When the circumstances we are sitting in challenge us,
Our bodies respond by seeking safety.
At times,
The body lights up with intensity.
Other times,
It closes down to conserve energy.
Oftentimes,
It reaches to the mind to make sense of things.
The patterning of our automatic body-based responses are often connected to younger parts of us that didn't experience or perceive safety.
There may or may not be a conscious memory connected to this younger part,
But the body holds memory in the tissues as a guard against that which feels unsafe.
A type of armor for what might be waiting around the corner.
When the body and mind take over our lived experience,
We can lose connection to the present moment,
The only place we are open to the experience of being alive.
And as the great poet Rilke expresses so beautifully,
The point is to live everything.
This meditation offers an opportunity to sit with what is and explore the possibility of what it could be like to live in the right now moment versus the expectations our bodies attempt to lead with.
Take a moment to settle into your space,
Choosing a seated or lying posture that allows you to become comfortable.
Feel free to shift this posture.
Allow your body to move freely as needed.
Over time,
Invite the movements to become more gentle and slow,
Naturally guiding the body toward a settled stillness.
If it feels comfortable,
Close the eyes.
Tune your attention inward.
Become aware of what is present in your body now.
Feel the breath moving in and out of the body with ease.
Let each exhale soften you any amount.
Now take a moment to consider your current circumstances,
What it is you've been going through,
As if you were watching a screen of your recent life set out a few feet in front of your face.
As you witness the story you've been living,
Return your attention to your internal state.
It may take some time to feel how the body is responding to this picture show,
Or it may be an immediate flow of sensations.
Either way,
Start to tune in with your body and notice where you feel energy,
Sensation,
Or emotion.
Place your hands over the space that lights up the most,
And feel the gentle weight of your hands resting on your body.
Bring your full awareness and attention away from the story of circumstances to the felt sense of connection and contact your hands are making with your body.
Give yourself a little time and space to explore what happens to the sensations over time that you experience inside.
If any sensations become more than you feel like you would like to sit with right now,
Simply return your attention to the easy rhythm of your breathing.
If it feels accessible,
Stay witness to the sensory experience within.
Track the sensations and follow them as they shapeshift and move.
Without expectation,
See if you can sit with the question,
What happens next,
And wait for your body to respond.
You may notice the mind drawing you toward another thought.
Gently invite it back to your body and the feeling of the gentle weight of your hands right where they are making contact.
For the next two minutes,
Practice staying witness to your body,
Returning as many times as needed to the felt sense of contact of your hands against your body or the flow and rhythm of your breath.
Gently lengthen the inhale and exhale for the next few rounds of breath.
On your next inhale,
Sip in a bit more air and hold at the top.
Slowly exhale through the mouth and feel the body soften into the ground below.
Return to an easy and natural flow of breath before allowing gentle movements and stretching of your limbs.
Feel how the movement offers new sensations to attend to.
When you feel ready,
Float the eyes open,
Maintaining a softness of the gaze as you look around the room.
Welcome yourself back to this now moment.
May you continue to stay curious about your body and the wisdom it contains to hold what is.
