Hi,
This is Paige.
One of the clearest and most direct ways to practice gratitude is to pay attention to the sensory experience of your body,
To notice and honor the subtle sensations of simply being alive and in relationship with the world around you.
In today's embodied meditation,
We'll do that by moving very gently and very simply through a pared down seated version of a sun salutation.
This staple of yoga movement practices was designed to bring us into our bodies and into a state of gratitude.
Our version today is one that's accessible anywhere you can find a comfortable seat,
So it's perfect for inserting a dose of gratitude and soothing movement into any part of your day.
Settle into your seat.
You can be sitting on a cushion on the floor,
You can be sitting at a chair at your workspace,
Or anywhere else life finds you right now.
Get comfortable,
Feel steady.
And notice what is supporting you.
It could be the props underneath your body,
The physicality of your chair,
Perhaps even extending your awareness to the floor beneath whatever is supporting you,
And the actual earth beneath that.
Allow that support to invite your body to be both alert and also calm.
And as you take in the physicality of what is supporting you here,
Allow yourself to be grateful for everything that supports you.
The physicality of what is supporting you here simply a symbol for all the ways that you are supported.
Allow yourself another quiet moment or so here,
Taking that in,
Grateful for all that supports you.
Begin to notice your breath.
You don't have to do anything special with your breath,
Simply noticing its rise and fall.
Its back and forth.
Letting your breath be an act of exchange with the world around you.
A representation of your fundamental connection with the world around you.
Allow yourself a few moments to be grateful for all of the ways that you are connected.
This simple act of breathing being a full-bodied representation of your connection with something wider beyond yourself.
Let us move now into some gentle movement,
This form of a seated sun salutation.
I'll talk you through it slowly the first time and then we'll allow ourselves to move through it a few more times a little more rhythmically.
When you find yourself ready to inhale next,
Stretch your arms way out and up almost as if you're tracing the shape of the sun with your arms and your hands all the way up.
And then when you feel ready to exhale,
Let your hands arc through that motion all the way back down and hinge a little bit your hips so you begin to fold.
It doesn't matter how far you fold.
Let your arms float down as you hinge forward.
You could find your hands on your thighs,
On your knees,
On the floor in front of you,
Or on a surface in front of you if you're sitting at a desk or a table.
And as you're ready to inhale again,
Come out of that fold about halfway.
So you're just hinging back up about halfway.
And then as you're ready to exhale,
Fold your way back in,
Hinging forward again.
When you're ready to inhale,
Sitting up tall,
Letting your arms one last time stretch out and stretch up toward the sky,
Tracing that circular shape of the sun.
And then if you'd like,
Draw your palms together.
And as you exhale,
Let your palms come right down through the midline of your body and rest right at your heart,
Right at the center of your body.
Take that in,
And that's the form we'll use to move through that simple sequence a few more times.
I'll talk you through it and you can move at whatever pace works for you.
As you feel ready to inhale,
Stretch your arms out and up.
You might even look up as your arms and hands stretch up toward the sky.
As you're ready to exhale,
Arc your arms back down and hinge your way forward.
So you're hinging into whatever version of a forward fold feels right.
Inhale come up about halfway.
You can press your hands into your thighs or into the surface in front of you.
Exhale fold your way back in almost as if you're bowing.
When you feel ready to inhale,
Stretch your arms out and up,
Lengthen your way all the way back up to a long tall seat.
And as you feel ready to exhale,
Join your palms together,
Bring them right down to the center of your body in a shape of full bodied gratitude.
We'll do that twice more.
When you feel ready to inhale,
Sweeping your arms out and up.
As you feel ready to exhale,
Sweeping your arms back down and hinging forward any amount.
Inhaling up halfway,
Hands can touch your thighs or the surface in front of you.
Exhale fold your way back in bowing inward.
Inhale rising up,
Arms stretching up toward the sky.
You could even look up.
As you exhale,
Joining your hands,
Bringing everything back down to the center of your body.
One more time through if you'd like.
Inhaling stretching your arms out and up.
Exhale hinge at your hips,
Arc your arms through the air.
Fold your way forward.
Inhale halfway up,
Lengthening.
Exhale bowing your way back forward.
Inhale rising up,
Sweeping your arms out and up.
Maybe even look up.
As you exhale,
Join your hands together,
Bring your hands right down to the midline of your body,
Full bodied shape of gratitude.
And as you feel ready,
You can rest your hands back down.
Maybe it would feel nice to rest the backs of your hands on your thighs.
Let your palms face up.
Only notice what you notice.
You may feel some warmth,
Circulation,
A subtle sense of vibrancy,
Or perhaps something else altogether that feels responsive and alive.
Allow yourself to be grateful that you can tap into these qualities in your body and perhaps recognize them in your life.
Another quiet moment or two here.
Simply soaking in those sensations,
An abiding in gratitude for all that supports you,
All the ways you're connected,
And all that feels vibrant and alive in you.
Enjoy.
Thank you so much for creating this time to open to a state of simple gratitude.
I hope you can take it with you into whatever's next and I look forward to being with you again soon.
