Just Being (Live)

This is a live recording, so the audio quality is not perfect. Take time to relax and widen deep, down, away from the waves and currents of your daily life. Discover A quality that is open, that doesn’t have preferences. A quality that doesn’t refer to the past or project forward. That within you which is too absorbed in being for anything other than Just being.

Transcript

Make yourself really comfortable so please do whatever you need to do to prepare yourself for a really deep dive beneath all the stories of our lives and all the stories of the world.

So make any adjustments that you need to now either to your body or to your nest and as always as we start the descent into the space of just being.

If it feels right and comfortable for you let's place one hand over the heart and the other hand over the belly and let's just spend a few moments checking in.

Just taking these moments to notice how you feel without any judgment.

Let there be space for however you feel in this moment remembering that this practice asks only that you show up.

You don't have to show up in any particular way.

So just taking like a weather forecast.

How is the inner weather?

How does your body feel?

What's the condition or state of your mind?

Just noticing what parts of your are calling for your attention.

What parts feel contracted or tight and might you start to let everything soften.

Softening around the tiredness or whatever other feelings are here.

Softening around them,

Not trying to get rid of anything and not trying to manufacture any particular state but beginning to soften around what's here.

I have a really lovely quote to read us this evening and it's by a beautiful lady called Ellen Emmett and it goes like this.

If we relax and widen deep down away from the waves and currents of our daily lives we find another quality always.

A quality that is open that doesn't have preferences.

A quality that doesn't refer to the past or project forward.

It is a quality that is too absorbed in being for anything other than just being.

And so that is the invitation this evening to relax,

To widen deep,

To drop down away from the waves and currents of our daily lives.

And it's my hope that together this evening that we discover that other quality that is always there when we drop in that way that never fails us.

It just gets covered up by the noise,

Internal noise and external noise.

So this quality that is open that doesn't have preferences,

That doesn't refer to the past or project forward.

That quality that is absorbed in being that is you the core of yourself.

Let's be open to that and let's give our systems time to drop down and away from whatever waves or currents of your daily life that may still be playing out in your system.

Just noticing that dance of those energies that are left over from your day,

Just noticing.

And let's just breathe together.

Allowing your breath to go just that little bit deeper down into your body than it usually goes and giving the exhalation away with a really long,

Soft,

Releasing sigh.

Really taking our time,

Really slowing down.

Inhaling low into your belly just that little bit deeper than usual.

Follow your exhalation right to the very end.

We're not breathing anything away but let your breath create space for all that's here.

See if you can stay right here with the natural feeling of your breath.

Noticing the cool,

Refreshing in-breath and the soft,

Soothing out-breath.

And any time you leave,

Whenever your mind wanders,

Let that be okay.

Just keep coming back to now,

To here,

To this moment just as it is.

Let every breath lead you a little deeper and a little wider into the vast space of your being that lies just beneath whatever waves or currents of physical,

Mental or emotional energies that are present.

They don't have to change or go away to keep dropping wider and deeper into the openness just beneath.

Notice the sensation in the inner passageways of your nostrils as that breath comes in and as that breath leaves.

The slightly cooler air entering and the slightly warmer air leaving.

Notice that moment just as the breath turns.

That moment just before inhalation becomes exhalation.

And that moment just before exhalation turns to inhalation.

Just keep noticing and keep coming back.

Breath coming in and breath going out.

Taking as many of those low,

Slow,

Releasing breaths as your mind-body system needs to feel a sense of safety and ease.

Of togetherness.

As we soften just that little bit more away from all those waves and currents on the surface of our experience.

As you start to taste that other quality that is always present let your body sense it.

The relief of not having to be or do anything right now.

Noticing that this other quality is aware and is effortlessly aware.

And that even if there are moments when you succumb to sleep that there will also be moments when you notice that aware,

Open quality of your own being.

And that's the commitment we're making together this evening to keep coming back.

