Hi,
It's Mar,
Welcome.
At times we can get so caught up in our head,
In our thinking mind,
That we can feel overwhelm,
Anxiety,
Or just a sense of disconnect from life,
Like we are a little removed.
So for this practice we are going to sit or lie together for the purpose of coming out and away from the thinking mind and down into the body.
As we move through the practice,
Just simply follow my voice to bring all of your awareness to the body parts that we are mentioning as we scan through the body.
And knowing that your mind will wander many,
Many times during the practice,
That is just what the mind does.
That doesn't mean that you are doing anything wrong.
The fact that you are noticing the mind wandering is actually you waking up.
That is you becoming aware and strengthening your muscle of mindfulness.
We are moving by gathering all of our awareness onto the sensation of breathing.
And bringing a real curiosity to the breath.
Noticing where we are feeling the breath most prominently in the body.
Noticing the belly as it very subtly moves out and in,
As it expands and contracts with the breath arriving and leaving.
Remembering that our breath is only ever here anchoring us to presence so if the mind gets busy throughout the practice or throughout our lives we can always come home to the breath as a way of connecting back into stillness to presence.
Now breathing in deeply and sending the breath and all of your awareness all the way down the left leg,
Out to the left toes.
And as I name the body parts just simply bringing all of your awareness and your energy to that place.
The sole of the left foot,
Top of the left foot,
The left heel,
Ankle,
Along the left shin bone,
The back of the left leg,
Knee,
Back of the thigh,
Front of the thigh,
Left buttock,
Groin,
Right buttock and all the way down the right leg,
Out to the right toes.
Gathering all of your awareness and energy down to the sole of the right foot,
The top of the right foot,
Right heel,
Ankle,
Along the front of the right leg,
Back of the right leg,
The knee,
Back of the right thigh,
Front of the right thigh.
Bringing awareness up into the pelvis,
Lower abdomen,
Upper abdomen,
Lower back,
Mid back,
Upper back.
Knowing if the mind wanders,
There's no need to judge.
That's okay.
We just simply bring it back again,
Again,
Again.
Breathing all of our awareness into the area of the chest,
The left shoulder,
All the way down the left arm,
Out to the fingers,
The back of the left hand,
Palm of the left hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Armpit.
Across the chest to the right shoulder,
All the way down the right arm to the right fingers,
The back of the right hand,
The palm of the right hand,
Right wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Right armpit.
Breathing awareness into the throat,
Jaw.
Noticing if the jaw is clenched,
Gently parting the teeth,
Bringing awareness onto the mouth,
Tongue,
The area above the lip,
Nose,
Cheekbones,
Eyes,
Eyebrows,
Forehead,
Temples,
Ears,
And all the way to the top of the head.
Feeling the sense of being in this very alive body.
Breathing all the way from the top of the head down through the face,
Neck,
Shoulders,
Arms,
Chest,
Belly,
Bum,
Thighs,
Legs,
Feet,
Toes,
And all the way back up again.
Noticing all the physical sensations that are anchoring you to this one precious moment.
Noticing our breath.
Noticing if it has changed through the practice.
Noticing how we didn't have to remember to breathe,
That we were being breathed.
Remembering that this space of stillness is within us at all times.
And when life is busy and the mind is busy,
It is always possible to come home to space,
To stillness,
To presence.
Starting to become aware of sounds around.
As we begin to bring the practice to a close,
Knowing that you can bring this stillness,
This awareness,
Out into the rest of your activities,
Out into your daily life.
Starting to make some subtle movements.
Stretching the body in the way that feels nice,
Kind.
And in your own time,
Gently fluttering the eyes open.
Namaste.
