Please find a comfortable tall seat for this meditation.
If you're in pain today,
Go ahead and use back support.
But if you're comfortable sitting up without support,
That may help us in our work today.
For today's meditation medication,
We're going to use the element of fire to heat,
Energize,
And wake up the system when we have an imbalance of kaffa,
Too much of the earth element.
This can manifest as sluggishness or lethargy.
Emotionally,
Too much kaffa can be related to feelings of grief or attachment,
The sense that some emotional block is just not moving.
People who have a lot of kaffa in their constitution can sometimes tend toward depression.
Take a couple of deep breaths as you are,
And notice your mood.
Do you feel a heaviness in your body or your spirit?
It's normal and appropriate in some cases to feel tired or sad.
Sometimes,
Though,
We can consider that some of these feelings may be due to an imbalance in energy,
And some of that we can work on with our breath,
Intention,
And imagination.
Take a few moments just to feel what's going on inside and meet yourself as you are.
Now take a moment to notice your solar plexus.
It's that space between your floating ribs around the area of your stomach.
This is the location of Agni in your body,
The digestive fire that can help us process our food and our emotions.
This is also the source of your willpower,
Your ability to stand up for yourself,
Your literal and metaphorical core.
You may like to place your hands here.
Imagine a small flame burning at your solar plexus.
Allow your breath to deepen a little bit,
And imagine the oxygen feeding the flame,
Allowing it to burn a little more brightly.
Let the flame get a little bit bigger as your breath deepens.
Now we'll try a breath practice called Ujjayi.
This breath is called Breath of the Warrior.
It is a slow,
Steady breath,
But it heats the body subtly.
It helps us feel taller,
Stronger,
And more in control.
To do this breath,
Keep the lips closed and breathe through the nose.
This breath begins at the bottom of your deep core line,
Your pelvic floor.
Lift your pelvic floor very gently,
Not 100%,
Maybe 10%,
An almost entirely energetic lift.
Imagine pulling the energy up from the pelvic floor through the core of your body,
Into the solar plexus,
And up through the back of your throat.
Let this lift allow you to become stronger,
Your chest to rise and expand slightly,
The crown of your head extending toward the sky.
As the breath pulls up along the line of the spine,
Let your inhale expand the diaphragm,
Widening the low ribs in all directions.
Feel the lungs receive a little bit more breath,
Feeding the flame at your solar plexus a little bit more.
As the lift comes up into the soft palate,
Listen for a slight whispering sound as you breathe,
Especially on your exhale.
You're engaging your core gently from pelvic floor to throat,
So the breath is drawn along the soft palate,
Expanding the back of the throat and slowing down the breath.
Allow this breath to let you become taller,
Stronger,
More expansive,
With a slow,
Steady,
Deeper breath.
Continue to breathe in this way for a few more breaths.
As you explore the Ujjayi breath,
Feel the flame at your solar plexus becoming stronger.
Notice the heat building in your body as your blood circulation speeds up,
Feeding energy to your limbs,
Organs and brain.
Imagine that whatever emotions are sitting heavy on your heart are warming up as well,
Beginning to shift and flow as the circulation and the heat in your body moves them.
Feel these emotions or that heaviness shifting,
Moving,
Circulating through your body.
Imagine that some of this heaviness can leave your body through your exhale.
Your inhale feeds the fire,
Inviting movement and flow,
And your exhale allows the energy to leave your body.
Inhale deeply,
And the next time you exhale,
Exhale out your mouth,
Letting that heaviness go.
Do that a couple more times.
You might even like to stick your tongue out the next time you exhale,
Allowing for a little roar to arise,
Saying goodbye to that heavy energy that you do not need right now.
Try that a couple more times.
Now allow your breath to come back to neutral.
Keep your spine nice and tall,
But let the breath relax and slow down.
Your mouth can be open or closed as you exhale,
Whatever feels comfortable for you now.
Notice how you feel.
Invite feelings of lightness,
Clarity,
Warmth and ease.
Notice that you're a little bit stronger,
A little bit more expansive in your body.
As you're ready,
Bring your palms together in front of your heart and rub them vigorously,
Building some energy and some heat in your palms.
When they feel nice and warm,
Place your palms over top of your solar plexus,
And imagine recirculating this healthy,
Warm,
Light energy back into your body.
When you're ready,
Gently open your eyes and have a wonderful rest of your day.
