Sway Away Meditation

This 7-minute meditation is from the Radiance Sutras Salute to the Senses mini-meditations. This meditation explores the sense of motion and balance, grounding you to the center. At the end of this meditation, the music will continue for a minute to allow for a slow transition to the outside world.

Transcript

This is the Sway Away Meditation.

In this meditation,

We explore the sense of motion and balance.

This one is good to do in a chair with feet on the ground so you have a sense of being firmly rooted.

To begin,

You want to sit comfortably and take a few minutes to become aware of your legs.

Appreciate how your upper body flows softly upward from that base.

Begin to sway through your torso,

Gently shifting your weight side to side,

Forward and back.

The movement through your spine may feel like liquid,

A natural wave motion through your whole torso.

Let your ribs,

Shoulders,

And head go with the flow in a way that feels comfortable to you.

You can explore this movement for a few seconds or a couple of minutes.

Then,

If you like,

Close your eyes and continue to feel the sensations.

Get curious about what you are experiencing.

Allow the flow to be as slow or deep as you like.

At some point,

Gradually make the movement smaller and smaller,

Slower and slower.

Continue to let your head just bobble on top as you come closer to center.

What sense lets you know where the center is?

See how subtle the undulation can be,

Almost as delicate as a thought.

As the movement coasts towards a pause,

It may transform into a curiously blended sense of stillness and motion.

You will know it when you discover it,

Because the sensation is liquid and exquisite.

Take some time to savor these sensations.

When you feel like you are ready to transition,

Give yourself plenty of time to reorient to the outside world.

Perhaps take a big breath,

Maybe shift your weight a little.

Feel free to stretch,

Yawn,

Or do anything else to transition to a more ordinary state of awareness.