Thank you for carving out this space today to get quiet and listen to yourself as we really honor this change of season,
Honoring the earth,
Honoring this change of the sunlight that we're given and how the weather interacts with our bodies and our minds.
Kelsey and I are going to tag team this meditation today.
And if you have an opportunity to open a window,
To be somewhere where there's the energy of nature,
We highly encourage that because a lot of the cues that Kelsey and I will be offering will be nature-related,
Connecting us back to listening to the wind and the birds and the air as it rustles through the trees.
Yeah,
If you can be outside even,
Make your way outside.
This is a donation-based offering that we at the Makaranda Method have an opportunity to come together as a sangha.
Sangha means community in the Pali language.
And we're just going to sit and we're going to meditate together.
Kelsey and I will lead lightly,
Guiding us occasionally.
And for Mike in transit,
You know,
Just drive.
Be super present while you're driving.
That's perfect.
We get to practice,
Take the seated postures and bring them into our lives,
Which is the reason that we meditate in the first place.
And we'll start by Kelsey reading a beautiful quote by Robin Wall Kimmerer.
And then we'll dive into a 45-minute meditation with some light guidance.
Let me just speak to posture and positioning.
Ideally,
You're in a seated position.
You're upright,
Alert.
There's almost like,
If you're looking at my head,
If you can see this,
I'm going to tuck my chin in towards my chest just a little bit so I could just hold an apple right here.
And then I'm reaching up towards the sky.
And if your body wants to move a little bit with the breath,
You're welcome to.
And we also invite you to find stillness.
Sometimes we move to adjust and that can be a coping skill.
And sometimes it's really important to learn to sit and hold and feel all that comes up without fidgeting on a regular basis.
So tune into what's compassionate for yourself and for your body today.
So this is a quote from Braiding Sweetgrass,
Which is one of our favorite books.
And it really speaks to our relationship with nature.
And as the seasons change,
We're inviting us to really look to her,
Look to Mother Earth to show us a pace,
To really guide us.
And so here we go.
In the Western tradition,
There is a recognized hierarchy of beings with,
Of course,
The human always being on top,
The pinnacle of evolution,
The darling of creation and the plants at the bottom.
But in native ways of knowing,
Human people are often referred to as the younger brothers of creation.
We say that humans have the least experience with how to live and thus the most to learn.
We must look to our teachers among the other species for guidance.
Their wisdom is apparent in the way that they live.
They teach us by example.
They've been on the earth for far longer than we have and have had time to figure things out.
So as we find our postures and hopefully somewhere where we can notice nature and the earth and really all of the elements.
We're inviting us to think about this transition from summer to autumn,
From fire to wind.
Fire to wind.
I'd like to offer a reminder that the only thing that we get to do in my view today is be kind with ourselves no matter what arises.
No matter how often the mind wanders off,
Kindly bringing ourselves back.
Kelsey and I typically operate from a mindfulness teaching perspective where we bring you back to the senses.
So we'll lead you through bringing you to your senses and know that you get to be the guide of your own free will.
So we are offering suggestions.
Take them or leave them.
Tuning into the way that the air touches your skin.
Allowing your gaze to go towards the earth or to soften completely.
Whatever feels best for yourself and your body today.
If ever something or emotion or sensation feels too overwhelming,
You can always open your eyes and look around to reorient.
You can also rub your fingers together on your thumb and wiggle your toes.
That's a really great grounding tool if ever too much arises in the meditation practice.
Kelsey will mind the time and call us out when it's time.
Noticing how the wind feels on your body.
Or perhaps how the birds call to each other back and forth.
Or the airplane overhead.
Simply making room for life unfolding just as it is.
Simply tuning into your awareness of what's happening.
Awareness of what's happening.
Hearing the leaves and the trees rustle.
Tuning into the sounds of nature around you.
The movement of nature around you.
That nothing is stagnant,
Ever changing,
Evolving.
Taking note of where your attention is,
Where your awareness is in this moment.
Perhaps taking a breath or two,
Consciously,
Mindfully.
Following whatever is arising with an openness and a kindness towards your experience.
What are we practicing over and over?
My invitation is kindness and compassion.
Perhaps you can notice the way that the colors move behind your softened gaze.
Or the way there's taste that lingers in your mouth.
And all the sounds that create a landscape in your internal world and the external world.
And notice how you,
Your body,
This skin suit we've been given,
Perceives sensation.
Just simply allowing the sensation to be there.
Watching as it rises and falls.
As it heightens and dims with each round of breath.
With each round of breath.
The fall equinox is a time of peak harvest.
Where we pick the bounties of the rains of spring and the sunshine and abundance of summer.
Noticing if you feel that in your body.
A ripeness.
And where you might feel it.
Maybe your body is really ready for the letting go,
The shedding,
The darker days that will come in the fall.
Just seeing how the body mirrors the seasons if it does.
And returning to loving kindness wherever it's at.
How much can you notice?
How much can you be aware of?
How much can you listen to nature and your inner wisdom,
Your inner teacher?
Without seeking or trying.
Just opening your awareness.
How much can you notice?
Going back to listening to the plants and the earth as our teachers.
Noticing what they might have to tell us as seasons shift.
And how you are experiencing that.
Right now.
Is it in the body?
Mind?
The heart?
You continue to listen.
You might see if there's a moment or an opportunity for you to say thank you.
Say thank you.
Offer your gratitude back to the earth.
Her magnificence.
Her example.
Wisdom.
And to bring your awareness back to your breath.
Notice the ripening fullness of the body as you breathe in fresh oxygen.
And the release,
The falling.
As you exhale.
You're feeling inclined to stay in meditation,
You're always welcome to do so.
From the breath growing,
Your movements will grow to.
Sweetly awakening.
Massaging the body somewhere that needed your love.
And coming back together.
Beautiful work,
Everybody.
Thank you for listening to yourselves,
Listening to Mother Earth.
Listening to all the movement around you.
We would love to stay in contact with each of you as we continue to share these offerings.
This is a link to what's called the bird song.
This is a link to what's called the bird song.
And the bird song is something that I recently started a couple months ago.
For all of the courses that people do with me,
It's like,
Well,
Then what?
So we've invited you now from sitting with us into the bird song.
And it's simply just a place where we share meditations and it's a pretty light chat.
We don't,
There's not a lot happening in it right now.
I imagine it will keep growing,
But,
You know,
It's such a gift to be able to be quiet and still and to sit with you.
I felt like that 45 minutes flew by today.
And sometimes it feels like a marathon.
So every day is different,
But it does feel different.
And I feel grateful for the accountability to do it in community.
So thank you for being here,
Sharing your energy with us.
Thank you,
Everyone.
Enjoy this equinox season.
Peace and love.
