When I say the word stillness,
Notice what thoughts or feelings become present for you.
Notice if stillness is something that feels difficult to attain,
Or perhaps something you've never felt in your life.
Perhaps when I say the word stillness,
You have an image in your mind of what that should look like,
Or how it might feel.
What if we could let go of the images of stillness in our minds,
And the connotations of the word that feel unattainable?
What if we could find a stillness that works specifically for you?
In this practice,
I encourage you to explore stillness as it presents itself to you in this present moment.
Stillness doesn't have to be rigid,
It doesn't have to be unmovable.
And I posit that stillness doesn't have to be perfectly still.
Stillness may just be a slowing down,
Or letting go,
Or discovery of a space.
So let's begin our practice in a place that feels comfortable,
A place where you can begin to find your own stillness.
So if you wish to sit or lie down or remain standing,
Whatever is most comfortable to you in your journey toward stillness.
If you need to do anything to make yourself more comfortable,
Such as prop up your hips,
Or your back,
Or your neck with a pillow,
Or find a cushion below your feet,
Anything that allows you to explore your own version of stillness,
Please take a moment to do so now.
And then we'll begin with just finding our breath.
So feeling a deep inhale through the nose,
And an exhale out through the mouth.
Again,
Breathing in,
Notice this time how even the belly expands.
And then breathing out,
Notice how the belly contracts.
One more time,
Full deep breath in,
And then let it go.
We'll start with the body scan,
Noticing the crown of your head.
And let that awareness to travel down through the sides of your face,
Into your jawbone,
Just behind your ears,
The length of your neck,
The tops of your shoulders,
The length of your arm,
Palm of your hand,
And the tips of your fingers.
Notice your collarbone,
Your breastbone,
The length of your ribcage,
The pit of your belly,
The root of your seat,
The length of your legs,
The soles of your feet,
And the tips of your toes.
Take another moment to scan from crown of head,
Out through the fingertips,
Down and out through the tips of your toes.
And just notice in the body,
Anything that doesn't feel still to you in this moment.
There is tension in your jaw,
Movement in the fingers,
Tension in the hips,
Curling of the toes.
Just notice,
Just create awareness.
You don't have to try to stop the movements or release the tension.
By just drawing awareness to the space,
You'll begin to notice where opportunities for more stillness might exist.
You might begin to notice where it's harder to find stillness,
Parts of your physical body that may need more time,
More attention,
More attention.
And more loving kindness.
And now let your awareness to travel into your mind.
Notice the thoughts,
Feelings,
The emotions.
Perhaps even more difficult to still is the mind than the body.
Some thoughts may feel like a runaway train,
Like something you're unable to control.
And we create awareness around these thoughts,
Or these emotions,
These feelings.
And just notice where the mind is.
Notice what's present for you,
Or perhaps notice what stands out the most.
Notice what may need more awareness,
More loving kindness.
Notice what you might want to let go of.
Any thoughts or feelings you no longer want to nurture or explore.
Give yourself permission to gently set those aside.
Perhaps imagine that there is a mental shelf or a mental trash chute putting aside the feelings or the thoughts that you know aren't serving you,
And that you no longer want to hold on to.
And in the exploration of stillness,
Especially in the mind,
We start to notice the spaces,
The spaces between the thoughts,
Where one begins and ends,
And the next one starts again.
The spaces between the emotions.
You can move from anger to fear,
To worry,
To overwhelm,
All within a few breaths.
And see if you can't catch one of those spaces,
Either between the thoughts or the emotions.
And before the next thought or emotion rises,
See if you can't hold on to that space.
The spaces in between provide that opportunity to find greater stillness,
Provide that opportunity to nurture and to love.
Provide that opportunity to nurture more loving kindness.
Allow yourself a few more breaths here,
Just to notice where you can create space,
Where you can find stillness that works for you.
Knowing that where you are right now is not where you'll be tomorrow,
And it wasn't where you were yesterday.
It isn't where you'll be in three months or three years.
The impermanence of all things provides us with an opportunity to create awareness,
To dive deeper,
To notice what we want to let go of,
And to find personal stillness.
Feel free to stay in these spaces.
If you're ready to explore what coming out of stillness feels like,
Gently letting go of any thought patterns or emotions that you might be feeling,
Any breath work that might be holding you in place.
Feel a nice deep inhale through the nose,
Allowing new energy into your body,
And gently let that go.
When you're ready to come out of your stillness,
Slowly open your eyes and enjoy the stillness of your day.