To rest knowingly as that.

Feel where your body meets the surface beneath.

Just feeling that contact.

Pure sensation.

And let the weight of your whole body drop into that support.

Let your body receive that support as it rises up to meet body.

Just one sensation.

As your body melts into that support.

Feel where your head meets the pillow.

And let the weight of your head be held.

Let there be a softening of the whole face.

Cheeks.

Forehead.

Softening.

Releasing.

And letting go.

And we're just noticing those parts that are revealing themselves as feelings and sensations of clenching.

Holding.

Tightness.

Contraction.

And as they rise up in your noticing,

The noticing is the softening.

There is nothing that you need to do.

So let your eyes soften right back.

Allowing all the little muscles around and behind eyes to give up their grip.

And to let your eyes soften right back.

Nestling into the support of each socket.

Space between eyebrows.

Softening open.

The sensation behind eyes has all the space it needs to unwind.

To unravel.

To give up any sense of being located.

And to feel the freedom of this other quality that you are.

Brain giving up its weight.

Nothing needs to make sense in this moment.

Just giving it all up.

All the figuring out.

The projecting forward.

The referring to the past.

Letting all of that fall away.

Tongue resting in the mouth.

Hinges of the jaw loosening.

The upper lip.

The lower lip.

The sensation where the lips meet.

Just noticing.

Root of the tongue softening.

Throat settling down.

All of this happening all by itself.

No doer.

No director.

Just this moment unfolding just like this.

Sounds.

Sensations.

Movements of mind.

And you.

The compassionate,

Witness to it all.

That has no preference for what comes or what goes.

Feel the back of the head.

Base of the skull.

Back of the neck.

Whole spine.

Cradled in this other quality.

That is always present.

Supported.

This other quality that invites the deepest rest.

That is calling the muscles to soften a little more.

The bones to release just a little more of their weight.

The organs and the glands and the systems of the body to relax and widen deep.

Deep.

Down.

Shoulders emptying out.

Arms surrendering to gravity.

This beautiful quality of gravity that is calling you to let go just that little bit more.

That is here to catch you.

To catch this body and offer it a safe space.

To unwind.

Hand.

Upper arms.

Elbows.

Forearms.

Hands.

Right now in this moment be here fully for the mystery of hands.

Just the current sensation.

Palms of hands.

Let that mystery come to you.

As pure sensation.

Unfolding right now.

As an aliveness.

Fingers.

Thumbs.

Second fingers.

Third.

Fourth.

Little fingers.

Tips of fingers.

The direct feeling.

Space between fingers.

Arms.

Giving up a little more of their weight.

The parts of your back that meet the support beneath.

Just noticing.

Back of the heart.

Softening.

The gentle rise and fall of your ribcage as your body breathes.

The heart nestled.

Within.

Protected.

Holding your heart.

Tenderly and with care.

As it dares.

To soften and open.

In its own time.

And in its own way.

Feeling the pulsation as heart beats.

A softening deep down in the belly.

The lower half of your body.

Resting open.

Hips offering up their weight.

Thighs.

Knees.

Calves.

Ankles.

Feet.

Let the mystery feet come to you.

Alive with sensation.

The whole body.

Sinking down.

Widening.

Into that quality.

That is sweet.

Just allowing your body.

To sink into that.

As we rest here together.

As this other quality that unites us.

Our interbeing that is effortless.

Let yourself just be that.

Nothing added.

Wide open.

Aware.

And present.

As mind,

Body and world continue to unfold.

Just being.

Just being.

Soaking up the sweetness.

Of this other quality.

That we find in just that moment.

That we remember.

And how lucky we are.

To have this remembering.

Of this other quality.

That is always here.

Beyond.

And yet.

Intimately.

Entwined.

In our human lives.

Knowing ourselves as that as we invite the body to return in awareness.

The whole body like a cloud of sensation.

Rippling and dancing with life.

Waves of vibration.

