Zooming In And Out: Perspective Through Sensation

This practice invites you to explore the relationship between the wide view and the intimate view of your experience. We begin by noticing the world around us, the room, the sounds, the temperature, and then slowly begin to zoom in. Through the body. Through the breath. All the way down into the most subtle layer of sensation available to you.

When we learn to shift our perspective between the macro and the micro, we develop the ability to meet ourselves with more presence, more awareness, and more compassion in everyday life.

No experience necessary. All you need is a willingness to notice.

Transcript

Hi everybody, My name is Victoria and today I'll be guiding you through a practice that invites you to move your awareness from the wide, Expansive view of your experience all the way down into the most intimate, Subtle layer of sensation in your body. We're going from the macro to the micro. Let's go ahead and get started. Wherever you are right now, Whether you're seated, Lying down, On a break, On the floor, On a chair. Just allow yourself to arrive here. Nothing that needs to be changed about your position or where you are. Just allow yourself to fully settle into the here and now. And as we begin to settle into our bodies, Take one deep inhale through the nostrils. Exhale, Sigh it out. For today's practice, We'll start with the eyes open. Start by noticing where you are. Noticing the space around you Noticing the colors, Textures, Sounds. The temperature of the air. This is the macro, The wide lens, Everything at once. Take the moment to receive all of the feedback from the environment around you. Collectively, We'll take a deep inhale through the nostrils. Expanse of exhale, Sigh it out. And if it feels safe for you to close your eyes or soften your gaze, You can begin to do that now. Now we begin to zoom in. Very gently, Very slowly. Bring your awareness to your body as a whole. Noticing the pressure of your body against the earth. Noticing where your body meets the surface underneath you. And taking a moment to silently say to yourself, I am fully supported right now. Continuing to zoom in a little closer. Bringing your attention now to your torso. Your chest, Your belly. Noticing the rise and fall of your breath here. Not trying to control the breath and just letting it be. Being a gentle and kind observer. Nothing to be changed, Nothing to be done, Simply just watching. Notice your body breathing completely on its own. You don't need to tell her what to do. Your body doesn't need your permission or your effort. Breathe air into your nostrils. And allow for the air to come out. Can you sit with the breath just as it is in this moment? Continuing to zoom in a little further now. Bring your attention to your heart center. Your center for love and authenticity. Sitting right in the center of your chest. And if it feels good, Gently placing one hand on top of the heart. Can you feel your heartbeat? Perhaps you feel the warmth of your body emanating into your hand. Or perhaps you feel the weight of your hand resting against your sternum, Your chest. Take a moment, Just observing. Can you sit with your heartbeat just as it is? Just like the breath, Your heart doesn't need your effort or your permission to continue to beat. It simply beats. Continuing to zoom in a little further into the breath now. This invisible kind of life that constantly moves through us Noticing the temperature of the air as it comes in through the nose, Cool and fresh. And the temperature that comes out through the mouth or the nose, Warm, Releasing. Can you follow your breath all the way in? And notice where it lands. And again, Can you follow the exhale all the way out? Noticing the release. With each inhale, We create space, We expand, We take up more. We broaden. We widen our scope of view. With each exhale we shed. We let go and we release everything that no longer serves us so that we can, Again, Make space for more, For fresher, Newer air. That's the cycle. Fresh air comes in. You take up space, You expand. Warm old air goes out, Releases, Relaxes, And creates space for more. Just stay with the flow of the breath for a couple of seconds, Feeling it travel in and out of the body. Now we'll zoom in one final time to sensation. Pure sensation. Whatever it is that's coming up for you. Not really trying to attach yourselves to a thought or a narrative or story. Just feeling what's here in the body. What's coming up for you and your experience right now. Can you allow for sensation to be just as it is? Tingling heaviness lightness warmth pulsing stillness No need to change anything. Just feeling all of the sensations rushing through the body. Noticing the micro. The intimate, That subtle layer of ourselves that's always here. Waiting for us to get still enough to notice. When we take the time to zoom in this closely, We honor the intelligence that lives inside our bodies. Both the micro and the macro, Both your internal experience and your external. How you relate to yourself and how you relate to the world and others. Allowing for both of these experiences to coexist. The small with the big, The internal and the external. The in and the out. If you've closed your eyes or if you soften your gaze, Slowly beginning to come back to the surface. Meeting the world again through your senses. Reacclimating to the macro lens as we explored the micro. To ease us back into the outer external world. We'll take three rounds of communal breath. So if and when you're ready, We'll take a deep inhale through the nostrils. And exhale, Sigh it out. Two more times, We're going to breathe in. Exhale, Release. And again, Filling up the lungs all the way up to capacity. Taking up space. And full and cathartic exhale to empty the lungs, Letting it all go. Has been both an honor and a joy to guide you through this practice, My friends. I hope you all be and breathe well. I'll catch you next time. Take care.