The transforming and healing benefits of meditation can be the greatest resource.
As we know,
Everything in life is made up of energy.
All pain,
Feelings and emotions have an energetic component to them and we can learn to directly experience it through meditation.
When we contract around our feelings and emotions,
We make them fixed and solid.
Similarly,
When we tighten around our discomfort and pain,
We turn it into suffering.
Relaxing into the experience of our bodies and allowing space for the energy processes of life's challenges to move through,
Allows them to be freed.
They don't get stuck or pushed down and build up over time,
Leading to stress and anxiety.
This can help us to develop a good relationship with our feelings and emotions or our pain,
Which is more important because these things color our perspective on life and they directly affect our well-being.
This new relationship empowers you to be able to be grounded and at ease,
No matter what is going on in your life.
The newfound space within also allows our natural innate joy and love to want to bubble up and expand into our life,
Giving a really refreshed sense of happiness that doesn't rely on outside sources,
A happiness that truly comes from within.
This embodied style of meditation is subtly different in the way that instead of sitting and doing a meditation,
You're rather sinking into your own experience,
Being and allowing.
So let's start by finding yourself a comfortable place to sit,
A place your body can really relax.
It's good to have your back straight and tall,
With fresh air coming in your lungs,
But don't be too rigid,
Allow a sense of movement in your body.
I like to give you space to be able to meditate,
To be with your own experience.
So if there's any spaces of silence,
I haven't left you,
Just use those spaces of silence to really drop into your own experience.
Once you're comfortable,
Relax your body as much as you can and bring your awareness to the feelings and sensations of the breath within your body.
It could be the sensations of the air coming in and out of your nostrils,
The air in your throat and chest,
But I quite like to put my awareness onto feelings and sensations of the lungs,
Ribs,
And abdomen expanding and contracting.
This really brings my awareness into the quality of the body.
Now put your awareness on the out-breath as a resting and settling breath and follow the out-breath down into your body.
Allowing your body to relax deeper and deeper with each out-breath.
If you feel distracted at any point,
Don't worry,
See if you can let go of the story of it and then gently bring your awareness back to your breath and back into feelings and sensations in your body.
Move your awareness down to the ground of your being,
The sensations of the weight of your legs,
The feeling of the ground or the cushion pushing up from below you,
Supporting you,
And really allow your whole body to deeply relax into that ground.
Breath by breath.
As you allow your whole body to rest and relax into that sense of ground,
Bring your awareness up into the trunk of your body,
To any feelings and sensations in your trunk,
And really allow whatever is there to be there.
And give it space.
As you relax and breathe,
Allow your awareness to expand to the rest of your body,
Out to your arms,
Your neck,
Your head,
And back down into your legs.
And allow your awareness to expand to the rest of your body.
Until you become aware of your whole body.
As you breathe,
Allow your whole body to breathe,
Like your skin is permeable.
And let that breathing process kind of soften your subtle holding to your sense of form.
And allow yourself to gradually become more spacious and open.
This happens naturally by continuously,
Gently,
Letting go,
Relaxing,
And letting your awareness open to a sense of spaciousness.
You may get a sense of the vitality within your body.
And you may get a sense that this vitality has different tones,
Feelings,
And nuances to it.
Like a movement within.
If you notice yourself trying too hard,
You will probably notice some sort of holding or contraction within your body.
Maybe a sort of contracting and lifting up feeling.
As you notice this,
Gently let go.
Feel your body relax.
And as you do that,
Notice any movement and opening within your vitality.
Now,
While you relax in the space of open awareness,
Gently bring up a situation for yourself where you feel a strong emotion.
It could be a situation where another person causes you to feel angry,
Or where you feel outraged at something.
Anything really,
Where you feel a strong upsetting emotion.
And allow yourself to really feel it.
Now,
As you relax,
Gently drop the story of it and feel it into your body.
Notice how it feels within.
For example,
With myself,
If I bring up a situation like that,
I notice there's a lot of tension in my body,
And a very upward moving feeling of energy.
Almost like it's pulling me out of the ground.
Whatever you feel,
It's okay.
Just allow it to be as it is.
The essence is in the noticing and allowing.
Holding it with a sense of love and compassion.
Really allow your whole body to relax.
Let go.
And allow the movement of that energy you feel,
The freedom to just go where it needs to go.
You may feel that somehow,
As you give it space,
It seems to liberate itself,
To move out and dissolve away.
As this happens,
Feel your body really relax back down into the ground.
Free.
Now,
As you relax,
Bring up a different situation for yourself.
Where you feel an emotion like care or compassion.
It could be something like the feeling when you hug your dog or cat.
Maybe the feeling of being out in nature.
Somewhere where you feel really open and peaceful.
And again,
Allow yourself to really feel these feelings.
Really feel like you're there.
Let the feelings and emotions grow.
And now,
Drop the story of it and notice how it feels for you in your body.
With myself,
For example,
If I think of how I feel when I hug my cats,
The energy within my body feels really soft,
Really open and really grounded.
Whatever is there for you,
Hold it with a sense of compassion.
And as you relax deeply into the ground,
Give space to that energy.
Allow space for that energy to move where it needs to move.
There's nothing that needs to happen or should happen.
Just notice whatever is there.
And keep allowing yourself to relax.
And allowing the space of open awareness.
You may feel that somehow,
As you give it space,
It seems to liberate itself,
To move out and dissolve away.
And as this happens,
Feel your body relax back down.
Do you feel more free?
If you feel pain in your body,
It's a really good opportunity to use that pain to practice steadily becoming comfortable with letting things go.
So as you feel pain in your body,
Try not to judge it.
Just feel it for what it is,
Without any stories attached to it.
Hold it with a sense of compassion.
Give it space.
And notice what you feel.
Allow yourself to just feel what is happening for you,
Without creating too many stories around it.
Just allow it to be as it is.
You may have noticed the difference in the tones and nuances within your body,
Connected to those two different emotions.
As you rest in quiet,
Spacious,
Open awareness,
Continuously allowing whatever is there,
Space to be as it needs to be.
You may notice some sort of pleasant feeling,
A subtle sense of joy within.
This is your joy that naturally abides within you,
Always.
Give it space to bubble up and expand into your whole being,
As much as you can.
As we bring this meditation to a close,
And we go out into the world,
I'd like you to use opportunities throughout your days to bring mindfulness to your body,
A sense of space within,
And notice what is happening for you.
Rarely giving it space to be liberated,
Instead of holding on to it.
Hopefully,
This will gradually free you from being entangled with the challenges in your life,
And empower you to deal with any challenge life may throw at you.
This meditation is a condensed snippet taken from my course,
Journey of Self-Discovery and Self-Healing.
So if you enjoy this and you'd like to learn more,
To explore deeper,
You're welcome to have a look at the course.
Thank you.
