Hello,
My name is Keri Kasich.
I'm your certified mindfulness guide today and my mission is to create communities for people to develop the skill of mindfulness that's both wise and compassion.
Today's meditation is a visualization using hummingbirds as a way to connect to intentional awareness.
When I first moved to Flagstaff,
Arizona,
The first thing I did was put up a hummingbird feeder and working or relaxing outside the last few weeks with these tiny companions has been magical and I wanted to see what it would like be like to have hummingbirds guide us today.
So you know the great poet Pablo Neruda he calls a hummingbird a tiny living lightning,
A light within the air and I love that because this this is the soft yet powerful impact of intentional awareness and that's what I want to help us conjure up today with the image of the hummingbird as that intentional awareness.
Hummingbirds are so curious they fly right up to our faces hovering and watching us and that is what I'm asking you today.
Hover inside your body watching it with curiosity and kindness and well okay I'm not a hundred percent certain if hummingbirds feel kindness but they certainly do seem happy we feed them.
So for today let's take the liberty to say watch yourself with the curiosity and kindness of a hummingbird.
Let's begin sit so that you feel comfortable let your body rest your heart be soft and find a posture that gives you a sense of comfort and wakefulness and as you're doing this begin with a few deep cleansing breaths.
Try to make your inhalation and your exhalation the same length if it helps you can count to four or five with each inhalation and each exhalation.
Try to do this a few times and then as you bring your breath back to its natural rhythm become aware of how your body this body is naturally breathing itself.
Notice where you're aware of the breath most prominently the tip of the nose the chest the belly perhaps the sound or the sensation of your breath and in this calming space begin to bring in an awareness of a hummingbird.
Imagine it perhaps right over your head or in front of you looking at you with curiosity.
What does that little being look like?
What colors?
What does it sound like?
And as you're imagining this hummingbird in front of you or above you and building this sensation I'm gonna read a little bit of the Ode to the Hummingbird by Pablo Neruda and allow the words to seep into this little image.
Oh tiny living lightning when you hover in the air you are a body of pollen a feather you pure wet a light within the light air within the air wrapped in your wings.
Now where is this hummingbird your intentional awareness?
Wherever it is begin to bring it into yourself.
For some that's a sensation at the top of their head moving down.
Others you might bring it in from your heart space and inward.
Allow that feeling to grow.
And what is it like to bring in the kind curiosity of your hummingbird now?
How does this kind curiosity this kind curious creature help you with intentional awareness?
You might imagine it moving into your chest and as you do what happens to the sensations there?
Do they become more intense or do they dissipate?
As you bring the awareness from this hummingbird investigating with this kind curiosity can you feel a softness a warmth and moving that awareness to your stomach?
Now what?
Move the awareness to the life in your wrists and the palms of your hands.
Feel that hummingbird softening bringing it to your neck your head.
Where else do you want to bring this kind curious being this little hummingbird?
Play with it.
If you find it difficult to stay with a sensation you might breathe with it.
Letting the breath help you find some balance.
You might imagine the hummingbird beside you tiny living lightning hovering in the spaciousness your awareness is creating.
Imagine this hummingbird staying with you helping you to feel into whatever sensations are inside you.
How is it helping you to create more space?
To soften?
To notice?
Now bring your full hummingbird attention to what's arising or perhaps if nothing is calling your attention just rest in this feeling of being relaxed and alert as you return to your breath and offer a calm steady attention to this visualization that you brought with you today.
This hummingbird how will you release the hummingbird awareness?
Will it come back up and out from your head or your chest?
Before it goes does it have anything any words of wisdom that it would like to share with you?
Feel what it feels like to free this awareness to let it move out into the air and you're left to sit here with your breath centered and balanced present wisely aware of this changing life.
Any last thoughts or feelings that you want to remember before you leave this meditation today?
Bringing your attention to the life in the palm of your hands in your heart space in the cool air on the tip of your nose being aware of your surroundings through sound or touch and when you're ready you can open your eyes or stretch bring yourself back into the room.
I want to thank you for meditating with me today and the hummingbirds outside my window I hope you could hear them moving around a little and you can find more of my meditations by subscribing to me on Insight Timer and you can also see in my profile a link to my website where you can learn a little bit more about me and my mindfulness based coaching.
I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day.
