has ever been.
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A lot of times I'll tell people, there's no such thing as time, and they'll look at me crazy.
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What do you mean there's no such thing as time?
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What are you talking about, DG?
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Think about it.
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Is it past or future right now?
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Neither.
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Which one is it?
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Present.
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Okay.
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Two hours ago, when your feet were there, two hours ago, was it past, present, or future?
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Oh, it was the present moment.
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Okay.
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is always eternally the present moment.
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This was where heaven was.
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This was where nirvana was.
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It was in the sliver that we call the present moment.
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Our job is to live there.
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But we have this thing that we're wrestling with each and every single waking moment and it's called the ego.
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See, the ego doesn't want you to live in the present moment
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because it can only reside in the past and the future.
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Our job was to have the awareness.
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So that way the ego would be combated and then we could live in this place called heaven, aka the present moment.
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Cool story, D.
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But how do I find this thing called the present moment?
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It's really simple.
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Your physical body, wherever it is, it will always be the present moment.
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Your job was to bring your mind to where your body was.
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So we've been gifted with this higher faculty of our mind called the imagination, which was cool because it could go off into the future
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and create and get excited and it could also create fear and anxiety and worry and stress.
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Or we could use this higher faculty of our mind called memory
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and go back in the past and think about how grateful we are, but it could also create regret and shame and guilt.
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But when your mind was here in the present moment, where your feet were, where your body was,
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where your breathing was, you would only feel joy, peace, content.
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This is what everyone talked about when we talked about the fruits of the Spirit.
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This was our job.
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How do we become more present?
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Bring our awareness back to where our feet are.
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So a lot of times, maybe I'll just sit here and take five conscious breaths.
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I will feel the air go in through my nose, the coolness of it.
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And then listen to the sound of when I'm exhaling.
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Just by doing that, your mind can't go off in the future or the past.
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It's only in this present moment.
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It sounds trivial.
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It sounds simple.
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That's because it is simple.
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It's actually so simple we make it complex.
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So taking time to be in the moment by breathing.
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Maybe I'm sitting here rubbing my hands.
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Maybe I'm noticing the wrinkles on each hand.
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I'm doing something of bringing my awareness to my physical body or this moment that we call now
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to eliminate this thing called the future or the past.
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I can guarantee you this, when you stay present, you will find out more about yourself because that's actually where the true self, your higher self, your spirit,
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the pure essence of what you are actually resided.
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When you find it, you will know because you will have a peace beyond understanding.
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Why do you think we love doing things that bring us joy?
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Because you can only feel joy when you're actually present.
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It does not matter if you're sitting on a park bench.
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It doesn't matter if you're playing with your kids.
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When you are in the present moment, you will experience nothing but joy, bliss, just pure happiness.
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Bring yourself here and now.
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Be where your feet are, my friend, and you will find what you've always been looking for.
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See, where all we actually wanted was peace, but peace wasn't up there and it wasn't back there.
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Peace was only found here in the present moment.
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If this helped you, go ahead and hit like, go ahead and subscribe.
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Go ahead and hit in the comments how you find the present moment in your own individual life.
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And until next time, it's your boy DG.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 79 sentences and 812 words to shadow. The speech runs for 4:20. The speaker talks fast, about 187 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 91% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| awareness noun | /əˈwɛɹ.nəs/ | The state or level of consciousness where sense data can be confirmed by an observer. |
| faculty noun | /ˈfæk.əl.ti/ | The academic staff at schools, colleges, universities or not-for-profit research institutes, as opposed to the students or support staff. |
| breathe verb | /bɹiːð/ | To draw air into (inhale), and expel air from (exhale), the lungs in order to extract oxygen and excrete waste gases. |
| subscribe verb | /səbˈskɹaɪb/ | To write (one’s name) at the bottom of a document; to sign (one's name). |
| reside verb | /ɹɪˈzaɪd/ | To dwell permanently or for a considerable time; to have a settled abode for a time; to remain for a long time. |
| anxiety noun | /æŋˈzaɪ.əti/ | An unpleasant state of mental uneasiness, nervousness, apprehension and obsession or concern about some uncertain event. |
| guarantee noun | /ˌɡæɹ.ənˈtiː/ | Anything that assures a certain outcome. |
| happiness noun | /ˈhæpinɪs/ | The emotion of being happy; joy; elation. |
| bench noun | /ˈbɛnt͡ʃ/ | A long seat with or without a back, found for example in parks and schools. |
| regret verb | /ɹɪˈɡɹɛt/ | To feel sorry about (a thing that has or has not happened), afterthink: to wish that a thing had not happened, that something else had happened instead. |
| grateful adjective | /ˈɡɹeɪtf(ə)l/ | Of a person or their actions, feelings, etc.: expressing gratitude or appreciation; appreciative, thankful. |
| fleet noun | /ˈfliːt/ | A group of vessels or vehicles. |
| wherever | /(h)wɛɹˈɛvɚ/ | Regardless of the place in, at or to which. |
| imagination noun | /ɪˌmæd͡ʒəˈneɪʃən/ | The image-making power of the mind; the act of mentally creating or reproducing an object not previously perceived; the ability to create such images. |
| conscious adjective | /ˈkɑn.ʃəs/ | Alert, awake; with one's mental faculties active. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| go ahead verb | /ˌɡoʊ əˈhɛd/ | To proceed with; to begin. |
| find out verb | To discover, as by asking or investigating. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | would be combated · we've been gifted · are actually resided |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has ever been · we've been gifted |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 19 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, you're, doesn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: imagination /ɪˌmæd͡ʒəˈneɪʃən/, conscious /ˈkɑn.ʃəs/
- Long words — get the stress right: anxiety /æŋˈzaɪ.əti/, imagination /ɪˌmæd͡ʒəˈneɪʃən/, eliminate /ɪˈlɪm.ɪ.neɪt/, eternally /ɪˈtɜː.nə.li/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like awareness, faculty, breathe.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.