Hello,
Kindred spirits.
Welcome to Juicy Practices for Getting Present.
These practices are designed to stand alone,
But they also support and complement my book,
Naked in the Now,
Juicy Practices for Getting Present.
The numbers and the titles correspond with those in the book.
I'm so glad you're here.
This is juicy practice number one.
I call it a waterfall of golden light,
Also known as kissing yourself all over.
Before we get started,
It's nice to mentally transition.
I like to check to make sure I have a warm and inviting environment and then I have turned sounds off on my cell phone.
And then I like to allow myself.
To sit idly for a moment or two.
Maybe glancing out a window or nowhere at all.
We want to invite the panicky feeling of always having to do something to dissipate.
So let's begin to breathe.
A little deeper and more easily.
As if you have just removed uncomfortable clothing.
Clothing that serves a purpose in certain situations,
Like a crisp business suit worn to an important meeting,
But clothing that would now inhibit you from fully relaxing.
This transition is like when you come to the end of a long day of work and your shoes are pinching your feet and your waistband feels uncomfortably tight and you're yearning for something less restrictive.
Something that signals it's the end of the day.
This is what I recommend you do mentally before any of these practices.
Toss off those pinching shoe thoughts.
The to-do list jacket and toss on a light,
Pretty,
Barely there mind rope.
Acknowledging that you're ready.
To be naked with your lover self.
Open.
Vulnerable?
Inviting,
And present.
Allow yourself a deep sigh in the arms of yourself.
Even two minutes of resting the body in such an environment of doing nothing will change your perspective and signal to yourself that you're ready to peel off the day's thought streams,
Ready to be attentive to something else altogether.
We meditate because in the deepest longing of our heart,
We want to be stripped of everything,
To go naked through the gate,
As my teacher Joel Morewood puts it.
Then,
With slightly more presence,
We begin our intimacy with the moment.
Imagine one finger gently tracing the outline of your lover self's face,
Content to be here.
Let's take a little vacation to a waterfall of warm golden light.
It's accessible right here,
Right now.
We're going to let this waterfall of warm golden light kiss us all over.
So take a moment to tune into your body.
It doesn't really matter if you are sitting or lying down right now,
Whatever feels comfortable to you.
You may want to close your eyes.
Center yourself simply by intentionally breathing a little deeper for two or three breaths,
But essentially do nothing for another moment or two.
Now,
Draw all of your attention up to the top of your head.
And imagine,
If you will,
That there is a waterfall of soothing,
Warm,
Golden,
Playful light that is beginning to cascade down your head.
It is moving slowly,
Like liquid gold or honey,
Though harmless,
And now covering the skull and dripping down to reach your eyebrows.
Your nose.
The tops of your ears As it touches each part of your head,
It has the magical quality of allowing that part to relax,
To release all tension.
You can feel the warm golden light now moving down your cheeks and the back of your neck.
There's an odd tingling that seems to accompany the movement,
Moving from the inside of the body outward.
Possibly uplifting the cheekbones and causing a slight smile to reach the lips.
The light curves under your chin,
Soothing your neck and shoulders.
There's a feeling of ease.
Like when you slip into a hot bubble bath that accompanies the light.
As it glides down your body.
Now relaxing the chest and shoulder blades.
Every discrete piece of the body is touched by this light.
And you watch as you feel it incrementally move down your upper arms.
Touching your heart inside.
Releasing the frozen feelings sometimes stored in the heart region.
You can feel the chest grow warm.
The liquid light is friendly and nurturing.
It moves like water,
Cascading like a waterfall down and around the arms,
Into the armpits,
Down the shoulder blades,
Down the torso,
Down the hands and around each finger,
You notice again that everywhere the light has touched is more relaxed than before.
As if the mere attention of this light is enough.
The light accepts everything that it touches,
Not judging,
Not recoiling,
Not worrying,
Just embracing.
The light continues down,
Now reaching the navel,
Coating the back body.
You can feel the tension that runs along the spine melting.
Sometimes,
As an area is touched by this golden light,
The pain flares up a little as if the area had long been ignored.
And is a little stiff as it begins to wake up.
The golden light keeps moving slowly down the lower belly,
Down the tired hips,
Between the legs,
Seeking any place deserving of attention,
Deserving of release.
It travels down the thighs,
Pausing at the knees.
Circling there,
Penetrating before moving down the lower legs.
Shins.
Loosening tight calf muscles.
Encircling the ankles and at last covering the entire foot between the toes.
Rest now.
With this light coating you,
The warm golden light is the attention of your awareness.
And just like the effect of kissing an ouchie better.
Each time we bring the power of our attention to our body,
We enliven it.
It is said that mind follows body,
That a relaxed,
Happy body cultivates a relaxed,
Happy mind.
But here's the thing.
Don't believe me?
Don't blindly trust me.
Instead,
Experiment for yourself.
Discover for yourself whether that is true.
What happens in your body-mind when you systematically pay attention and relax your entire physical body?
What was this experience like for you?
Embark on this journey with the curious eyes of a child.
The heart of a lover and the investigative nature of a detective or scientist.
What makes you feel better?
Take notes about your experience right now while it is fresh.
There's one more thing you can do.
You can commit to a trial period of trying this juicy practice out.
You can commit to a 10-minute vacation several days per week.
That can form a foundation for joyful,
Ecstatic living.
Instead of saying,
I'll try,
Be bold,
Be firm,
Be clear.
Say yes.
Say yes,
Because you can feel that big plop on a chair sigh in your heart right now.
Wanting for a moment to be alive and free.
Wanting for a moment to remember that life is not a business to be managed,
But a mystery to be awestruck by.
Thank you,
Friends,
For joining me today.
Namaste.
