Body Connection Meditation

This meditation guides you into deep embodied presence, a somatic awareness of your body from the inside out. This practice helps you cultivate the sense of integration, coherence and harmony within your body, and to recognise the non-dual awareness of your being - which is our shared being - that is both the seemingly separate and independent observer or witness of your bodily sensations, thoughts and emotions and is also intimately linked, one with your bodily sensations, thoughts and emotions. Demonstrating that you are not only your thoughts, feelings and sensations, you are the infinite potential, the energy with awareness that knows your thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations.

Transcript

Hello, And welcome to this body connection meditation by Right Brain Liaisons. Take a moment to find a comfortable position, Either seated on a chair or a cushion, On the floor, Or lying down if you prefer. Finding a posture that feels balanced and symmetrical, With a relatively straight yet also relaxed spine. Let your arms and legs rest easy in a relaxed position. Perhaps tuck your chin in a little and just gently stretch through your whole spinal column. And as you're settling in and allowing yourself to make any little adjustments to your posture, You might also like to take a few deep, Relaxing breaths. Feeling your belly inflate like a balloon as you really fill your lungs with fresh air. And as you breathe out, Allowing your body to settle a little more into the surfaces below you. And letting your breathing be natural when you're ready. Allowing your breath to flow in its own rhythm and pace. But you may like to continue breathing nice and deeply, So that you feel your belly inflating and deflating like a balloon as you engage your diaphragm to do the work of breathing. If you haven't already, Perhaps close your eyes if you wish, Or just soften your gaze. Just take a moment to attend to your intention for this practice. Intention to leave all of your to-do lists and responsibilities and roles to the side. Letting go of thoughts about the future or the past as best you can. And intending to be fully present for this time. Reminding yourself that these moments are as precious as any other moments in your day. And really setting the intention to come home to your body and to yourself, Your presence, Your being. Giving your precious attention and energy to your felt experience, Your physical body, Without any agenda. To change anything, Or fix anything, Or improve anything, Or get rid of anything. Simply to be with however your body is feeling right now. Starting by becoming aware of how your body is feeling right now. Physically feeling any obvious sensations, Any sense of heaviness, Or pressure, Or tiredness, Or thirst, Or hunger. Warmth or coolness, Any sense of movement or stillness that might be present. And taking a moment to feel into any emotions or mood that might be here. Any ease or uncertainty, Any sense of urgency or achievement, Any self-judgment or doubt. Or perhaps there is a sense of relaxation, Excitement, Curiosity, Or maybe a numbness, A blankness. And also becoming aware of how your mind is feeling right now. Is it busy, Quiet? Tired? There are many word thoughts or picture thoughts, Clear or cloudy. Again, Any sense of mental busyness or agitation, Or a sense of ease. And then really beginning to notice the weight of your body and how it rests on the surfaces below you. Noticing those points of pressure, Contact. All the way down the back of your body. If you're lying down at the back of your head, Shoulders, Down your back. Noticing the contact at your hips, Your buttocks. Any points of pressure down the back of your legs. All the way down to your feet, Notice where your feet meet the surface below them. And sensing how gravity gently holds your body here. The weight of your body going down into the surfaces below. And just allow your whole body to sink down, To relax into the chair, The cushion, The mat, The floor. Whatever it is your body rests on, The bed. Tune in and gently release, Relax any obvious tension, Tightness or holding. And then when you're ready, Begin to become aware of your natural breath as it flows in and out of your body. Feeling the air flow through your nostrils. Feeling the movement of your belly. The rising and falling of your chest. And just taking a moment to relax into this breath awareness. Remembering there's no particular state or outcome you're trying to achieve with this meditation. No sense of discipline or improvement, Self-development even. Rather an opportunity to practice being curious. To see what's happening. Not to think about what's happening or allow your mind to conceptualize or fill in mental pictures. But to really feel into this direct experience of your breath. Breathing air in and out of your body. Feeling the sensations of breathing in. Perhaps at the tip of your nose, Your nostrils, The back of your throat, Your chest or your belly. The sides of your body, The back of your body. And noticing the sensations of breathing out. And just riding on these sensations of your breath. You observing your breath. You intimately feeling the sensations of your breath. Knowing that this breath awareness can be an anchor back to presence at any stage in your meditation. Or throughout your day. Feeling the flow of your breath and recognizing once again you aware of your breath. Intimately one with it. Dropping your mind down into your body. Taking a nice deep conscious breath. Breathing out and letting your attention flow all the way down into your right big toe. Feeling your right big toe from the inside out. Letting the sensations present begin to fill your attention. Allowing whatever possible sensations are here, The full spectrum of sensation. From the pleasant sensations to the unpleasant. Neutral and numb and everything else in between. And then letting your attention rest in your second toe on the right foot. Third toe. Fourth toe. And the fifth toe. Feeling all five toes and perhaps exploring the technique of breathing in and out of this part of your body. Breathing in and out of your toes. To help you be curious and open. To examine the sensations. To feel the sensations directly. Whatever they are. No need to judge them, To think about them. To allow your mind to comment on the sensations. Or on your body or any meaning. Feeling. Feeling. When you're ready, Into the ball of your right foot. And the arch of your right foot. And the heel. The whole sole of your right foot. Tingling, Vibration, Prickly sensation. Pins and needles feelings. Aliveness. And feeling the top of your right foot. Feel the whole volume of your right foot from the tips of your toes all the way back to your ankle. Feeling the space that your right foot takes up in space. And sensing the play of sensation dancing within. From the inside out, The body is not a solid, Static