Hello,
I'm Dr.
Candice Creasman-Mowry and today's practice is all about connecting with the gentle,
Compassionate aspects of awareness.
We are often instructed to sit in awareness of our experience,
But our habits of mind can easily cloud the simplicity and stillness of bare awareness.
We'll be using the first of the four foundations of mindfulness for our basic structure,
Mindfulness of the body.
We will begin and end with a bell.
Start by finding a comfortable position sitting,
Standing,
Or lying down if you can remain wakeful.
Take a few moments to move your body.
Stretching,
Wiggling,
Or engaging in whatever movement might help your body to settle.
Now take a deep breath in through the nose and out through the mouth.
Again,
Deep breath in,
Slow breath out.
Now allow your breath to flow in and out at its own pace.
I am aware I am breathing in.
I am aware I am breathing out.
I am aware of the qualities of my breath in.
Long,
Short,
Soft,
Harsh.
I am aware of the qualities of my breath out.
Now bring your awareness to the top of your head,
Noticing the sensations that you experience there.
See if you can experience each sensation that you notice,
No matter how subtle,
As if you were in slow motion.
Now moving your awareness down your forehead,
Around your eyes and cheeks,
Down to the jaw,
Lips,
Chin.
Chin.
Noticing each sensation there openly and without any effort to change anything that you notice.
You might even try to connect with each sensation as if it is a fleeting piece of art.
While some art is very pleasant,
Other art pieces can bring up unpleasant sensations and emotions.
So we stay open to whatever is there.
Now moving your awareness down the front of your body,
The front of your neck,
Shoulders,
Chest.
Again,
Noticing any sensations there,
Almost as if they don't really belong to you,
Just objects in your environment.
Each one unique,
Open and interested in what you find.
Moving now to the solar plexus and the belly,
Lower abdomen.
Again,
Noticing sensations,
Maybe encountering the sensations here as you imagine a kind grandmotherly figure would look at a dear grandchild.
Each sensation precious in its own way,
Even those that may make us uncomfortable and that we may typically try to avoid.
Moving your awareness now to the front of your legs.
See if you can notice some sensation that is perhaps new to you and holding each sensation gently and with a kind of tenderness.
Moving your awareness now to the top of your body,
The back of your head,
Back of your neck,
Tops of your shoulders and upper back.
It's natural to encounter sensations and have an immediate reaction based on whether what we notice is pleasant or unpleasant or neutral.
See if you can make room for any of those aspects or qualities that show up.
Moving now to the mid back,
Backs of the arms,
Lower back.
If you notice tightness or tension or pain in any of these areas,
Again,
See if you can look even more closely with the eyes of a loving grandmother.
Notice any urges to make particular sensations go away or change or lessen in some way and allow each of those urges to also be a part of your experience right now.
And moving your awareness down the backs of your legs all the way down to your feet,
Taking in whatever subtleties you can notice.
Zooming out if you find that your attention becomes too constricted or contracted.
Now connecting with your breath again,
Maybe slowing the pace of your breath a little.
See if you can notice your whole body breathing in,
Your whole body breathing out.
And as you're noticing,
See if you can connect with any sensations,
Experiences of warmth,
Kindness,
Tenderness.
See if you can notice any of the essential qualities that arise when you encounter awareness.
When you look at yourself,
Experience yourself through the eyes of awareness.
If you find it difficult to connect with a compassionate a compassionate way of being with your body,
Know that you're not alone and set a gentle intention for yourself,
A wish,
A wholesome desire that you might be able to experience the kindness and compassionate nature of awareness whenever your body and heart and mind are open and ready to receive it.
You can open your eyes whenever you're ready.
