Breathing Into The Five Jewels: Inviting Appreciation

Focus on the breath and awareness, this Nidra guides us around five major organs, evoking the qualities of each Taoist element they represent as jewels to boost health, vitality, and wellness. Late Spring is an excellent time of year to focus on what we truly value, to let go of what no longer serves us, so our plans for future growth truly nourish us.

Recorded at the end of class, bit echoey. Inspired by Mimi Kuo-Deemer's Organ Polishing Meditation, in Qigong and Tai Chi Axis

Transcript

So getting yourself nice and comfy and cosy, Getting all your blanky over yourself, And just inviting the whole of the body to relax. And you might be able to hear different sounds around you. Some of these might be sounds of springtime, Birdsong, Some of you may have a little shaft of beautiful golden sunshine draped across you or draped across the wall of your room that you're in. So in spite of the unusualness of our current situation, Nature is doing an amazing, Miraculous show for us this spring. Life is less busy in some respects, A lot busier in other respects, And yet no matter what's happening, Spring is blooming and blossoming and unfolding. And in that wonderful miracle of life itself, In that wonderful miracle of life and all of its facets, Here we are. And so just with that sense of perhaps briefly recapping your day, The flavour of your day, The qualities of your day, And with that wonderful invitation to hone in to qualities, What are the qualities that you really thrive with or from or on? Sometimes the busyness or the tasks that we have our day filled with can get in the way of that. And so just inviting the connection and a moment of appreciation for those things that really help your life shine. And on the theme of appreciation and preciousness, I'd like to invite you to focus on the flow of the breath in and out the body. And then from there, Just taking the awareness and the breath into the liver once again. So we began a class with our focus on the liver and now imagining the liver as a beautiful green emerald. The breath is flowing in and out. And the wonderful thing about our awareness and the breath when the two are twinned, Miracles happen. So as we breathe into the liver, We can welcome in the essence of spring. Summer growth, Beautiful flowers, Birdsong, Longer, Lighter days, Blue skies, Freshness in the air, Nick in the wind. But if you find a little nook behind a wall in full sun. So welcoming all of that into the liver. And as you breathe out, Letting go of anything that causes confusion, That gets in the way, Muddies the waters. You think of the essence of spring is having clarity, Knowing the plan. And if we're skillful, It's making sure the plan really suits us, Really nourish our future growth in good ways. Breathing all that in and letting go of all the chaff. So imagining this beautiful emerald starting to shine much more clearly as we continue to breathe in and let go. And then taking the awareness over to the center of the chest to the heart and imagining the heart as a beautiful red ruby. And as the awareness settles on the heart, We can bring to mind all the qualities of summertime, Fire, Warmth, Peak energy, Getting together with people and at the moment, This is kind of it via zoom or over the garden fence. Know that the emotion associated with summer is love. Welcoming in loving kindness, Unconditional love for you. And as we breathe out, We can let go of feeling lonely. We can let go of burning the candle, Not knowing when to stop. Imagine this beautiful ruby starting to gleam and shine brilliantly with utter clarity. Now we take our awareness to the left side of the chest, Becoming aware of our spleen. Not sure if this is the first time you've been invited to become aware of it. May well be. Actually something about the size of a fist and the color, Beautiful yellow topaz. Does the awareness and the breath focuses into the left side of the ribs of the chest. We can welcome in the real essence of harvest time, Nourishment, Knowing our true worth. Feeling balanced and centered, Steady, Able to cope and weather the storm balancing out opposing forces with ease. Able to handle change effortlessly. Breathing all of those qualities in and letting go of any discoloration, Any sense of tarnish, Any sense of overwork. We'll let go of any worries. Welcoming in, Nurturing. And then bringing our awareness to the lungs, Both sides of the chest. Bring our awareness to the lungs and imagining them as a pair of diamonds. And as the awareness and the breath flows in and out of the lungs, These diamonds start to regain such luster. Any weakness, Any vulnerability can just flow away on the exhale. And on the inhale, You have a sense of really appreciating those things that make our life shine. Those values, Things that are truly precious. We can breathe them in just like we could drink from the nectar of life. We can breathe them right in and let go of things we no longer need. And then bringing the ebb and flow of the breath, Carry us on and away. Bringing us closer to home as we go. Then bringing our awareness into the back of the body, Into the kidneys. And these are just at the back of the ribs, Either side of the spine. Just peeking out from below the ribs and imagining them as a pair of deep midnight blue sapphires. Does the awareness and the breath flow there? We can start to recharge our energy, Restore, Bring rest. You can let go of any fears. As the breath flows in and out, Just like the water element, The fears can just flow away on the exhale. And on the inhale, We can welcome in a sense of courage, Sense of inner strength. So the water element, Being able to go with the flow, Being able to weather the storm, All these different changes. Going with the flow, Finding your flow. And then just becoming aware of all of the five organs, The emeralds of the liver, The ruby of the heart, The topaz of the spleen, The diamond of the lungs and the sapphires of the kidneys. Acknowledging how precious the body is. All of the incredible work it does for us day in and day out. And extending that connection with appreciation of the body to the appreciation of the self. You've done what you could do today. Well done. So as we start to navigate our way towards the end of this practice, Of relaxation, Of nurture, Of appreciation, You might like to bring something with you, A little souvenir for the days ahead. Some of us quite like an affirmation, A short and positive statement in simple language that can be helpful to really anchor you in the days to come. And others just prefer simply to rest, To be. So offering yourself whatever feels right and there may well be something else that I haven't mentioned. And then from that place of connection and gratitude, Starting to bring a little movement into the body, Maybe wiggling fingers and toes or perhaps gently turning the head from side to side. Running the tongue around the mouth, The teeth. And then from here just stretching into the fingertips, Into the toes, Into the heels, Hugging the knees and rocking from side to side. So this practice of relaxation, This practice of nourishing, Nourishing awareness around the body is now complete. Thank you very much for listening.