This practice I call the boditation is a way of cultivating body awareness,
Imbued with a sense of curiosity and kindness towards oneself.
You may find it beneficial as a way of relieving everyday stress,
Or perhaps even as a gateway to sleep,
In which case maybe the term,
Meditation,
Is even more appropriate.
My suggestion is to lie down on a supportive but soft surface,
With the legs folded in so the knees are pointing upwards,
With the hands folded across the belly,
Maybe at the base of the ribs and the elbows resting on the floor.
And the head gently supported so that it's not falling back.
And the suggestion is to use a paper back,
Or two,
Or even three.
But either way to make sure that the head is slightly higher,
Potentially,
Than the rest of the spine,
So that it leads the way,
And the rest of the spine follows its natural curves.
Of course,
This practice can also be done sitting or even standing.
So as I ring the gong now to begin,
Please assume whatever position you choose.
And let that movement into that posture be a stepping into bodily awareness from the outset.
And now in whatever position you find yourself,
Please allow the weight of your body to give a little to the floor,
Turning towards the feeling of feeling grounded and supported.
And noticing the rhythm of the breath,
Perhaps becoming aware of where and how you find the breath most apparent.
Not changing anything about the way you are breathing,
But simply noticing how the cool air comes in through the nose or the mouth,
And the chest inflates,
And the belly softens,
And the ribcage gives as you exhale.
And with a gentle touch,
Staying in contact with that very felt sense of breathing,
And opening to these words by Jane Hirschfield as an aspiration for our practice.
A poem called Within This Tree.
Within this tree,
Another tree inhabits the same body.
Within this stone,
Another stone rests.
Its many shades of grey the same.
Its identical surface and weight.
Within my body,
Another body,
Whose history waiting sings.
There is no other body,
It sings.
There is no other world.
And having absorbed these words and letting them rest and drift away,
Turning the attention to the breath again.
And with the next exhale,
Please let your awareness sweep down from wherever you've been feeling that breath,
Down through the body,
Through the pelvic area,
The left thigh,
Down towards your left foot.
And allow it to rest there.
Noticing.
Noticing the temperature of the foot.
Whether it's possible to feel the individual toes.
Does the inside of your left foot have a texture?
And having asked the questions,
Pointed towards sensations,
Knowing that it is also perfectly natural and acceptable to feel nothing at all.
So it may be that there is a lack of awareness,
But ask whatever you find to be with that right now.
And still with a light connection to the breath flowing in and out,
Allowing the awareness now to drip up the left leg towards the calf.
Just noticing,
Being in the calf.
And further on up the road,
There is the left knee.
What is to be found there?
And noticing also commentary that may arise in the mind in relation to any body part you encounter.
Thoughts,
Feelings about the body part or how you relate to it.
And these may be seemingly positive or negative.
And ask us to notice without getting engaged in that thought process.
But to let the thoughts come and go.
Above the left knee is the thigh.
And above the left thigh,
The left hip.
Whether you are lying down or sitting,
You may feel your pelvis.
Resting on the floor.
Sitting in a chair.
The sacrum balanced.
Is it possible to rest the attention now?
Where the hips end and the floor begins.
And now with the next exhale,
Inviting an awareness of the right foot.
The toes.
The heel.
The inside of your right ankle.
At what point does your right ankle become your lower leg?
The shin,
The right calf.
What is your experience of your right knee right now?
And the right thigh.
What is to be found there?
And again,
Noticing any responses in the spectrum of the mind to what is encountered in the body.
The right hip is another doorway into the pelvic area.
The pelvis from which the spine extends.
Either along the floor.
Upwards towards the sky.
Following its natural curves.
Balancing.
Resting.
Allowing the belly to soften.
Allowing the rib cage to give with every exhale.
Noticing the weight of the shoulder blades resting on the floor.
Or how they gently lift as you inhale and sink down as you exhale.
And exhaling now into the left hand.
Noticing its weight.
Its temperature.
And how it makes contact wherever it's resting.
The left wrist.
The forearm.
The elbow.
And slowly drifting up towards the left shoulder.
Then gently guiding the awareness across the upper back.
And further across.
Sweeping down the right arm.
Sensing the fingers.
Noticing sensations again.
Tingling.
Temperature.
Or the lack of sensations.
The wrist.
The forearm and the elbow.
The right upper arm.
Perhaps it's possible to notice how whatever it is that you are wearing touches the skin.
Perhaps brushes along the skin.
As the breath moves in and out.
The right shoulder.
The lower back.
The back of the neck.
And how it connects into the base of the head.
Then feeling the weight of the head as it rests and gives either to the floor.
Or as it balances.
Bringing awareness now to the facial area.
The jaw.
Inviting a softening.
An opening.
A release.
The cheeks.
And the eyes.
Soft eyes.
And likewise inviting softness into the space between the eyes.
The eyebrows and the forehead.
The ears.
Open.
Receptive.
Opening to sounds in environment.
And with that sense.
Bringing awareness of where you are right now.
Your present moment situation.
And how you are right now.
Can I be with this?
Can I be with this body?
Can I be with this world?
For just this breath.
And this one.
And now to end the practice.
Seeing if it's possible to feel the entire body.
Sense a snapshot of your whole being.
Just as you find yourself.
Just where you find yourself.
Feeling the energy flow.
Their aliveness.
Resting in your energy center.
Wherever it is that you find it.
However it is that you find it.
Simply being.
Being yourself.
Being awake.
Being present.
And if possible,
Being kind.
Being you.
Being.
Being you.
