Meditation practice for embodying your resources.
Hello and welcome to Choosing Mindfulness.
My name is Banu Joy Harrison,
And I will be guiding you on a meditation to more deeply embody the resources that can bring you greater balance.
I define a resource as any activity,
Experience,
Memory,
Or practice that helps you feel more calm and settled.
Resources can be experiences like walking,
Swimming,
Petting your dog or cat,
Knitting or creating art,
Savoring your morning tea,
Talking with a friend,
Praying,
Hugging your partner or child,
And so on.
Let's begin.
Many of us know what types of experiences help us settle,
But often we just think about this experience without taking the time to actually embody it.
We know that petting our animal is nice,
But we tend to go on autopilot when we pet them.
Lost in thoughts,
Emotions,
Or whatever task we have to do next,
We lose a depth of embodiment that can really help our nervous system shift.
Pick a simple resourcing experience that you can practice right now,
Such as feeling the sun on your face,
Looking at the sky,
Tasting your morning drink,
Or feeling the softness of your sweater or clothing.
Enhance your sensory experience by really focusing in on the predominant sensations,
Temperature,
Fragrance,
Taste,
Touch,
Sound,
Color,
And become curious about the details.
For example,
Is the blue in the sky,
The same blue high up in the sky as down low by the horizon?
Is the sun's warmth the same on all parts of your face?
Is the sun's warmth the same on all parts of your face?
Then ask yourself this question.
When I look up at the sky and notice all the shades of blue,
What starts to happen in my body?
When I feel the sun's warmth on my face,
What starts to happen in my body?
When I taste the soft sweetness of my morning drink,
What starts to happen in my body?
When I drink my morning drink,
What starts to happen in my body?
Ask yourself this question with your specific resource that you're practicing right now,
What starts to happen in your body?
Watch and be curious for any shifts that you notice.
Watch and be curious for any shifts that you notice.
When I look at the blue sky,
I notice more expansion in my chest.
When I feel the sun on my face,
I notice my breathing slowing down.
What are you noticing in your body as you experience your resource in this moment?
What else do you sense as you embody this resource?
Notice what happens to your thoughts or to your emotions.
If you notice your mind wandering,
Just bring your attention back to the very specific sensations that you're experiencing as you practice your resource.
Keep practicing your resource until you feel at least one body shift.
At first it may be subtle,
But stay curious.
This shift takes time as our bodies come into regulation much more slowly than we go into activation or stress.
Paying attention to our sensations as we practice or experience a resource gives us direct access to our lower brain structures,
The brain stem and the limbic system that can help shift our physiology and emotions to greater balance.
You can also practice embodying your resources with a remembered experience.
Let's try that now.
Recall an experience that you really enjoyed,
Such as taking a bath,
Gazing at a particular photo,
Petting your animal,
Inhaling the fresh earth smell after a rain,
Or a favorite moment from an interaction with a friend or family member.
Take time to get a detailed picture or a felt sense of this remembered experience.
Notice details such as if you were standing or lying down,
If you were indoors or outside,
Or what time of day or night it was.
Were you alone or with another person during this experience?
Now enhance the remembered sensory experience.
The warmth of the water,
The touching moment the photo was taken,
The softness of the fur you stroked,
The smile on the face of your loved one,
And so on.
Then ask yourself the following question.
Can I remember this experience,
What begins to happen in my body right now?
Take time to be curious and notice your body experience,
And watching and noting when you have at least one body change or shift that you experience in the present moment.
See if you can savor and stretch out the goodness of the sensations by lingering with them for a while,
At least 10 to 15 seconds,
Or longer if you can.
As we bring this practice to a close,
Savor your current or remembered experience for just a few moments longer,
Knowing that the more you practice and bring your resources,
The more powerful and established they will become.
Thank you for practicing with me today.
