You know what I mean?
So let's put all this into practice,
Right?
So and this is actually like a perfect segue When I was driving home today From running errands the following analogy about mindfulness occurred to me I was approaching a red light and it turned yellow Now what did most people do when they see a yellow light?
They haul ass right right they hit the accelerator and fly like I ain't stopping for nothing They blow right through it right I'm not I ain't saying that about nobody here I'm just saying like humanity writ large.
You know what I mean?
I say you I'm just saying it happens in the human condition,
Right?
But how appropriate of an analogy is that for our lives right especially now as we shift from the pandemic?
Everything seems rushed Everything seems rushed as if people are trying to make up for lost time And so perhaps for me perhaps the most powerful lesson of the pandemic is the gift of slowing down Right the gift of resetting and then proceeding from that new perspective That's much of the reason why I'm here before you now,
You know what I mean?
Like the pandemic stopped everything I got quiet My ancestors and my teachers are like you should teach and so like I was like,
I'm not gonna do it Because I'm human and stubborn but then I decided to do it and here we are.
So Think about that in the context of what I said,
So Mindfulness is the yellow light Slow down pause and then after pausing Go Don't just blow through the yellow light You know into a situation without awareness or whatever like use the yellow light as a chance to reflect as a chance to reset Like I had the dopest like two-minute meditation like at the light.
I was just like,
Oh my god I'm really falling for this stuff.
Like I'm coming up with like analogies and a traffic light before I teach like this shit is crazy You know what?
I mean?
So like that is what um That analogy just seems perfect though,
Right mindfulness is the yellow light not for from a cautionary tale,
But pause then stop First review and then proceed right?
So Let's put all of that into practice.
Shall we so let's begin with the body skin.
But before we do any of that Take the next 30 seconds or so To make organic movements to prepare the body for an extended period of stillness,
Right?
So if you want to do side bands you want to like shake off you want to get up?
I mean you can get out of the chair Or settle in whatever works for you here And notice what the body is saying to you Begin to cultivate an intimate awareness of what's going on in the body right now Use this as the pause About another 20 seconds or so of whatever seems natural whatever seems true Now find a posture that allows you to feel relaxed supported spacious and dignified Using the word dignified because it is an act of high dignity to treat yourself to care for yourself Notice what has shifted in the past minute or so with respect to the body and the movements that you organically offered yourself Notice your energy Are you tired?
Do you have extra energy?
These basic questions and these basic awarenesses are keys to the mindfulness practice Just asking yourself how am I doing?
What is my energy?
And as you soften into this place of curiosity Let's start at the feet So if you're seated in a chair feel your feet on the ground If you're in a cross-legged seat feel the feet wherever you find them And feel the feet on the ground that simple Feel the ground as a sense of support Are the feet tight?
Can you wiggle the toes to create space?
Or are you good to go?
But notice what you notice beginning at our grounding and our foundation Then from the feet allow your awareness to rise up the legs.
How are the legs feeling?
I have perpetually tight hips so that's always a question for me that I'm like so how are we doing today?
But how are your legs doing?
Tight?
Loose?
Rather than just seeing them in the collective focus your individual attention on them And in the same way we played with the feet is there a way either through the breath or through relaxing the mind to relieve stress in the legs?
Shifting our awareness from the legs to the belly How is the belly doing?
Is there hunger?
Is there tightness in the musculature?
As you breathe into the belly does that help you find more space,
More grounding,
More awareness?
Are there any adjustments you can make to relieve stress in the abdomen?
Shifting from the abdomen to the heart and shoulders and the arms.
The arms are an extension of the heart.
How are the shoulders and the heart doing?
Can you shift the breath into the chest to allow for an expansion in the back body?
Maybe subtle shoulder shrugs if there's tension that you notice that that movement can alleviate.
But bringing that same capacity of non-judgmental loving awareness to the shoulders.
And then shifting either through breath or movement to give that area more space.
Shifting our awareness from the heart,
Shoulder,
Arms,
Specifically to the hands.
Is there tension in the hands?
Maybe you open and close the hands,
Maybe you give yourself jazz hands or star fingers.
To remind yourself that the hands are meant to be playful and not rigid,
Looking like triceratops.
No shade on triceratops,
But ain't none of y'all dinosaurs from my perspective.
How might you through your awareness and or breath bring relief to the hands?
Two more stops on our awareness train.
How's the jaw?
Notice if there's tension in the jaw,
There likely is.
Maybe you open and close the jaw.
Maybe you exhale with a pfft,
Right?
Is there a way that either through breath,
Awareness,
Or movement that you can relieve tension in the jaw?
Jaw and neck.
And last stop are the eyes,
Forehead,
And crown of the head.
Is there a way for you to soften the eyes?
Is there a way for you to soften the brow?
And noticing what's going on without judgment,
Just,
Oh,
You're tight,
How about I blink my eyes?
How about I touch my forehead?
Is there anything you can do with breath or movement to relieve tension in the eyes?
Now,
In conclusion,
Expand your awareness to the entire body.
So we went from the feet to the crown and either through feeling a sense of weighted connection to the ground or by focusing on the breath.
Notice what you notice.
For those for whom deep breath is inaccessible,
Stay with an awareness of the body and the tension that we've released in our communal practice.
For those focused on the breath,
What's the texture?
Is there a temperature?
Notice what you notice.
And then maybe the breath deepens into the belly,
Maybe it deepens into the chest,
Maybe it stays subtle.
But choosing your anchor,
Whether it be touching your fingers or feeling the feet on the ground or deepening the breath and spending one minute with an awareness of that anchor.
Present,
Refreshed,
Increasingly relaxed.
Building the muscle of spacious,
Loving attention and divorcing ourselves from the various stories we tell ourselves or the habituated patterns that cause undue harm.
God bless you.
You
