Come to find a comfortable supported seat,
Perhaps with the feet planted on the floor and your sits bones connecting with a chair beneath you,
Or perhaps in a cross-legged seat with the sits bones lifted on a cushion or blanket.
You might take a few neck or shoulder rolls to prepare the body for stillness,
Finding any gentle movement your body calls for in this moment.
In your time,
Begin to find stillness.
Let the spine be tall while retaining enough ease to allow its natural curves.
Gently lift the heart,
Lengthen the back of the neck,
Tuck the chin.
Perhaps allow the gaze to soften and rest downward a few feet in front of you,
Or perhaps allow the eyes to gently close,
Arriving fully in this moment.
Begin to draw your awareness to your natural breath,
Noticing its qualities,
Where you sense it in the body,
Its temperature,
Speed,
Depth,
Texture.
And as you're ready,
Begin to tune into the more subtle sensations of prana.
Subtle energy moving throughout the body.
You might sense areas of tingling,
Warmth,
A pulse,
A vibration,
Or an internal awareness of color or light.
And if you aren't sensing any manifestations of subtle energy,
Simply sending your awareness into the body will direct prana there.
The prana vayu or winds are the five currents of this subtle energy.
These winds,
These currents are the forces that move prana to nourish the physical and subtle bodies.
And you can direct your awareness to these currents of prana to support your mental,
Emotional,
And physical well-being and vitality.
Begin to let your awareness come to rest at the edges of the nostrils.
On each inhale,
Notice the sensation of the breath crossing through this physical gateway of the body into the head,
Ingesting nourishing prana within the air,
And exhaling,
Sending energy and awareness down into the lungs,
The chest,
The heart,
And the upper back.
On each inhale,
Sense into the inward movement of prana in the head,
And on each exhale,
Sensing it nourishing the heart and lungs,
Bringing vitality.
This inward and downward moving current shares its name with the entire system of currents,
Prana vayu,
Inhaling life energy into the body,
Exhaling,
Allowing it to nourish the heart and lungs.
So you releasing your focus on prana vayu,
Allow your awareness to come to the area of your solar plexus on each inhale sense into prana moving upward with udana vayu through the chest,
Neck,
And throat into the head,
And on each exhale sense into that energy nourishing all the tissues of the head and neck,
Nourishing the brain,
The nervous system,
And the senses,
Balancing hormones and offering clarity,
Inhaling prana from the solar plexus upward through the chest and head,
Exhaling,
Allowing it to expand and circulate through the headspace.
So so releasing udana vayu,
Begin to shift your focus to the area of your navel.
On each inhale bring your awareness to prana emanating outward from the center of your body and on each exhale bring awareness to prana drawing inward.
This inward and outward current samana vayu supports churning of the digestive system and the processing of thoughts,
Feelings,
And beliefs,
Inhaling expanding life force energy outward,
Exhaling drawing it back to center.
So so letting go of samana vayu bring your awareness to your heart center.
On each inhale draw attention to the heart as it collects blood and infuses it with new fresh prana.
On each exhale sense the movement of this vyana vayu away from the heart to circulate throughout the entire body nourishing all the tissues,
Inhaling awareness into the heart,
Exhaling sensing the circulatory current of vyana vayu throughout the body.
Um into the pelvis.
On each inhale draw your awareness to the center of physical and subtle elimination.
On each exhale sense the downward current of apana vayu supporting healthy elimination of physical waste,
Emotions,
Thoughts,
And beliefs that no longer serve us.
Inhaling drawing awareness to the pelvis,
Exhaling sensing into the downward movement of what no longer serves you leaving the physical and subtle bodies.
As you're ready letting go of apana vayu and allowing your awareness to expand to encompass the entire physical and subtle body breathing in space,
Expanding and contracting,
Following the rise of the inhale,
The tiny paws at the top,
The fall of the exhale,
And the tiny paws at the bottom.
When you find your mind has wandered into thought,
Emotion,
Or sensation kindly and without judgment leave that thought as it is not trying to expel it and gently guide your awareness back to the expansion and contraction of the breath and body.
And begin to release your focus on the breath drawing awareness back to the physical body,
To the sensations of the body supported by the surface beneath you,
Bringing some gentle movement to the hands and feet,
Maybe taking a gentle stretch,
And if your eyes were closed gently blinking them open to take in the space around you.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be safe.
May you be peaceful.
Thank you for sharing your practice with me.
