Today we will practice a cultivating positivity exercise.
There is a loneliness pandemic across the world right now that's causing more damage than the virus.
When we face adversity,
Our relationships and community have an important role to play in our resilience.
Positive,
Kind and helpful connection with neighbors is the most underappreciated source of well-being and peace.
A common misconception of urban living is we don't feel authentic connection.
That's because we've forgotten that we are intimately connected with so much around us.
So how do we create a state of mind where we feel more connected?
With your eyes closed,
Feel the sensation in your body.
Feel the core of your body,
That imaginary line that connects the top of the head to the bottom of your feet.
Feel the heart beat,
Feel the heart beat,
Feel the heart beat,
Feel the heart beat,
Feel the heart beat,
Feel the heart beat.
That imaginary line that connects the top of the head to the bottom of your feet.
Now starting at your feet,
Feel the sensation in your toes.
Wiggle them if you need to.
Now feel the bottom of the feet,
The ankle,
The soles of the feet,
The soles of the feet,
The soles of the feet.
Now feel the bottom of the feet,
The ankle.
Coming up through the shins,
Feel your knees.
Feel your thighs.
Feel your back,
The point where it's rested on the seat right now.
Follow your spine upwards,
Feeling the sensation in the abdomen,
The chest,
The shoulders,
Up to the bottom of the neck.
And up the neck to the back of the head,
To the top of the head,
To the front of the head,
And your face.
Now take your attention inside the head.
Notice that space right behind the eyes,
Just below the brain,
Somewhere between the ears.
This is the seat of consciousness.
It is from here that I look through these eyes.
I listen through these ears.
I listen through these ears.
I smell through this nose.
I taste through this tongue.
And experience the sensation of touch through the vast surface of the skin.
Notice the feeling of being.
Notice the connection of being with the body,
This vehicle.
Now with your eyes still closed,
See if you can feel the presence of those around you.
First,
Feel the sense of connection to the person closest to you,
Who may be in the same room,
In the same building,
Or somewhere close by.
Extend that awareness to those in the rest of your building.
Now go beyond the immediate sphere and feel the sense of connection to your parents,
To your siblings.
To close relatives.
To your friends.
Now extend that to people that you work with.
And then include people in your neighborhood.
Expand that further.
Now feel the sense of connection with people in your city,
Many of whom you have never met.
And then extend that to people living in your state or province.
Now feel the sense of connection to your family,
To your friends,
To your family.
And then extend that to all living beings on this planet.
Now feel the sense of connection to your family,
To your friends,
To your family.
With a big heart.
Send a wish to all beings on this planet and to Mother Nature.
May all the suffering be removed.
May all the pain come to an end.
May all the suffering be removed.
Notice if you can feel the separation of what is happening out there and what your mind is trying to make of it.
Remember,
Nothing bad ever happens.
Whatever happens,
Just happens.
And it is our ego that tries to assign the label of good or bad.
There is the actual situation.
And then there is a narrative you are playing inside your head about it.
These are two separate things.
Most people don't know the difference because they never looked at it.
Challenges come to wake us up to this reality.
Most often challenges come to us individually.
But now it has come collectively for all of humanity to wake up.
Suffering is the outcome of the narrative that is played out in the head.
And it is the result of the narrative that is played out in the head.
The ego feels important when you start to complain about the state of things.
The ego feels important when you start to complain about the state of things.
Most people say that they feel purposeless in life.
While the purpose of life is not to make you happy,
It is to wake you up.
You will wake up if you observe.
Pure awareness is being in the moment.
It is a state of is-ness.
Not good or bad,
Just is.
Not good or bad,
Just is.
Notice how you feel right now.
Notice the depth of your breath.
The calmness of the mind.
And the lightness in your entire being.
And if you could summarize the feeling that you are experiencing right now in one word,
What would that be?
What would that be?
What would that be?
Thank you for joining me in this practice today.
I look forward to having you in one of my future sessions.
Until then,
Be well.
