Namaste.
Let's take a seated position either sitting on the floor cross-legged or you can be seated on a chair.
You can close your eyes.
Become aware of your sit bones.
Try to come to the middle of the sit bones.
Feel the grounding through the middle of the sit bones.
Then become aware of your spine rising from the sacrum.
Become aware of your collar bones.
Gently broaden them if you feel any dullness there.
Become aware of the back of the skull.
Softly draw the back of the skull a bit backward and upward.
Let the scalp relax on the skull.
Let the forehead,
The skin relax.
Let the skin at the temples relax towards the ears.
Let the upper eyelids relax on the lower eyelids.
Let the jaw relax.
Just become aware of the insides of the mouth and let go any unnecessary tension around the clenching of the teeth or the pressing of the tongue tightly towards the upper palate.
All that release.
Now let's become aware of the breath in the context of the basic movements of karma.
So become aware of the breath,
The natural breath.
Feel it flowing and when it flows out,
Feel it flowing out.
Enjoy the pause when it stays out.
When it comes in,
Enjoy the experience of inhalation.
Now become aware of your abdomen space.
So as the inhalation happens,
Feel this gentle expansion happening at the belly area.
And as the exhalation happens,
Feel that gentle inward movement which we will speak of as a contraction to match the context of the five movements of karma.
So inhalation,
Natural expanse impulse of the abdomen.
Exhalation,
The natural contract or inward impulse.
So you are feeling the breath but more as this movement of the abdomen.
Movement is karma.
So here we are looking at the expand and contract,
The two of the five movements of karma.
So you are basically watching karma.
So even as you are watching these two fundamental movements of karma,
Notice that the expansion karma cannot last forever.
After a while,
It gives into that downward phase or the contract phase or the recede phase.
And that also doesn't continue forever.
After a while,
That gives rise to the expanse phase.
Now let's add a deliberation to this breathing.
Let's do some deep breaths.
So I'll only do five seconds.
So exhale,
Deliberately engage the transverse septuminess,
Draw the navel downward.
Inhale,
Allow the belly to expand up.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
Exhale,
Contract down.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
Inhale,
Expand.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
Exhale,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
Inhale,
Belly area expand.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
Exhale,
Belly area contract.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
And continue by yourself now,
Moving the belly to length of inhalation and exhalation.
That's two movements to whatever is your comfortable length.
So here,
Another term to be introduced is karta,
The one who is the agency of the action of karma.
So karma,
The one who is doing karma is karta.
So here,
You are right now deliberately engaging in the karma,
Deliberately expanding the belly and contracting the belly.
While doing this,
This primary action of the breathing karma,
Also notice that this is your right.
This is your gift.
You can,
You have your sovereignty,
You have your say in creating an action and expanding an action and diffusing an action.
And this applies to all parts of your life.
So wherever,
Whatever part of your life,
You can expand the work in it and you can reduce the work in it.
You can expand your role in any part of your life and you can reduce your engagement or role in any part of your life.
So being skillful here,
Being judicious here as to where and when should I expand my effort,
Expand my presence,
Engage stronger and when should I disengage?
When should I lessen my imposing my influence?
When should I be more of an observer?
This is all part of the wisdom practices which is linked to this karma.
Right now,
Let's do it at the fundamental breathing level.
Now let go of the deliberate breathing.
Simply be.
So how do you feel in terms of the feeling of your inner environment?
Do you feel spacious and light and bright and buoyant?
If not,
That's okay.
But as you disengage from habitual patterns of thought which normally gets hooked around attractions and diversions and anxieties and guilt.
So while focusing on the breath and layering this karma context,
Most likely your attention would have got temporarily freed from its entanglement with all these habitual attraction aversion kind of entanglements.
And so maybe there is a feeling of a lightness,
A freedom and it's important that you notice it and you value,
You cherish these moments of lightness.
Perhaps there is a tangible pleasantness,
A gladness.
So you can stay here for a few moments more and later by yourself,
You can end this deliberate practice.
But even as you end it,
You should acknowledge that you have the choice,
The power of choice to expand and contract,
To give more effort and to hold back effort.
To give up,
To receive,
To talk,
To listen.
So in all these ways you can apply this beautiful teaching of karma.
Shoo namaste,
Have a beautiful day.
