I invite you to find any posture that feels comfortable and stable for you,
Regardless of your posture.
Lengthen the crown of the head away from your tailbone.
Sense that you can actually create space between each vertebra of your spine.
Feeling the entire length of your spine,
And see or feel the space between each vertebra.
You can soften into that lengthening,
Letting go of all effort.
I encourage you to allow your eyes to close gently,
Or you can simply soften the gaze,
Whatever is more comfortable for you.
Just remember that by closing our eyes,
We close off the visual cortex in our brain.
We remove many of the distractions that draw us away from experiencing deep relaxation.
Closing the eyes makes it easier to drop into total relaxation,
But the choice is always yours.
Now allow your lower jaw to grow heavy,
Creating space between the upper and lower teeth,
Relaxing the lips,
And maybe even allowing the lips to slightly part.
Feel the breath just naturally falling in and out,
Without any effort at all.
Today's practice is going to guide us into deep,
Embodied mindfulness.
A mindfulness practice involves intentionally placing our attention on something,
And when we notice that our attention wanders off,
We gently bring it back to the chosen object of mindfulness.
Notice that I said when,
Not if.
Our mind is designed to think.
We will not stop that flow of thoughts.
Instead,
We will slowly and gently expand the space between the thoughts.
Each time we notice that we were thinking,
We will cultivate the attitude of curiosity,
Openness,
Self-acceptance,
And self-compassion,
Embracing fully whatever we uncover without judgment.
The mind wanders.
That's just what the mind does.
There's no point in beating ourselves up about it.
Being harsh with ourselves for getting distracted is completely counterproductive.
It reinforces a centralized notion of me.
It exacerbates feelings of unworthiness and our tendencies towards self-criticism.
Instead,
Simply notice,
With open curiosity,
That the mind has wandered.
Come back and find your anchor once more.
Maybe your anchor is the breath moving slowly in and out,
Or your anchor could be sensations in your body.
Slowly come back to awareness of the present moment and the sound of my voice.
I will guide you back onto the path of awareness.
So now check in with your physical body,
Shift and move to find even greater comfort and support.
Become aware of the sounds around you,
Moving your attention from one sound to the next.
Can you hear sounds outside of your room?
What sounds are inside your room?
Letting go of labels and judgment of sound.
Each sound is a gentle reminder to give yourself the gift of your total attention and awareness for this little sliver of time.
This is your escape from the everyday world as we dive deeper and deeper within.
Now invite all of those external sounds to fade into the background.
You can still hear them,
But the volume on all of those external sounds has been turned down,
Making it easier to discover the sounds within.
Shift your attention to your body.
Not the memory or concept of the body,
But the actual tactile sensation that makes up your physical body.
Observe the weight of your body completely supported.
Feel the weight and texture of your clothes.
Feel the temperature of the air on your skin.
Notice the entire surface of your body,
From head to toe,
Is alive with sensation and vibration.
Your entire body enveloped in sensation,
Bathing the entire body in loving attentiveness.
This presence wraps us like a warm protective blanket,
Swaddled in loving awareness.
From this sense of support,
We are ready to face all sensations as they arise.
As humans,
We experience good and bad,
Pain and pleasure,
Comfort and discomfort.
We cannot get addicted to only comfort.
We need to be willing to see and experience all emotions,
All sensations,
Without judgment or expectations.
Be even be willing to lean into discomfort.
Discomfort can awaken us so that we stop reacting to the external world.
Observe the continual flow of energy and information within.
Discomfort is where we learn and grow.
We build resilience,
Strength,
And understanding.
Not seeking out discomfort or pain,
But also not running away from it.
Begin to explore your inner landscape.
Sense your heartbeat,
Steady and strong.
Feel your pulse.
Begin to sense all internal sounds and sensations.
Discover the sound of your calm,
Slow,
And steady breath.
Notice your eyes resting.
Outer vision at rest,
While we awaken our inner vision.
Invite all of the tiny muscles around your eyes to soften and melt.
Noticing the teeth and gums,
The inner cheeks and tongue.
Are there any residual tastes lingering on your tongue?
Allow the entire tongue to soften.
As you bring the tip of the tongue to rest just behind the upper front teeth,
Remember curiosity like an explorer.
No judgment,
No expectations.
Become curious about the breath.
Feel how the breath is a bridge that connects our outer and inner worlds.
The breath comes from the space around your body and travels deep within.
Feel the contrast between the temperature of the breath that moves in and the temperature of the breath that moves out.
Now feel the actual process of that breath moving in and out of your body.
Feel the internal sensations that arise with the breath.
The diaphragm contracting and pushing the organs down expands your belly out with the inhale.
Then the diaphragm relaxes helping the breath move up and out as the belly softens back towards the spine.
We can feel the ribs opening and closing like the gills of a fish.
Inhaling they expand open and exhaling they nip back together.
Feel the life-giving oxygen being delivered to each and every cell in the body.
The entire inner body alive with sensation and vibration.
Notice if you've drifted off into thinking and come back with even greater curiosity.
Exploring your inner landscape without striving.
There is no goal.
We are not trying to create anything or get anywhere.
You will not be tested on what you discover within.
This exploration is just for you.
A way to reopen the line of communication.
You are simply the observer within.
Taking mental notes of sensations and emotions.
You cannot do this wrong.
We are awakening your body's capacity to self-regulate into being.
You will rest on the spectrum between doing and being.
At first we have to practice doing,
Learn the techniques,
And then we can release doing and simply rest in the awareness of being.
Be curious about the process of shifting from doing to being.
How to shift effortlessly into being all on its own.
Witnessing the body learning.
Then explore.
Does the breath require a witness?
Or can my breath function without me directing it?
Does the body need me to direct it?
Or can my body become self-aware?
Become curious.
Who is the witness?
And where does the witness reside?
Then feel that even the witness falls away.
As we experience directly a sense of being.
As if floating in the vast nothingness.
We release all identity.
We become nobody.
We experience no time.
We are simply sensation in the vast field of possibility.
No longer confined to our body.
We expand as we uncover our true essence.
We are vast,
Powerful,
Creative energy.
Feel that energy pulsating from your heart center.
And at the same time,
Welcome the elevated emotions of gratitude and joy.
Notice their vibration within and all.
Once we truly become nothing,
We can fully experience our connection to everything.
Rest here in the sea of awareness.
Feeling and accepting your deep connection to everything.
Every person,
Creature,
Plant,
And thing is connected to you.
Just like the powerful ocean.
If we dip a cup into the ocean,
Then pour it back out again.
We cannot tell the drops that were in our cup.
They are not separate,
But a connected piece of that vast ocean.
Rest here effortlessly for the next few moments.
Then you will hear my voice again.
Remember,
It's okay if the mind wanders.
Simply notice,
Then come back to the sensation of deep connection as you float in the vast sea of possibility.
Now float back up to the level of your senses.
Feel the temperature of the air on your skin.
Notice the weight of your clothes and blanket.
Feel the heaviness of your body resting here,
Completely supported.
Begin to hear the sounds around you once more.
Your place of comfort and ease.
Bring with you the knowledge and wisdom you gained from this embodied mindfulness practice.
All answers are within you.
Send gratitude to your body for the ability to practice.
Send gratitude for the gift of your breath.
Send gratitude to your mind for staying anchored in the present moment.
In the words of my teacher,
With deep respect and love,
I honor my heart,
My inner teacher.
Thank you for allowing me to be your guide today.
In gratitude,
Kalyani
