And good morning.
Welcome to this Wednesday's virtual Meditation on the Lawn here at the University of Virginia.
I understand that many of you are joining us from all over,
Not just in Charlottesville,
But perhaps around the United States and even around the world.
Welcome all.
I'm Lily Powell,
And I'm a faculty member here at the University.
I have a joint appointment with the Darden School as well as the Nursing School.
And in both places,
I teach leadership communication,
Particularly with a mindfulness slant.
You see,
I'm a yoga teacher as well,
And for the last 20 years or so,
My yoga teaching has informed my other teaching.
I now am also the director of the Compassionate Care Initiative at the School of Nursing,
Where we are on a mission to support clinicians' well-being so that they can continue to provide exceptional care for patients as well as lead change in difficult health care organizations.
So this morning,
I want to lead you through an exercise that I think is helpful and appropriate as we kick off a new series for the Contemplative Sciences Center and also as we embark on a new school year.
Whether you are currently a student or you're a faculty or staff member here at the University,
This is a prime time for new beginnings.
If you work in the health system,
It's not as much of a beginning as a continuation,
Though sometimes just the rhythm of fall and back to school will sometimes inform the way we show up in the world.
And if you're returning to the University as an alum,
Maybe it's a nice opportunity for you to reconnect to that sense of being new,
Of being a new student,
Not knowing what to expect,
And also approaching things with a new curiosity.
So this morning,
I'd like to lead this meditation that I call Arrive,
Breathe,
And Connect,
And we'll do it with a spirit of inviting curiosity.
So I see a few people are still arriving,
But for those who already have,
If you just take a moment to fully arrive,
So what does that mean?
It means putting away your phone,
Closing your email,
Maybe closing the door,
Wherever you are,
And just taking a moment to fully arrive,
Meaning that you're making a mental commitment to being right here,
Right now.
And to do that,
You also need to make a commitment to let go of that remembering mind and to also let go of that planning mind so you can be here right now.
It may help you to lower your gaze,
Or some of you may also like to close your eyes,
Either way can work.
As you do that,
The first thing you might notice are sounds in your environment.
A clock ticking,
Some birds or an airplane outside.
But in time,
You can turn your attention more inwardly and just notice that your own body is breathing.
So whether this is the first time you've paid attention to your breath,
Or the millionth time,
Invite a sense of curiosity as you feel into the sensations of breath.
Ticking into wherever the breath feels most noticeable,
Most prominent.
And even if you have a thought in your mind that,
Oh yeah,
Yeah,
The breath,
You can also say,
But you don't know this breath,
Or this next breath,
Or this next one.
Now I'd like to invite you to connect to several things that will help us set some intentions and remember our groundedness and curiosity.
So first connect to physical sensations in the body,
Particularly those places that are in contact with a solid surface.
You may feel your feet on the floor,
Or maybe you just feel them inside your shoes or your socks.
And feel your backside in your chair,
Your hands resting on your lap or on your thighs.
And now see if you can sink just a quarter inch more deeply into your chair,
Really accepting the support.
And more subtly,
You might notice things like the temperature on your skin.
So let this contact with physical sensations give you a sense of grounding in this moment.
Now bring your mind's eye to the base of your tailbone.
And with your mind's eye,
Trace from the tailbone up through the spine,
The lower back,
Upper back,
Back of the neck,
Up to the crown of the head.
And as you do that,
You may even feel the spine lengthening as if the torso is rising up.
And with this lengthening of the spine,
Feel into your innate sense of dignity.
And now shift your attention to the breath of your back,
Feeling the distance from the tip of one shoulder to the other,
The distance from one armpit to the other,
And perhaps just giving a very small squeeze between the shoulder blades.
So let's call this breath your strength,
Feeling into your strength at this moment.
And if again,
If you find yourself judging the exercise or getting distracted in thought,
Just bring your attention back to a sense of curiosity,
Staying open to whatever's next.
And now bring your attention to the front of your chest.
May feel into the expanse of the collarbones,
Sense of openness at the sternum.
You may sense your heart just underneath your skin.
And let's call this your warmth.
So just to review,
You're feeling grounded,
Physically in contact with solid surfaces,
Feeling upright and dignified with the length of your spine,
Feeling the breath and strength of your back,
And feeling the openness and warmth at your heart.
As we start to bring this exercise to a close,
You may want to set an intention for how you want to bring the sense of being into your doing throughout the day.
How may you show up differently with this sense of grounding and dignity,
Strength and warmth?
How might you choose wisely among many different paths?
How will you act skillfully and compassionately to reach out to other people and offer them your many gifts?
With that,
You may take a few deeper breaths.
A few small movements,
The fingers and toes.
Your eyes have been closed,
Just part them slightly and allow some light to come back into your awareness.
And as you allow light to come back into your awareness,
You can see color and shape and form.
And lastly,
Let's just feel connected to the community that's gathered here today,
Coming together,
Remembering our connection to one another,
To the university,
To our purpose.
With that,
I wish you a really wonderful day.
Thank you and be well.
Equipped with.
.
.
