Hello everyone,
Welcome to this third practice in this series I'm putting together for helping people cope with the current coronavirus,
COVID-19 crisis we're all dealing with.
My initial intention for today's practice was to have us explore quite deeply what we're feeling about the current situation,
But what I've found over the course of the week in my own practice is I've been really needing and feeling for some rejuvenation,
Really just to try and kind of rest my body and relax and slow down when I'm doing my practice.
And so I'm going to offer this sentiment on as a practice today.
You can just start listening to the gong sound.
So we'll start by observing our minute silence.
I'm offering this as an opportunity to take some time to really connect with what we are feeling within ourselves in this current situation,
But also maybe to connect with what's going on for the world and the people around us.
So we're doing this inner and outer connection with feelings,
What we're feeling and what the people in the world around us is feeling during this time or right now.
Thank you.
Now,
However you've started today's practice,
I'm going to ask you to move yourself into a lying down position.
So today we are really giving at least our body some time to rest.
For many of us,
It has been quite a frenetic period of life with lots of change,
Maybe sadness.
And I really have felt this week what I needed when I've sat down to practice is just that extra rest of lying down.
So lie the body down,
Take some time to get into a comfortable position.
You have found a comfortable position,
See if you can get another 10 or 20 percent more comfortable,
Just very subtle movements of maybe the head,
The legs,
The arms,
Really soften and settle into the position you found.
And what we're going to do is we're going to focus on the breathing,
But we're going to also use our hands to help to restore us a little bit.
And maybe there is a bit of,
You know,
Allowing or processing of some of the emotions that we're feeling as we do this practice that goes on too.
And that's fine.
Maybe also it's really hard to relax and that is okay too.
It's enough to just lie here and do the practice,
Whatever your state of mind.
I'd like you to start by bringing one hand to your forehead and one hand down on your tummy or your belly.
If you find any of the positions of the hand uncomfortable,
You can just leave that hand off the body.
That is fine.
Just bring your breathing to those two spots where your hand are and allow that part of the body,
The forehead and the tummy to just soften and relax under your hand.
So you're offering yourself a bit of healing and restoration.
Let your forehead smooth under your hand and let your whole head and mind just soften and smooth and relax.
Now bring your top hand to sit over your sort of collarbone,
Just at the base of your neck.
And just breathing into that hand and again feeling your body relax underneath.
So feeling your neck and your shoulders just soften.
If you need to shuffle ever so slightly to increase the comfort in that area,
Do that.
Relax and soften,
Maybe restore that part of you.
Then bring your top hand down to your chest.
Allow your breathing to continue to flow.
Just kind of using the presence of your hand to allow your chest and your upper back on the other side to just soften down.
And if you can do so comfortably now,
Bring both hands to your kind of thumbs are somewhere under your arm at the side ribs.
And just take some nice deep breaths into your side ribs.
So breathing in,
Feeling the breath fill out sideways.
Breathing out,
Just feeling everything soften down.
Rejuvenating,
Restoring with some deep breaths.
Now moving your hands down to your tummy,
One over your belly button,
And just just on top of that hand,
Sort of over the diaphragm,
Taking some nice deep breaths into your hands.
Feel not only the front of the body fill up and then relax,
But also the back body fill up with air and then soften down into whatever you're sitting on.
And then finally bring your top hand on top of or over your bottom hand and breathing into your hands some belly breaths.
Again,
Feeling the front belly but also the lower backs and the hips.
Feel with air and then soften down on an exhale for a few breaths.
A couple more breaths.
Now,
If you're loving that position with your hands you can leave them there.
Alternatively,
Bring your hands down by your sides,
Palms facing up towards the ceiling.
So either leave your hands on your belly or bring them down by your sides.
It's going to take some time to continue to breathe,
Allowing the whole body to soften.
Just integrating.
Here's a time where if you do find any thoughts or feelings coming just really allow them to be there freely.
If you get overwhelmed by any particular feelings that's totally fine.
It's just enough to just be lying here.
Allow the body to be still for these couple of minutes.
Allow the body to be still and whatever else happens with the mind or the emotions just allow it to happen.
Okay.
We'll finish with our gong sound.
Just softly and gently bringing yourself back as you listen to the sound.
Ready to go on into your day or evening or whatever happens next for you.
Thank you.
If you can do a few minutes lying down like this each day with or without the instruction,
I think this would be really helpful at the moment.
Thank you for joining.
