Good morning,
Welcome everyone.
My name is Chris Carter.
I am a yoga instructor here at the University of Virginia.
I have been practicing yoga for about 30 years now and I became a teacher about eight years ago.
My background is in kinesiology and most of my work involves mindful movement and yoga.
And when I do meditate,
I like the kinds of meditations that connect somatic body-related cues with the breath.
And so with that I am going to present to you a meditation today that's adapted from Joanne Avason's work in her book,
Fascia,
Anatomy,
And Movement.
And she adapted her work from Alexander Filmer's book,
Inside Meditation.
Also,
I forgot to say at the top of this welcome to Monday's Meditation on the Lawn presented by the University of Virginia.
And so with that we'll go ahead and start.
And before we start,
I want to introduce one physical cue that's not always so obvious as the rest.
And that's the cue the crown of the head.
And to find the crown of the head,
I'd like you to try something with me.
I'd like you to take your hand like this.
We're going to use the thumb and the second finger.
You're going to balance the thumb right here,
Not all the way out at the tip of the nose,
But as though you were kind of trying to balance it on the end of the bridge of the nose.
And then take your second finger to wherever it reaches right up here.
And if you kind of gently press right here,
You'll notice a spot where your head wants to rise up.
That's the crown of the head.
So let's begin.
Go ahead and come to a comfortable seat.
This can be on the floor,
In a chair.
It's okay to rest your back against the chair if you like that support.
And you can either rest your hands gently on your thighs,
The backs of the hands on the thighs,
Or if you like,
You can try the yana mudra by connecting the thumb and the index finger and allowing the other three fingers to just float away and then rest the back of the hand on your thighs.
Allow your sit bones to settle into the earth into your support.
And begin to look for a gathering of energy in the low belly,
Halfway between the front of the body and the back.
On an inhale,
Use this energy to extend the spine ever so gently all the way through the crown of the head.
As you exhale,
Allow your spine to settle with gravity.
Keep a light engagement in the low belly.
Throughout the practice,
This is your foundation,
Your strength.
Begin to draw your awareness inward.
If it's comfortable in your body,
Close your eyes.
If not,
Keep your gaze soft and downward.
Find the natural rhythm of your breath.
Just notice.
Nothing to do,
Nothing to change,
Nothing to fix.
Just notice.
Notice the way your spine gently reaches for the crown on each inhale.
Reaches for the crown on each inhale and comes into a supported softness on the exhale.
Place the tongue lightly on the roof of the mouth just behind the front teeth.
Gently as a butterfly landing on a flower.
Let the low jaw be heavy and find a softness at the base of the throat.
Just breathe.
Breathe.
Bring your attention to the end of the nose.
Keep your breath in and out of the nose as much as you can throughout the meditation.
Notice the sensation of the breath drawing into the body a little cool as it flows inward.
Become very aware of the flow of the breath,
The rising and the falling away.
There's nothing to do,
Nothing to fix.
Just notice.
Allow the eyes to soften and settle back.
Take your gaze downward as though you were looking at the insides of your cheekbones.
Draw your awareness into the space behind the eyes,
The center of the head.
Notice your head just floating lightly atop the spine,
Bobbing gently with the rhythm of the breath.
On your next inhale,
Return to the end of the nose and use your attention to follow your breath through the nose.
Up to the crown of the head,
Pause briefly with your attention at the crown of the head just for a moment and then gently allow the exhale to flow all the way down through the body,
Channeled along the front of the spine,
Moving in the way of water.
Pause ever so briefly as you breathe in and out of the nose.
Pause ever so briefly at the tail,
Only for a moment.
And with your next inhalation,
Move the attention and the breath up the back of the inner body to the center of the head and then continuing up and over without pause to the space behind the third eye.
Exhale,
Follow the breath down the front of the spine into the solar plexus,
Completing the loop.
Pause your attention here.
We'll add a mantra with the next breath.
Inhale and mentally say the word I,
Allowing the whole body to expand within the reverberance of the silent sound of I.
Yield into the exhale by mentally saying am.
Feel and merge with the formless state of am in the pause at the bottom of the exhale.
Rest momentarily.
Notice the pause.
Return to the end of the nose for the inhale.
Draw it in to the crown of the head.
Pause.
Follow the exhale down the front of the spine.
Carry the next inhale up the back of the inner body to the center of the head and into the space behind the third eye.
Drop the exhale down the front of the body into the solar plexus and pause.
Inhale I,
Exhale am.
Following the breath again from the end of the nose,
Wait for the breath to be lifted up and down.
Following the breath again from the end of the nose,
Wait for your next inhale and draw the breath into the crown of the head.
Pause here.
Then flow down along the front of the spine all the way into the tail.
Draw the next inhale up the back of the spine,
Up and over the crown of the head into the space behind the third eye.
And then drop the exhale down the front of the spine into the solar plexus.
Inhale I,
Inhale I,
Exhale am.
Continue on your own for a couple more rounds.
Don't worry about getting all the steps right.
Trust your intuition.
Follow your breath.
I am.
Keep returning your attention to the rhythm of the breath.
I am.
I am.
If you have not already,
Release the mantra but maintain your oneness with the breath.
Begin to notice the sounds in the distance,
The air in the room.
Nothing to change,
Nothing to fix.
Just notice.
Allow your energy to rise back up to the surface of the body.
And if your eyes are closed,
On the next inhale,
Blink them open just halfway.
Keep your gaze down.
Exhale,
Close your eyes.
Inhale,
Open your eyes a little more fully.
Take in the world around you.
Smile.
And remember you can return to this feeling anytime you like by just noticing.
Thank you for practicing with me today.
I hope you have a wonderful day and you're able to take this work with you throughout the week.
Bye bye.