The pulse of heart as it beats.

The magnificence of this unfolding.

This mystery.

Feel the sensation in the palms.

Let it come to you.

The dance of aliveness in your palms.

The touch of air on the skin.

The sensation of the clothes or blanket on the skin.

The sound of this voice.

Present.

And aware of this whole moment just like this.

No preference for what arises or what leaves.

Let's be mindful of the breath.

Just noticing that body is and has been breathing all by itself.

And let's invite that breath to go just that little bit deeper down into your belly once again.

As you breathe in and receive that gift.

Generously.

Abundantly.

Like you have all the time in the world.

To savour it.

To drink it in.

And then to give it back with a long,

Soft,

Releasing sigh.

So taking a few of these slow,

Low,

Soothing breaths.

As together we call forward from that other quality.

A prayer for our lives.

What does that quality want to reveal?

And let's just be here wide open and listening.

To what longs to arise from this other quality and be expressed in your human life.

What longs to have expression through you.

Call forward a prayer for your human self.

And what your human heart longs for.

More than anything in this life.

And what help do you need?

Let's call that forward.

Asking for whatever help you may need in your life at this time.

Trusting that this other quality,

The source and substance of all that is,

Has been witness to your prayer.

And your call for help.

Trusting that it will come.

That that prayer has been heard.

Let's spend some moments together in gratitude for all the ways that our lives are so blessed.

Recognizing.

Acknowledging.

And naming.

Silently naming.

All that you're grateful for.

How lucky we are.

Feel and sense that gratitude in every cell of this body.

Not just a nice idea.

But let that gratitude be alive.

In every cell of your body.

Your whole body lit up.

With the recognition of how lucky we are.

I am grateful for your presence in this medicine circle that we co-create.

Thank you for being here.

For this chance to relax together.

To widen deep.

To drop down.

Just for a while.

Away from the waves and currents of our daily lives.

So that we remember this other quality.

Eternally present.

This openness that doesn't have preferences.

Is always now.

That doesn't rerun all the stories of the past or project what might happen in the future.

Remembering our being together.

What a privilege to do that with you this evening.

Thank you.

May we remember this other quality in all the moments of our lives that are challenging.

That are difficult.

That's my prayer for us and all beings.

And I invite you now to check in with your body and to honor,

Listen to its intelligence and to respect what it needs right now.

Whether that is some movement.

In whatever way just feels good.

Just giving your body good energy.

Just giving your body complete freedom to move in any way that feels good.

Or to continue resting.

Whatever it needs now.

If movement wants to come,

Take your time.

Let that happen slowly.

Mind,

Body and world returning gently.

Stay anchored in that other quality that you are.

Thank you so much friends for being here this evening.

I am sending you loads of love from my heart to yours and I hope that you have a really deep and peaceful sleep this evening.

A really deep and peaceful sleep this evening.

Reviews

Dear Amanda,
I needed to thank you for uploading this incredible meditation here. A meditation that united me to that ' other place' . The ' other place ' which I really hope I can bring into this world. That was my prayer for life. I needed to also add that you have helped to profoundly change my life for the better with all your yoga nidra sessions. You are so incredibly gifted and you change people's lives in a way that I believe is deeply healing. Everyone who comes in contact with your work is deeply blessed.
Love Shuman

Amanda, I am so entrained to nodding off when I hear and feel cradled by your beautiful voice that I'm yet to get all the way through this lovely track! 😄😴
However, the parts for which I was conscious were so soothing (as all your meditations are).
Grateful blessings dear 'pen-pal'.
🙏💞😊

Thank you so so much for creating a space to re-connect with source, gratitude, and another world. If the audio isn’t perfect (and it is!) then the meditation certainly is. I’ve done this practice several times and it only gets better and deeper. The body is included and I experienced some wonderful sensations.
Thank you again for an amazing gift
🙏🤩❤️⭐️🦋🥰🌈🙏