Hey friends,
Today I would like to explore with you the contrast with high energy and low energy.
You know,
Sometimes things are high energy,
They're flowing,
They're moving,
And sometimes there's no energy there.
There's only stillness.
I think it's important to get familiar with how each of these states feels and realize what each of these states holds for us,
What benefit they have,
And also recognize the need for balance in action and in rest.
You should always be room-made for both.
I invite you to join me in a comfortable seat,
Whatever that looks like for you.
I'll give you a moment to get situated.
Start by taking a huge inhale,
The biggest inhale you've taken all day.
Then transition into a very slow exhale.
Make the exhale a couple seconds longer than the inhale was.
Again big inhale,
Slow exhale.
On the next inhale,
Use that inhale just as a reminder that you're alive,
You're breathing,
How awesome is that?
Then use the exhale just to relax the body downward.
Inhale,
Notice the sweetness of the breath.
Exhale,
Relax the shoulders,
The abdomen.
Inhale that sweet breath,
Sweet energy.
Exhale,
Let the rest of the body just settle down into whatever you're sitting on.
See you in this way for a bit,
Just using that inhale as a reminder that you're alive,
Really feel alive.
Then using that exhale to relax the body.
Take a moment here at the beginning also to let go of any expectations for how this will go.
Some of us,
Many of us,
The reason we sit in meditation and do this practice is to find the present moment.
That doesn't mean we don't fall into the trap of having expectations about our practice and what we think we're going to get from it that day.
Let's make an effort now to let all of that go.
Invite in the mystery.
Be okay with not knowing what's going to happen.
Take a moment here to be open and inviting to whatever's in your experience.
Sounds,
Sensations,
Thoughts,
Emotions.
Try to get rid of any of it,
Just allow it to be there.
As you're noticing what's there,
What's part of this experience,
See if you can notice any flow in that,
Something constant but kind of ever-changing.
Maybe that's the breath.
Maybe that's the feel of the air on your skin.
Maybe that's a sound.
Maybe there's some sort of flow in a body sensation.
Something that's a kind of constant and ever-changing.
Get curious about the changing of that thing,
Of that flow.
Sometimes the change is obvious.
Sometimes you need to get really still and really concentrate to notice it.
The breath for example,
Maybe every breath feels exactly the same for you.
Or maybe there are minute differences from breath to breath.
Something so tiny that makes each breath unique.
Or the feeling of the air on your skin.
It's constant but maybe it's caressing different parts of your skin,
Different parts of your body.
Sounds are an easy one.
It can be constant sound but these sounds are coming from a myriad of different places,
Different sources.
Sound is constant but how the sound sounds is constantly changing.
Wherever you find your flow,
Just let it do its thing.
Just notice it.
You don't have to do anything here.
You're just noticing any changes.
Alright,
Are you there?
If you notice yourself having been carried off by a thought,
Just see if you can let that thought float off and come back to the noticing,
To the flow.
If you notice yourself having been carried off by a thought,
Just see if you can let that thought float off and come back to the noticing,
To the flow.
Even within that flow,
Notice how you relate to the flow.
Maybe it's something that's flowing around you,
Or near you.
Maybe it's something that's flowing through you.
Maybe you can almost feel like you're part of the flow,
Like you're riding it.
Maybe it's something that's flowing through you.
Maybe it's something that's flowing through you.
Maybe you can release your focus on this flow,
And move on to some place where you notice maybe some stillness.
Maybe some stillness in your experience.
Maybe some steadiness in the center of the body,
Or steadiness in the spine.
Maybe there's actually a stillness in the air around you.
You can deliberately be very still in the body,
And see if you can plunge a little deeper into that stillness.
Now take a moment here to see if you can get even more still,
Even more delicate,
Like you're threading a needle.
No quivering,
No shaking,
Just very very still so you can thread that needle.
Apply this delicate aspect to your experience now.
Explore the aspect and then finally get to it with dry cornerback experience,
Each of these states are equally important to our well-being and we should strive for our balance here.
Movement and flow and quiet stillness.
These aspects are always at play in the world around us,
But it's up to us to apply slight touches of flow or stillness to our own experience so that we can maintain that inner balance.
If life seems to be getting away from you,
Seek out the stillness around and within you.
When things maybe seem stagnant,
Let yourself be carried away in a flow.
I really appreciate you joining me for this practice and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I always do.
