My name is Larissa.
We're going to practice together for about 15 minutes.
Just taking a few moments to settle into your body.
Might take a couple of deep breaths to get started.
You're welcome to close your eyes at any point.
Just softening your external gaze,
Going a bit more internal.
And we choose this focal point of our body because our body is always present.
And that's important because if we don't choose a focal point,
Our mind will just do what it always does.
And such a big part of our meditation is to witness our mind.
To witness it with gentleness,
To the best of our ability,
Not judging.
Just noticing when judgment comes up.
So this gentle and slow beginning,
Just settling into your body,
Really is an important piece.
You might have the most familiar posture,
You know exactly how you sit every single time.
And take a moment to check in.
How am I feeling right now in this moment?
What do I feel in my body?
Where is the chair supporting me?
Where do I have freedom of movement in my body?
Is there any sensation that I need to be aware of?
Any sensation that's asking for tending?
Very often the simplest thing,
Especially if you have pain in your body,
Just placing your hand on that body part and just saying to yourself,
I feel you.
It's very often our mind will judge these things and we run these loops in our minds about feelings,
Sensation,
Emotions.
Just taking a moment,
I feel you.
A body part,
An emotion,
The actual breath moving through you.
Just name for yourself.
These different experiences in your body,
I feel you.
Even that phrase,
I feel you,
Very different than I am you.
And that's just a little thing that our brain does,
Claims things.
So I feel this emotion.
But very often the phrase in English is I am.
I am angry.
I am sad.
I am tired.
So I'm feeling tired.
It brings it into the moment rather than an experience that we think we might have forever.
And it seems like such a small thing,
But this really can change everything.
As our brain thinks things in such concrete form,
Looking for safety,
Wanting things to be black and white.
But so much of life lives in the gray.
The sun on your skin,
Pleasant in one moment,
Might suddenly turn to,
Oh,
It's too hot.
Now my skin is burning in another moment.
Our mind is constantly interpreting things,
But very often our mind is interpreting things through an old lens.
And it doesn't mean we don't want to draw from the wisdom of past experience,
But just what is present.
That's the practice.
What am I feeling right now beyond the constructs of my mind,
Beyond what my mind thinks I'm feeling?
What am I truly feeling?
Just notice again the sensation of the support beneath you,
Gravity holding you.
Maybe just noticing gravity holding you allows you to soften your body just 5% more.
Notice this breath that's coming into your body right now.
Look for the expansive quality of your inhale.
Notice the softening quality of your exhale.
And it's in any moment we can just simply remember this expansiveness and softness.
It's happening every single time we breathe.
Our mind often gets stuck on something and it feels a bit rigid,
A bit sticky.
Sometimes there's a particular thought that almost feels impossible to let go of.
And instead of giving energy to trying to let go of the thought,
Return your attention to your breath.
Your exhale itself is already letting go.
So what do you notice in this breath here?
Expansive and soft.
Spacious and relaxing.
Every inhale and exhale is like that.
And when you look for that quality,
You invite it in.
And this practice of witnessing,
Witnessing your mind move,
Witnessing your breath coming and going.
They're so subtle.
And that subtlety oftentimes makes it difficult to hang on to because our mind is looking for the big things.
So again,
Our mind is vigilant,
Always trying to keep us safe.
We can be so grateful for that.
But our mind can very easily take us out of these subtle present moment experiences.
And it's an opportunity to just notice when that's happening.
There's no good or bad.
If you notice you judge yourself ever because your mind wanders,
Just notice the judgment and then ask yourself,
Where do I feel this in my body?
Our body carries the sensation of our thoughts.
And the perspective we take really truly matters.
So very often we're uncovering what is the perspective through which I see the world.
Sometimes we're aware of it,
But very often it's unconscious.
It's these little things that our mind has claimed,
I am this,
I am not this.
And we've all probably had a morning where we thought to ourselves,
Gosh,
I'm so busy today.
I have so much to do.
I don't have enough time.
And that becomes very,
Very true very quickly.
And it's not about the schedule.
Your schedule might be back to back to back.
It's the perspective that I don't have enough time.
Your body believes you.
And on those busiest days,
Perhaps instead of gosh,
I'm so busy,
I don't have enough time.
That's just a thought loop.
We can witness it.
And when we witness it,
We might pause and take a slight perspective shift.
As I'm thinking this thought,
Can I feel my breath?
Can I let this breath be this moment of spaciousness that I need in this busy day?
Can I invite in a bit of softening as I exhale?
Then again,
These tiny little easy but almost silly tools we can bring with us.
Anytime you go to the bathroom,
Can you just notice your breath,
Even on the busiest of days?
These tiny perspective shifts,
These tiny shifts in language in our mind truly make a difference.
Say to yourself right now,
I'm really busy.
Just notice what that feels like.
And then little shift.
I have time to take this breath right now.
Even though it's just a thought experiment in this moment,
Your body responds to those phrases differently,
However subtle.
Even the tiny shift instead of saying I am really busy,
I'm feeling really busy in this moment.
And then in this moment,
Can I just notice this breath?
We almost always have time to notice one inhale,
The spaciousness of it.
Perhaps you even have time to notice also the exhale,
The softening of it.
Here we've already set aside this low time.
Just notice again,
The spaciousness and softening of your inhale and exhale.
I know I shared this yesterday,
But I'll share this line again from David Suzuki.
He said,
The way we see the world shapes the way we treat it.
And I like to flip that.
The way we see ourselves shapes the way we treat ourselves.
And anytime you can pause and watch your body take a deep breath in and then soften on the exhale,
You're watching your body take care of you.
It's a little flip,
A moment of rest for your mind,
A moment of remembering how much your body cares for you.
So you might place your hands across your chest or palms together,
Any of your closing habits or practices.
Notice this here,
Just your own personal touch.
This is a way of giving back to your body,
This body that cares for you.
Even when you're ill or in pain,
Your body is doing its best to help you feel better.
When it gives you pain signals,
It's just asking for tending.
And this physical touch,
Your own hands on your own body,
Is a way to give back and say,
I see you,
I feel you.
I'll end with a few loving kindness phrases,
Repeating them back as they make sense for you.
May I remember to receive the care my body offers me today.
May I pause in moments today and remember to care for myself.
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.
Go slow if you can.
Whenever you feel complete,
No rush.
Take a moment to thank yourself.
Find movement when you feel ready.
As always,
Thank you for being here,
Supporting each other in our community.
