Music Resting meditation is a practice that can be used when experiencing an emotional reaction,
Ideally either a small or mid-range intensity.
It would not be the best or first line of practice when in a heightened state of emotional distress or strong emotion.
We can also use this practice to look inside and investigate our inner world,
Seeing what arises in the practice without any initial reaction or trigger.
I'm inviting you to sit in a comfortable position.
You may choose to lay down,
Whatever works for you.
Choosing a posture that allows you to feel alert and relaxed.
Taking a few deep breaths into the lungs as you exhale,
Letting go of any tightness or tension,
Settling into the body with a quality of presence as best as you can.
We begin with the R in resting,
Which means just that,
To rest in this moment.
This is a time to pause and go inward in our attention,
Letting go of whatever's happening outside,
What came before this moment.
And we sit still in the now,
Just being.
In the busyness of our day-to-day world,
This can feel difficult and contrary to the momentum and the energy we generally run on.
So making an intentional shift now to practice,
Resting in the moment that is,
Right here,
Right now.
And the next step in resting practice is the E,
Which means to explore,
To examine what is there when we pause.
You may notice right away there's something on the mind,
Particularly if there's a current stress or concern in your life,
Which may not be so noticeable when busy doing.
Just seeing what's there,
Thoughts,
Sensations,
Feelings,
Perhaps something that feels alive and present from today,
Just allowing what wants to arrive to arrive.
If nothing feels present or alive for you to practice with right now,
If there's a sense of neutrality,
That's fine.
You might choose to bring to mind something in your life where you tend to get caught,
Or you feel a bit irritated or troubled by.
Perhaps an issue that keeps coming up for you where you notice tension,
Tightness,
Something you find troubling in some way.
Could be an issue with friends or in relationships,
Family.
Could be something at work or with your career,
Wherever you notice yourself pulled in the mind,
Mulling things over regularly.
Could be some habitual behavior that you want to change for yourself.
Anything that comes,
Not searching,
Hard or straining,
Whatever arises or not is all fine.
You might ask yourself,
Is there something I've been avoiding thinking about because I feel unpleasant feelings around it?
Can I be with it now?
Now inviting you to see if you can be specific with the emotion that is arising around this issue represented in the S in the acronym resting.
Being specific,
Sometimes this can be very clear,
Anger,
Sadness or grief.
And yet other times we are not so sure.
When there is more than one emotion,
It can be difficult to decipher and differentiate.
It may be helpful to try on different feeling words to experiment,
See what fits.
Is this anger?
Is this hurt?
Is this betrayal,
Sadness,
Loneliness?
Not feeling bogged down by a strong need to be specific,
Just a gentle invitation to try on different labels to see if there's a connection to name what is arising in your inner weather system.
If it's numb,
Then it's numb or nothing.
Then that is something.
Emotions can arise as a symphony of sensation,
Thoughts,
Memories,
Even color hues or kinesthetic sense.
There's no right or wrong here.
Just seeing if you can subtly tune in like a microscope coming into focus to whatever extent is possible for you in this moment.
Not judging yourself for what arises,
Just noticing,
Observing,
Feeling firm and rooted in the body,
Witnessing whatever comes into your awareness with curiosity,
Interest,
And kindness.
Like a mountain observing the varying weather that comes around it.
It sits firmly to the ground.
Including the T of resting now,
The T standing for tune into the body,
Investigating where we experience these feelings and emotions that we've identified thus far,
Where they live in the body,
In the world of sensations.
If you notice the mind being pulled away into thoughts,
That's perfectly fine.
When you notice this,
Just gently guiding your attention back to the body,
Back to the sensations alive in the moment.
If you find yourself experiencing emotion in a way that feels too much or becomes overwhelming in any way,
You may wish to use the breath as an anchor to your attention,
Shifting out of the field of focus specifically on the emotion and sensation,
Seeing if you can hold whatever arises in the background while shifting your attention to the breath,
To the chest,
The belly,
The nostrils.
If this feels helpful and allows for more spaciousness to hold what has arisen.
And when you feel more ready and the stormy weather has passed somewhat,
You might move your attention back to the sensations in the body and the emotion that is there.
Stay exploring into any sensations that arise as you sit and notice with a kind attention what arises in the field of awareness.
Breathing with it,
Being with what is.
And in the eye of resting,
We indulge the emotion as valid because it is here.
Without judgment of it in any way,
We observe it,
Hold it in our awareness with curiosity and care,
With compassion.
With deep and radical acceptance,
We give this emotion,
This energy the benefit of the doubt.
We let it move and expand into itself because it's here.
It is reality in this moment,
Relating to it with openness,
Letting it be.
If you notice yourself land on feelings of anger or fear,
Seeing if there's anything underneath,
Is there anything deeper that wants to be felt?
Anger can often serve as an armor,
As a way we defend or protect ourselves,
As can fatigue.
You may ask yourself,
Is there anything I'm not wanting to feel?
Can I open to it now?
Is there a deeper vulnerability that longs for my attention?
You may find yourself touching into a deeper vulnerability,
Longing to be loved,
Tuning into deeper hurt from the past perhaps,
Wishing for connection or closeness.
Notice what arises,
See if you can allow it to be as you breathe with it.
Notice how allowing it to be is for you.
If any judgments or resistance arise,
Letting them go with a gentle and loving bow,
This is here.
Let it be so.
Moving into the end of resting now,
Asking this felt sense,
What do you need?
What do you need?
Asking the feeling that's held in the body,
The sadness or the fear,
Shame,
What does it need?
And listen in.
An answer might come in words,
Thoughts,
Memories,
Song lyrics,
There's no right or wrong.
Noting too it's just as fine if no answer arises.
Just gently with curiosity,
Inquiring into the heart of this emotion,
Beginning to reconnect with this inner world,
This inner energy system that knows you intimately.
If something does come in a whisper,
In a sense or thought or image,
Follow it,
Trust it,
And offer it to yourself now in the G of resting,
The final letter of this acronym,
Which means to give.
Give your heart a gentle touch with your hand if you're so inclined.
Perhaps there are words the vulnerability in you is longing to hear.
It's okay.
It's all right,
Sweetheart.
Experiment with words and phrases to see what best fits.
I'm sorry that you're hurt.
I care about this suffering.
Or perhaps there's no words arising,
Just a felt appreciation of being heard,
Of being accepted.
You might imagine yourself sitting down next to this emotion,
Just being with,
Just holding it in your awareness with compassion and tender care.
Notice what that's like,
Giving yourself permission to be with what is,
Whatever emotion is there.
And now,
Bowing to the weather and its grace and power,
Expanding your awareness to the body as a whole,
As you take a few deep breaths into the lungs,
Into the body as we wind down in our practice.
In this last moment before the sound of the bell,
Just envisioning every ounce of oxygen as you breathe in,
Cleansing in to every cell in the body,
From the head down to the toes.
And as you exhale,
Settling back into your body,
Holy and fully,
Feeling fully awake,
Alive and in the present moment.
Lovely.
Lisa,
Before we go any further,
What if a little Eastern
