Connection During Isolation

I've been so touched by the outpouring of support coming from people isolated at home. It is my intention to provide a resource for connecting with yourself and others. May this practice help you feel the shared humanity among each of us.

Transcript

Hey friends, My name is Michelle Miller and I've been so touched by the outpouring of love and creativity that has arisen as a result of this pandemic. There's so much support available that I've really benefited from. And so this is an offering from my heart, From my own practice. Please know you don't have to be a meditator to participate and feel free to make this meditation, This 15 minutes, Your own. If you're not already in a really comfortable position, Go ahead and find a supportive place to sit or lie down. Maybe grabbing a blanket or some pillows. Really paying attention to what the body is asking for right now. Maybe you need a scarf or a sweatshirt or some socks. Maybe you would prefer to feel the air on your skin. If opening a window is possible, You may take a moment and open a window to allow for some fresh air or sitting or lying down outside if that's possible. And as you begin to settle in and make yourself comfortable, I'd like to share a poem from a book that has recently been published. It's a translation of poems of Buddhist nuns. It's a beautiful, Beautiful book if you like poetry called The First Free Women Poems of the Early Buddhist Nuns. And each of the poems is titled by, With the name of the poet. So this poem here is called Genta, Conqueror. I was forever getting lost until one day the Buddha told me, To walk this path, You will need seven friends, Mindfulness, Curiosity, Courage, Joy, Calm, Stillness and perspective. For many years these friends and I have traveled together, Sometimes wandering in circles, Sometimes taking the long way round. There were days when I thought I couldn't go on. There were days when I thought I was finally beaten. It's scary to give all of yourself to just one thing. What if you don't make it? Oh my heart, You don't have to go it alone. Train yourself to train just a little more gently. Allowing the words of Genta, The conqueror to settle in and allowing the body to begin to relax, Feeling the breath moving in and out of the body, Allowing the breath to be natural. If it's helpful, You may place one of your hands on the lower belly and the other on the chest, Feeling the belly and the chest expanding into the palms on the inhale and resting back into the body on the exhale. Realizing any sounds that may be with you and perhaps the sounds that are internal to you or the sounds that you can hear in the space that you're in now, Arising and falling. And gently scanning through the body, Beginning with the toes, Noticing the toes and the feet, Noticing the lower region of the legs and the knees, Noticing the upper region of the legs, Feeling the hips, Both hips, Perhaps guiding the breath into the hips, Down through the legs and into the feet, Allowing the breath to move freely, Nourishing the lower part of your body, Noticing the pelvic region and the belly, Perhaps the palm is still gently touching the belly here, Noticing that connection, That sense of touch into yourself, Noticing the lower back and the middle back and the upper back, Letting the shoulders relax, Noticing the region of the chest, The lungs, The heart space, Gently pressing that palm into the heart space, Noticing and allowing the breath to move from the shoulders down the upper arms to the lower arms, Into the hands, Aware of the fingers. When you were just a tiny being growing in your mother's belly, Very early on your hands grew directly out of your heart, Feeling this connection now between your heart and your body, Noticing the neck, The front and the back of the neck, Maybe allowing the jaw to be relaxed, Letting the mouth open and resting the tongue on the floor of the mouth, Noticing your lips and your cheeks, Your nose, Your eyes and your ears and your forehead, Noticing the head, The back of the head, The sides and the top of the head and allowing this nourishing breath to move freely through the body, Asking the body where the breath is most needed now to allow for rest, For peace, Noticing, Sensing, Feeling the breath moving through the body, Nourishing each cell. And as you feel ready, Allowing the breath to move into the region of the heart, Consciously directing the breath into the space that surrounds the heart. If your palm is still there, Feeling the palm lifting and lowering, Maybe even letting this heart, This heart that has been experiencing so much in these past couple weeks, Letting it know that you're here, Letting it know that you appreciate all of its work physically, Emotionally, Energetically, Spiritually. This heart, It likes to feel safe, It likes to be seen and allowing that seeing to help the heart to be open in this time when it may feel safer to close it down, Letting this heart know that it's not alone, That it exists in this body, This physical body and that it exists in a collective of human hearts. Perhaps feeling this heart connecting to the hearts of those closest to you. Perhaps an image will arise now of a loved one, Maybe somebody you miss, Somebody you haven't been able to see or touch. We're all yearning now to feel the connection, The physical connection that we human beings are so comforted by, Yearning to smell the fragrance of another. And if somebody or somebodies has arisen, Perhaps if the eyes aren't closed, It may be helpful to close the eyes now or lower the lids and giving yourself permission to visualize being with this person or persons, Maybe imagining them here with you, Maybe even inviting this person or persons to sit across from you or lie down next to you. Maybe it's an embrace that you miss most and imagining yourself embracing this person or these people whom you love and miss. Maybe imagining a younger version of yourself showing up here with you in this safe space and letting this person or persons come naturally as they will. You may be surprised at who shows up. Taking this person by the hands, Feeling the sensation of warmth, Of human connection. Maybe looking this person in the eyes, Letting them know in this space of silence that you see them, Letting them know with just your eyes and the touch of your hands that you understand what they have been experiencing, At least on some level. You understand, You see their suffering and maybe seeing the moments of joy as well. Eye gazing is a very powerful practice and we need not be in front of the person. We're gazing with physically our minds and hearts and bodies are very intelligent. So allowing your visualization, Allowing your heart and your mind to gaze into this loved one's eyes now. Perhaps allowing yourself to reflect on a time shared with this loved one or with this younger version of yourself. Maybe this was a time of challenge that you shared together with this person or perhaps it was a time of great fun, Joy, Allowing this image to be present with you as you sit here with this loved one. Noticing the body now, Noticing any sensations that are here with you in the heart. And this practice, This visualization, You can repeat as many times as you'd like. You may find that there's a long wait of people wanting to be here to see you, To connect with you and meeting and greeting each of them at your own pace. This is a practice you can do anywhere, Anytime if you're feeling lonely or depleted or yearning for connection, Calling upon this great capacity you have to visualize being with another, Smelling their fragrance, Feeling the sensations of their skin, The texture. And once again, Noticing the breath moving through the body, Breathing the breath into the region of the heart. And now I'd like to finish this practice with a song. This is a song written and recorded by a dear friend of mine, A brother. So allowing yourself to rest into this song now and making any adjustments that will be more comfortable for the body. There is a love that knows no enemy, No boundary, No walls. There is a heart as vast as the universe, It knows every ache, Every fall. There is a love that is an ecosphere and I want to bring you here. Let you feel, Let the knowing in your soul that you have no enemy, No boundary is real. There is a love that flows through space and time, There's no finish line, No end. Every way you were made to live that love, To be that love my friend. Do you hope, Do you pray or have you snatched your hopes away? Do you long to be loved? Have you forgotten what you're made of? Does the song in your heart find a voice in your life? Can you let it open more? Can you let it open more? There is a love that flows from the sun to you, From the moon to you, From the earth. There is a heart that is waiting inside of you, Waiting to be born from you, Giving birth. There is a love that flows from my guru's feet, Flows like an endless street, My Greg. This power has come to redeem all that hides from love, Every loneliness, Every pain. Do you hope, Do you pray or have you snatched your hopes away? Do you long to be loved? Have you forgotten what you're made of? Does the song in your heart find a voice in your life? Can you let it open more? Can you let it open more? There is a love that knows no enemy, No boundaries, No walls. There is a heart as vast as the universe, And it knows every day, Every fall. And that was my beloved friend Matthew Andrews from his album, Let It Open. Thank you friends and stay safe and well.

Reviews

Thank you. It was very helpful in easing my mind.