My name is Larissa,
And we're going to practice together for about 15 minutes.
As always,
Just an opportunity to spend a bit of time with yourself,
Just slowing down a little bit,
Taking a bit of time just to observe your inner landscape.
You're welcome,
Of course,
To close your eyes once you get situated into a posture that feels supportive.
Reminder,
There is no quote-unquote right posture,
It's just what feels good for you in the moment.
It's very often we have a familiar,
Chosen posture,
And even when you're there,
Just check in.
Do my feet have the right amount of comfort,
Weight distribution,
Warmth?
Do I have space to take a big,
Deep breath?
Am I supported in a way that my abdomen can expand deeply as I inhale?
And am I sitting in a way that I can soften when I exhale,
Finding that balance of true support instead of any rigidity?
And as you're turning inward to your inner landscape,
I'll invite you to take just a few moments here to check in with three different parts of you.
Sometimes the answer to,
How are you,
Is different.
If you consider it in this way.
Just check in with yourself.
How is my body right now?
You might get a word or a phrase that arises immediately,
Or it might just be sensation.
And noticing if any judgment comes with it,
Just softening any judgment by just thanking your body for the information.
You might even imagine you're having a conversation.
How are you today,
Body?
Or just simply checking in,
How is my body today?
And check in with your mind.
Same idea,
Just curious.
How is my mind today?
Or maybe even directing,
Excuse me,
Maybe even directing a question towards your mind.
How are you today,
Mind?
And just waiting for an answer.
How is my mind today?
And then finally,
This third check in is checking in with your heart,
Perhaps your emotional landscape.
I'm just asking,
How is my heart today?
How am I feeling today?
And perhaps speaking directly to your heart,
Heart,
How are you feeling today?
And it's not uncommon to get very different answers for those three check ins.
And you don't have to figure anything out,
It's just interesting to pause and really check in with yourself.
Sometimes as I'm trying to figure out what is the wise action to take,
How do I feel,
What am I noticing,
It can feel almost overwhelming.
And so pausing,
That took about two minutes just to check in,
How's my body?
Notice that.
How's my mind?
Notice that.
How's my heart?
How's my mind?
Just notice that.
Just witnessing yourself and fully seeing yourself.
It's like being understood by a dear friend or a loved one.
When you feel deeply understood,
You feel connected,
Seen,
Not because they provided some solution for you,
But just they're with you,
Whether it's in a moment of laughter or in a moment of difficulty.
And we can do the same thing for ourselves.
And with that information you received,
Maybe it gives you a better idea of how to tend to yourself.
It's never about pushing away judgment or fixing whatever judgment comes up,
But just checking in.
How can I tend to myself?
How can I care for myself in this moment?
Very often it's as simple as inviting your mind to rest a moment,
So you can just receive all of the sensory information available.
I don't have to think about it or figure it out,
I don't have to think about what my body does with this breath,
It's just happening.
I can just rest for a moment and allow my body to breathe for me.
Any days or moments where there's a bit of intensity in our body,
Our mind,
Or our heart,
Intensity like excitement,
Intensity like challenging sensation,
Like pain,
Or any time we're the opposite,
We're just feeling a little sleepy,
A little dull,
A little disconnected.
Those are the moments where we can come back to our body and find some movement.
The simplest action,
The movement of placing your hand on your heart,
Is a way to check in,
To tend to yourself.
Making a little neck roll,
Not only to soften your shoulders,
But to bring your attention to the movement itself.
And I'll invite you just for a moment,
If it makes sense for you,
Just to lift up your hands,
Spread your fingers wide,
Notice the space between them,
You might make a couple of movements,
Pulling your pinky,
Then ring,
Then middle,
Then point your finger down towards your palm,
Just making a little finger wave,
Just noticing that sensation of stretch.
And then again,
If it makes sense,
Just let your wrists relax,
So that your hands are just kind of falling forward,
And give them a good shake.
Just making this shaking motion,
You might even hear it in my voice as I'm giving a good vigorous shake to my wrists,
And give yourself a big deep breath.
And as you exhale,
Sigh it out,
And then slowly let your hands fall back into your lap.
And just notice all of the sensation you created with that movement,
And that's a tool you can use at any point.
Sometimes the movement is gentle,
Like a hand on your heart,
Sometimes we need a movement like that,
Even if it's just for 20 seconds,
It can be a way to reground,
Give your mind something to focus on,
And quite literally just moving a little energy through your body.
The goal in meditation is never to force your energy to stop or be still.
It's actually almost impossible to do that,
Eventually the energy will move in some other way.
And as we stay,
The goal is also not to distract ourselves with movement when we get uncomfortable.
But to purposefully choose stillness when stillness makes sense.
To give yourself permission to move when movement makes sense.
Just listening to your body,
Listening to your heart,
And listening to your mind,
Not the story of the mind,
But the information it's sharing about the present moment.
And just notice again,
Your feet touching the floor,
The steadiness of your foundation,
And that soft,
Rhythmic movement of your breath,
In and out,
It's a gift that's just happening,
Nothing you even need to try hard for,
Just watch your breath come to you and softly leave.
And then here it comes again.
It's breath by breath,
Moment by moment,
Present awareness.
And in that present awareness is the opportunity to just soften a moment.
I'll invite you to bring your hands into any of your closing habits or practices.
And we'll end in a moment with a few loving kindness phrases.
I'll share,
This is from David Steindl-Rast,
Who dedicated his entire life to gratitude.
And he talked about joy,
And the way he described joy is it's a happiness that doesn't depend on what happens.
True joy is a happiness that doesn't depend on what happens.
It's just right here.
And we can often find that in gratitude.
So I'm going to invite you to take a moment with your hands holding you in some way.
And just name,
Thank you body for,
Can you be specific,
Thanking your body for something?
And then thank your mind.
It might be as simple as thank you mind for processing.
Thank you mind for.
And then finally,
Thank your heart for its openness,
For its willingness to feel,
For whatever makes sense.
Thank you heart for.
And then we'll end again with these loving kindness phrases.
Just repeating them back as they make sense.
May I remember the innate goodness of my breath.
May I appreciate my body exactly as it is.
May I appreciate myself exactly as I am.
And when action is needed,
May I choose to move with ease and peace.
And may the merits of our practice ripple out to benefit all beings.
And go slow if you can.
So whenever you feel complete,
Find a little movement,
Take a moment to thank yourself.
And as always,
Thank you for being here,
For supporting each other and our sangha,
Our community.
