Beginning our practice by caring for the body.
So moving and stretching in whatever way is so good for you.
And that might be not moving or stretching,
Listening to the wisdom of your own body.
I think there's some way in our modern society that we think we can just like go do meditation,
Let's go,
Ready,
Set,
Go,
Ready,
Set,
Meditate.
And I don't think that works very well.
So spending a little bit of time to listen into and into this body,
What does it need?
How can I care for myself in this moment?
Maybe a little water,
Maybe one extra layer or one less layer,
Getting comfortable and finding the posture that's most supportive for right now.
Sitting,
Standing,
Walking and lying down are equally supportive postures for cultivating awareness.
One is not better than the other for waking up or becoming attuned to ourselves.
There's a kind of a magic of stillness that we might settle deeply and who we can settle in walking meditation,
Especially when we're particularly activated,
Walking meditation helps us settle so much.
And it's been my experience that insights arise from walking practice in a way that's very different from what might arise in my stillness practice.
So all of the postures are beneficial.
Let us not be deceived,
Fall into the delusion that meditation is to be in full use.
Meditation is to be in full notice in complete serene environments.
So again,
Where are you gonna find that today when there's so many people on the earth?
So being a little lighter about it.
If you do choose a still posture,
You might allow the eyes to close or find a blank wall to let the gaze settle upon.
Or some people like to light a candle,
Not really been my style,
But you do you,
Find what's supportive.
Or as you find a blank wall for the gaze to settle upon,
You might notice a little mark on the wall or some kind of slight abnormality and that can hold your gaze and hold your attention.
And then your eyes might stay open for the whole practice period where they might gently close.
It's all good.
This is a practice of cultivating awareness.
You don't meditate to become good meditators,
But rather to become more aware,
More awake,
More present to ourselves and the world.
I'd like to invite you to support yourself in feeling some sense of allowing,
Some experience of simply being,
Maybe some ease,
Maybe some ease.
What happens in your body?
You simply hear the word ease.
E-A-S-E,
Ease.
My body softens a little bit.
There's a little settling that occurs just with the suggestion,
Just with the naming of ease.
If you're lying down,
You might bring attention to feeling the back body met by the earth.
And we all can experience the hug of gravity,
Whatever posture we might be in.
If you're seated,
You might feel your legs rooting down into the earth being supported.
If your feet are resting on the floor,
Feeling the gentle pressure as the floor and the sole of the feet meet.
If you're walking,
Feeling the feet on the earth can be so supportive.
Whatever posture we might be in,
We can feel the coccyx,
The base of the spine rooting down into the earth.
And we can let go.
We can invite or incline the body toward ease,
Toward relaxation.
And maybe it doesn't go that direction,
That's okay.
But what if we're in a place where we're not in a place where we're not in a place where we're not in a place where we're not in a place where we'm not in the same place that we want to be.
If we let go of that direction,
That's okay.
But what happens if we just give it permission?
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