experience, But an experience of energy, Flow, Dynamic play of sensations. Changing, Rising and falling. And when you're ready, Sensing you could breathe down into your right lower leg. Exploring sensations here. On the surface of the skin, All the way through the interior of your lower leg. The calf, The shin, The bone. Sensations on the skin. And feeling up into your right knee, The back, The sides, The front, The kneecap. Breathing with your right upper leg, The thigh, Hamstring. Feel the whole volume of your right leg, The density, The sense of sensations dancing in space. Breathing in and out of your right leg. Whatever sensations are present are welcome just as they are. Relaxation, Ease, Aliveness, Numbness, Density, Pressure, Tightness. Exploring the micro physical sensations you feel intimately from the inside out. And when you're ready, Letting your attention flow all the way down into your left big toe. Second toe, Third toe, Fourth toe, Fifth toe. Feel where your toes meet your foot. Feel the ball of your left foot, The arch, The heel. The whole sole of your left foot. Full of vibrancy and sensation. Feel the top of your left foot. The whole space of your left foot, The volume and density of your left foot. The sensations playing and dancing within. Vibrating, Tingling, Pulsing. Feel your left ankle and lower leg, Calf and shin. Skin, Bone, Cells within. Breathing with your left leg, Your left knee, Sides, Back and front. Your left upper leg, Top and the back, Thigh and the hamstring. Large muscles here, The bones. Breathing with the whole of your left leg and foot. The whole volume from the tip of your toes all the way back to your left hip. And feeling into your hip and pelvis area. Your heart. Feel your right hip, Right waist, Right side of your ribcage, Upper chest. Feel your right shoulder, Underarm, Upper arm, Bicep and tricep. Your right elbow, Lower arm, Right wrist, Back of your right hand, Palm of your right hand, Thumb, Second finger, Third finger, Fourth finger, Fifth finger. Feel the whole volume of your right arm from the tips of your fingers all the way back to your shoulder. Sensations dancing in the space of your right arm. Feel the right side of your torso, Chest, Belly, Hip. Feel your left hip, Waist, Left side of your belly, Left side of your ribcage and upper chest. Left shoulder, Underarm, Upper arm, Elbow, Lower arm, Left wrist, Back of your left hand, Palm of your left hand, Left thumb, Second finger, Third finger. Third finger, Fourth finger, Fifth finger. Feel the volume of your left arm from the tips of your fingers all the way back to your left shoulder. Alive, Pulsing, Tingling. Feel the left side of your torso, Chest, Belly, Hip. Feel the whole left side of your body. Feel the whole right side of your body. Left side, Right side. Feel both sides together. Feel your heart space, The centre of your chest. Breathing in and out of this part of your body. Breathing as if you could breathe in and out of your heart space. Allowing this breath to help you gently soften and relax throughout your whole chest area. Feel the front of your neck, Your chin, Bottom lip, Top lip, Place where your lips meet. Feel your right nostril and your left nostril. Feel the tip of your nose, The bridge of your nose, Your right eye, Left eye. Feel your right eyebrow, Left eyebrow. Feel your forehead. Feel the crown of your head. Feeling the right side of your head, The temple, Your ear, Right side of your jaw. Feel the left side of your head, Temple, Ear, Left side of your jaw. Feel the back of your head, Back of your neck, Upper back, Middle back. Lower back, All the way down to your coccyx. Feel your whole body, From the top of your head, To the tips of your fingers, To the soles of your feet. Your whole body alive, Breathing, Heart beating. Energy flowing, Surging around your body. Perhaps there are areas of tension or density, Blockage, Numbness. And also areas of ease, Relaxation, Softening. Allowing the stiffness and the softness as both coexist naturally. No use in resisting what is. So allowing everything to be just as it is. Feeling it intimately from the inside out. Allowing your attention to focus and stabilize on this sensory landscape of your body. Sensations on the surface of your skin. Sensations within your body. The feeling of breathing. The sense of energy and life within you. And notice what it is that is aware of however your body is feeling right now. The presence of awareness, The awareness of being. And ask yourself, Is my awareness limited to my body? Is my awareness appearing within my body? Or is my body appearing within awareness? This aware being that you are, This awareness that you are, Allows for all sensations to be equally. It does not resist any sensation. It does not need to judge or change anything or get rid of anything. It is the knowing space in which sensations of the body, Emotional sensations, Also thoughts and images, Appear and into which they disappear. So giving yourself some time now, Time of intimately feeling whatever is here for you. Physical, Emotional, Mental sensations and activity. Feeling however you are feeling. And recognizing your being, That which is aware of whatever you are feeling. Both apparently separate, The observing presence, The witnessing presence. Seemingly independent, Yet simultaneously, Intimately linked, One, Integrated. With whatever you are feeling. No edges can be found, No separation. No need to judge or think about your body, The experience, What you are doing. Allowing yourself to rest in this embodied presence, This somatic awareness. Being and feeling, Seemingly separate yet intimately one. And wherever you are, Becoming aware of your natural breath again, The feeling of breathing. Following your breath as it flows all the way in and all the way out of your body. Perhaps taking a moment to appreciate the simple fact of how good it can feel to simply breathe in and out. And letting your attention open to take in your whole body from the inside, Your inner body awareness. Feeling your whole breath and whatever sensations are present, From the crown of your head to the soles of your feet. Back, Sides and the front of your body. Feeling the touch of your clothing, The weight of your clothing on your skin. Feeling the weight of your body, The contact where it meets the surfaces below. And just checking in finally on how you're feeling now, Physically, Mentally, Emotionally. Notice any subtle changes in how you're feeling now compared to how you felt at the start of your meditation. And very mindfully begin to gently reawaken your body. Really paying attention to how it feels as you move and stretch different parts of your body. Taking your time to gradually return to the space that you're in. Becoming aware of the objects around you, The sounds that you hear. Giving yourself however long you need to gradually reawaken, Take some time to process and then continue on with your day.