Hi everybody,
Welcome.
So in this video,
We are going to review posture so that you could have the opportunity to explore what is going to work for you.
So when you come to meditation practice,
There are different options.
So there is sitting meditation,
Standing meditation,
And laying down.
I do want to let you know that it's really,
Really important that you find a posture that works for you.
So if you experience pain,
Acute pain or chronic pain,
If there are particular postures or positions that are really uncomfortable for you,
You do not need to let that get in the way of engaging in a mindfulness practice.
So although we would talk about the posture,
It's.
Most important that you find a comfortable position for you.
So I will just say.
If laying down is the most comfortable position for you,
Please do what works for you.
Just know that sometimes when you lay down,
That can invite in some sleepiness.
So as long as you just have that in mind and maybe you want to prop your head up or do something that's going to allow you to stay as alert as possible in that position.
And then for standing,
We actually have.
Walking meditation and standing meditation.
If you need to stand up and that's comfortable for you,
Please do so.
If you do,
You want to keep both your feet on the ground and really use the sense of groundedness between your feet and the floor as part of your practice.
So when we come down to sitting meditation,
Just want to say a few things about that.
So first off,
You can sit in a chair if that's comfortable for you,
Or you can sit on a cushion.
So if you're on a cushion,
You can have your legs crossed.
You can have your hands on your thighs and just rest in a comfortable position.
If you're in a chair,
Then you do want to have your feet on the ground and you can rest your hands on your lap.
And sometimes it can be helpful to roll your shoulders and then just rest your arms down,
Shake them out,
And then bring them onto your lap.
OK,
You want to have your sit bones on the chair or on the cushion.
So you might want to take a few minutes and move yourself around so that you really feel grounded and balanced.
Okay.
And then we want to look at your spine.
So.
You want to have an upright but comfortable and relaxed position.
So you could imagine that your back,
Your spine,
Your spinal cord is like.
Stacked gold coins,
One on top of the other.
So just take a moment.
And.
.
.
Kind of bring that into your visualization.
Getting yourself comfortable.
Again,
If it's helpful,
You can roll your shoulders back.
Okay.
Take some breaths just to make sure you're not too tight.
And then.
.
.
Coming all the way up.
To your Head area.
You want your,
Ultimately,
You're going to either have your eyes closed or if that's not comfortable,
You'll have a downward gaze.
And you can rest Your tongue.
Just on the top of your mouth.
Or again,
Whatever is comfortable for you.
So go ahead and take a moment and just see if you can find.
A position that feels grounded.
And that feels relaxed.
So if you notice that you're holding,
Take a moment.
And release.
One of the reasons that we want our spine upright is so that we can open the chest cavity and really let air.
Come in.
So just go ahead and take a breath or two.
Just notice if air is able to come all the way down through your lungs into your abdomen.
And it's often said that when we take our seat in meditation,
We are taking our seat as the sovereign,
As the king or queen,
As the ruler of your world.
So just bring that in.
Are you feeling like you are?
In rulership,
With yourself right now,
In your posture.
And if not,
Just take a moment to make any adjustments.
Please do what's going to be most comfortable for you so that you can engage in the practice of mindfulness meditation.
