Hi,
This is Becca.
Welcome to a meditation for bliss.
Get comfortable.
Take a deep breath in.
And a big sigh.
In yoga,
We talk about something called the koshas.
And these koshas are sheaths,
They're layers,
Like you can imagine the layers of an onion.
And your outermost layer is your physical body,
The physical sheath.
Then we take a step in and we have our energy or life force that is really shaped by your breath.
One more step in and there's the mental sheath,
Your mind,
Your thoughts.
Another step in and that's your wisdom sheet.
And then you can imagine these layers like matryoshka dolls,
One fitting inside the next,
And your innermost layer is called your bliss body,
The Ananda Mayakosha.
When we look at this image of the koshas,
It's a map that is telling us.
Hey,
Bliss is not something you need to go find outside of you.
It's actually already always inside of you.
So we meditate to rest into what's already here.
So as you allow your body to get really comfortable wherever you are,
And maybe today that means actually allowing your body to rest in some way,
Whether that's sitting in a chair or leaning back.
The idea is to use these layers like a staircase.
One leads us to the next.
They're not blockages.
Exactly what we need to move through to enter the next subtler state.
So we'll start.
By noticing the physical body,
Can you bring your attention to the feeling of the breath on the tip of your nose or through the nostrils?
Or above the upper lip,
Whatever you feel the most,
Start to sense the sensation of the breath moving in and out.
And then can you notice subtle sensation at the top of your head?
Notice your ears,
The space they take up.
Any sounds that you can hear.
Notice the sensation across your right shoulder and your right arm.
And your left shoulder and left arm.
Notice your seat the left side and your left hip Notice the right side of your seat.
Right hip.
Whole right leg,
Maybe even wiggle your toes on the right side and just feel your foot.
And your left leg,
Notice sensation.
Your left foot,
You might wiggle your toes on the left.
Now can you be aware of your physical body,
Where it is in space?
And the different sensations.
That are flowing through your physical body.
Some sensations might feel really slow or even stuck or still,
And some sensations like the breath moving and flowing,
Just being aware of whatever you can be aware of in this moment.
Now come back to the sensation of the breath moving in and out through your nose.
And notice that you can deepen that breath,
You can slow it down.
Let's begin to shape that breath so your inhale is about six counts and the exhale is about the same length all through the nose.
If your attention is pulled out of this pattern of breath,
That's okay.
Just come right back.
Inhaling for six,
Exhaling for six.
The longer we practice breathing in a stable,
Relaxed,
Spacious pattern,
The more our energy will feel spacious and relaxed and stable.
And the more we will feel ourselves as breath,
As energy,
As that prana,
That life force that is flowing through us.
And we notice the longer we do this practice that we can influence our life force by changing our breath.
I'm aware of the fact that you have a mind.
And it might be running right now.
Maybe it's still.
Maybe not,
Maybe you have thoughts coming and going.
Can you become aware of this,
But you're seeing it from the outside?
Just like the breath.
Allows new prana,
New energy to flow in and you release the old stale breath,
Old energy.
There is movement in your mind as thoughts come and go.
In this moment,
You're not controlling those thoughts,
Resisting them,
Fighting them,
Or falling for them and going on a journey with them.
You're just seeing from the outside that they exist.
As we practice being the watcher of our thoughts.
We naturally and effortlessly move into the next layer.
This wisdom body,
The place of your intuition.
Where does your consciousness want to rest here?
Is it in the center of your head?
Just knowing and seeing.
Is it in your heart,
Knowing there?
Allow your attention to rest in this wisdom body,
To rest in this space where you can just be still and know.
Now allow yourself to go even one step deeper.
And step into that Anandamaya Kosha or bliss body.
Forgetting all these layers.
That are encasing this truest you,
This deepest you.
Allow your attention to rest all the way.
Into the center of your innermost being.
Here we find that there's nothing to wait for.
Whatever you're looking for hasn't been lost.
It's right here.
In this present moment.
When you remember you're exactly where you need to be.
To be able.
To know that bliss body as you.
Another way to say it is.
Can you allow yourself to be stupidly happy for no real reason?
And just let yourself be.
This is an advanced practice.
It's simple,
But doesn't mean it's easy.
And yet It's actually,
Ironically,
When we release all the effort.
Striving.
All that programming that tells us you can't be blissed out,
You haven't done xyz yet,
You haven't proven yourself yet,
You haven't meditated for long enough yet,
All of that is just programming.
And not actually true.
What's stopping you from accessing your bliss body is something that is being held by you and can be released by you at any moment.
Meditation is about giving yourself permission,
Not waiting for permission.
Giving yourself permission to feel good now for no valid reason.
Let this be a practice you come back to whenever you need to remember there's nothing else you need to have or do or be to access bliss.
Bliss is your nature.
All that's needed is for you to allow yourself to rest inside of your own being.
Thanks for meditating with me.
I'll see you next time.
