And we are going to begin this practice with some lead breathing.
But before we get into that,
I'd like you to take a few inhales in through your nose and allow your exhales to fall out the lips.
With those exhales,
You can release any surface tension.
You can release the day that has passed.
What I mean by surface tension,
That could be physical,
It could be mental,
It could be emotional.
And at the same time,
Allow those exhales to help you just release.
Release.
And we'll start with some square breathing,
Meaning we'll take a four beat inhale,
Then we'll hold the breath in for four beats,
Then we'll exhale for four beats,
And then we'll hold the breath out for four beats.
And this isn't like really strong breathing,
So there's no force really needed here.
Be very soft in this breathing exercise.
And I'll count so you just follow along the best you can.
To begin,
Let's all take an inhale in through the nose,
Inflate the belly,
And then exhale,
Let it go out the mouth.
One more of those.
Inhale in through the nose,
And let it go out the mouth.
And here we go,
Take an inhale for one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Hold the breath in,
Two,
Three,
Four,
And release.
Two,
Three,
Four,
Hold the breath out.
Two,
Three,
Four.
A few more times.
Inhale,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Hold the breath in,
So you're full.
Two,
Three,
Four,
And then release.
And then release and exhale,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Hold the breath out,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Two more times,
Breathing in,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Retain the breath in,
You're full.
Two,
Three,
Four.
Nice metered exhale,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Hold the breath out,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Last one,
Breathing in,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Hold the breath in,
Two,
Three,
Four.
A nice soft exhale,
Two,
Three,
Four.
And then hold the breath out,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Release any control or manipulation of your breath here.
Beginning to let breath breathe you.
And welcome home to yourself.
And then when you're ready,
I'd like you to begin to add a little bit of a hum or an om to your exhales.
This doesn't have to be very loud at all,
Just enough for you to feel the reverberation of that move through the body.
If you're noticing any places of held tension in the body,
Maybe you can direct that vibration to that point to help release that tension.
Repeating this practice of humming or omming on your exhales.
The resonance of that hum moving through the body.
And then slowly over the next five exhales,
Allow that humming to fade into silence.
Give yourself full permission to release into the props,
Into the earth below.
Allow gravity to hug you in.
I wrote this practice not waiting for anything to happen,
No wrong or right.
Whatever you experience is perfect.
There's no need for thinking or analyzing.
But just begin now to soften into relaxed awareness.
Feel your entire body as it rests on the earth and the props below.
Feel the entire back body.
The back of the skull on the support.
Your shoulder blades and your shoulders.
The arms.
Notice sensation in the upper back.
The middle back.
Sensation in the sacrum and the buttocks.
The back of the thighs.
The back of the knees.
The back of the lower legs and your heels.
Now become aware of the entire back body as it unites with the earth and the props below.
Become aware of the entire front body,
The top of the forehead down to the tips of the toes.
Feeling into the entire right side of the body.
And the entire left side of the body.
Become aware now of sensation in the whole body.
The whole body.
The whole body.
Calm.
Grounded.
Relaxed.
And at ease.
No judging needed,
Just noticing everything that's in your awareness.
Begin to identify as awareness itself.
Identify as the watcher rather than the participant in what it is that you are aware of.
Observe the breath as it dances with the body,
The inhales and the exhales.
And allow your sense of attention,
Your awareness to crawl down to the heart center.
And listen.
Listen for your heart's truest,
Deepest desire now here in this present moment.
Perhaps you're looking for something during this practice.
Perhaps your heart's desire is touching on what you are truly yearning for in your life.
And if a heart's desire has arisen,
For example,
Maybe you're looking for a little bit more calmness in your life.
I'd like you to place this heart's desire into a very short,
Positive present moment statement such as I am calm and repeat that to yourself three times.
And from this place of relaxed awareness,
I'll ask you to arise in your mind's eye,
A place or a situation in your life where you feel safe,
Where you feel secure and calm and grounded.
This could be a particular place from your past.
It could be a current place or situation.
Use your senses to enhance this.
What does this place of safety and security look like?
Are there any smells?
Are there any sounds in this place or situation?
Any colors?
Is anyone or anything there with you?
As you arise this in your mind's eye,
Notice sensation in the body.
Where is it that you feel safety?
Where is it that you feel calm and being grounded in the body?
Know that throughout this practice or at any point in your life,
You can come back to this place.
We'll begin now to rotate the consciousness through the body.
As we rotate our awareness through the body,
Place your awareness on all the parts of the body that I mentioned.
And imagine the word shanti or peace being placed at each point on the body.
We're moving our awareness around,
But we're also using this practice to cover the body in peace.
Let's begin by placing the awareness at the point of the third eye directly between the eyebrows.
Shanti.
The very tip of your chin.
Shanti.
The point directly between your collarbones at the bottom of the throat.
Shanti.
Awareness moves over to the right shoulder.
Shanti.
The right elbow.
Shanti.
And the right wrist.
Shanti.
The very center of the palm of the right hand.
Shanti.
And all five fingers on the right hand,
Starting with the thumb.
Shanti.
The first finger.
Shanti.
The second finger.
Shanti.
The third finger.
Shanti.
And the pinky finger of the right hand.
Shanti.
Placing the word shanti or peace again in the very center of the palm of the right hand.
Shanti.
Again at the right wrist.
Shanti.
The right elbow.
Shanti.
Shoulder.
Shanti.
The point directly between the collarbones at the bottom of the throat.
Shanti.
Awareness draws into the left shoulder.
Shanti.
The left elbow.
Shanti.
The left wrist.
Shanti.
The very center of the palm of the hand.
Shanti.
And all five fingers of the left hand,
Starting with your left thumb.
Shanti.
The first finger.
Shanti.
The second finger.
Shanti.
The ring finger of the left hand.
Shanti.
And the pinky finger of the left hand.
Shanti.
Placing that word shanti or peace again in the very center of the palm of the left hand.
Shanti.
Your left wrist.
Shanti.
The left elbow.
Shanti.
Shoulder.
Shanti.
The very center of the collarbones,
The bottom of the throat.
Shanti.
Awareness now moves down to the very center of your chest bone.
Shanti.
Center of the left breastbone.
Shanti.
Back to the center of the chest.
Shanti.
And the center of the right breastbone.
Shanti.
And again the center of the chest.
Shanti.
Awareness moves down to the point directly behind the navel.
Shanti.
The very center of your pelvis.
Shanti.
Your right hip.
Shanti.
Your right knee.
Shanti.
Ankle.
Shanti.
The very center of the sole of the right foot.
Shanti.
And all five toes on the right foot starting with the big toe.
Shanti.
The second toe.
Shanti.
The middle toe.
Shanti.
Fourth toe.
Shanti.
And the pinky toe of the right foot.
Shanti.
Again awareness moves to the center of the sole of the right foot.
Shanti.
Your right ankle.
Shanti.
Knee.
Shanti.
Your right hip.
Shanti.
And again the very center of the pelvis.
Shanti.
Awareness moves to the left hip.
Shanti.
Placing the word shanti or peace at the left knee.
Shanti.
Ankle.
Shanti.
The very center of the sole of the left foot.
Shanti.
And all five toes of the left foot starting with the big toe.
Shanti.
The second toe.
Shanti.
The middle toe of the left foot.
Shanti.
Fourth toe.
Shanti.
And the pinky toe of your left foot.
Shanti.
Awareness moves back to the center of the left foot.
Shanti.
Your left ankle.
Shanti.
Your left knee.
Shanti.
And the left hip.
Shanti.
The very center of your pelvis.
Shanti.
The point directly behind the navel.
Shanti.
The very center of the chest.
Shanti.
The point directly between the collarbones.
Shanti.
The very tip of your chin.
Shanti.
And the point directly between the eyebrows,
The third eye.
Shanti.
Now let your awareness come to rest on your breath.
Feel the breath breathing you.
Inhale and exhale.
As you inhale,
All those points of peace expand.
And as you exhale,
You release into this peace that you are.
As you rest here,
Aware of the breath,
You can silently chant to yourself,
So as the body inhales and hum as the body naturally exhales.
And as you exhale,
You release into this peace that you are.
And as you exhale,
You release into this peace that you are.
And as you exhale,
You release into this peace that you are.
And as you exhale,
You release into this peace that you are.
And as you exhale,
You release into this peace that you are.
And as you exhale,
You release into this peace that you are.
And as you exhale,
You release into this peace that you are.
And as you rest here,
Begin to experience the body as if it was becoming quite heavy.
You might even feel like the body is very slowly filling with lead.
Maybe even drawing some more weight into the earth and the props below you.
Experience the body as becoming very heavy.
Now begin to experience the opposite,
As if all that weight was falling off,
The body was beginning to feel more and more like a cloud,
It was beginning to feel very light.
It might even begin to feel so light that it's releasing that pressure off the props and the earth below you.
Experience the body as becoming very light.
Begin now to experience the body as if it was becoming very light.
Begin now to experience the body as if it was really contained and closed,
As if the body was really reserved,
Hiding and separate.
You may even feel a sort of containment around the space of the heart.
Experience the body as if it was very separate,
Closed.
Begin to experience the body as being very light.
Imagine the body as being very light.
Begin to experience the body now as if it was very open and expansive.
Completely loving and accepting.
Boundless and compassionate.
You might even feel like the heart space is opening up and shining outwards.
Feel yourself as completely expansive.
Begin now to move your gaze back to the vastness of darkness.
Dark space directly between the eyebrows,
The third eye,
Chidakas.
Feel as if the body was laying in the middle of a vast open field.
Staring up into a dark,
Open night sky.
Experience the body not so much as a solid form,
But as if it was made up of billions of different cells,
Containing trillions of atoms.
All vibrating and moving.
Fluidly dancing together.
As you look off into the dark purple,
Black sky,
Listen to all the vibrations,
Sounds,
And rhythms you hear around you and feel within you.
Sing to the buzzing of the world around you.
Allow these sounds to play with your eardrums.
Let them go.
Let your ears and your awareness hear whatever they want to become aware of.
Don't judge any sounds or any experiences.
There's no good or bad.
There's no right nor wrong.
It's all just sound.
Fully open yourself to any physical sensations,
Visualizations,
Colors,
Ideas,
Or emotions which may naturally arise.
Don't try to understand anything or repress any thoughts or experiences.
Just listen to these as part of the song of your experience.
Hear your intuition.
Hear your soul.
Hear your prana.
Hear the music of your body and being.
Rest in this awareness of the symphony of your experience.
Rest in your complete wholeness.
Terrible and open.
You you you you you you you you Begin to turn the awareness back towards the music of the breath.
And aware of the sound of prana moving in and out of the body.
That vibrational sense that comes with that river of breath flowing in and out.
And if you used a heartfelt desire or a sankalpa earlier in the practice,
Can you realize that sankalpa phrase in your mind's eye now?
And again repeat it to yourself three times.
And then allow your awareness to turn back towards sensation throughout the whole body.
The whole body.
The whole body.
And feel that hum of vibration,
That hum of life pulsating through the whole body.
It's this vibration that runs through all things.
This vibration we call the nadam,
Which links us to all else.
Allow your awareness now to slowly expand as the senses,
The external senses slowly come back online.
Begin with your hearing.
Hearing all the sounds around you within the space that you're in and outside of that space.
Notice any smells that you might currently be aware of.
Notice the feeling of props and clothing on the skin.
The feeling of air on your exposed skin.
Notice any tastes in the mouth.
