The Body as a Cathedral Meditation.
In this meditation,
We're going to reflect on the body as a structure,
Like a cathedral that lets in air and light from a solid foundation,
With curves and lines forming arches that allow for space and openness.
To begin,
I invite you to find your posture,
Sitting in a chair or on the floor,
Whatever is most comfortable for you.
Take a moment to close your eyes,
Settle into your body,
And now take three slow,
Deep breaths.
Notice what it's like to be in the body in this moment in time.
Give yourself permission to be fully here for the next few minutes,
Without the need to check anything,
Think about anything,
Or do anything.
You are fully here.
Now reflect on the image of a cathedral.
Perhaps there's a particular cathedral that comes into your mind's eye,
One that you've visited or that you'd like to visit,
One that has particular significance to you.
See the structure of the cathedral,
Its solid foundation,
The body of the cathedral,
And the image of the steeple rising up into the sky.
See how this image is reflected in your own body.
At the base of our body,
We have a strong foundation that can hold the rest of the structure of this tall,
Dignified position that reaches high into the sky.
Our head is like the steeple,
Reaching towards the stars.
Our bones provide the structure that holds us firm to the earth while soaring to the sky.
In between the bones,
The scaffolding,
There's a lot of space,
And in that space is room for the organs of our body,
The movement of the fluids,
The movement of air.
A cathedral,
Like our body,
Relies on the combination of curves and lines to be a solid structure that allows for space and light to flow through.
The combination of curves and lines creates arches.
In this meditation,
I invite you to feel into your body and sense these different elements.
Start with feeling the foundation of your body,
Rooted to the earth.
If it feels wobbly in any way,
Just make any adjustments so you can feel that deep connection,
The solid foundation.
Now,
Bring awareness to the curves and the lines of your body.
The most important line of the body is the line of the spine,
The central axis.
Become aware of the line from the base of your spine all the way up to the crown of your head.
Notice how important this line of the body is.
But also notice,
From a side angle,
The curves of the spine,
The natural arches that create space and support.
Now that we've started with the foundation and the central axis holding the body up,
Let's bring awareness to the arches.
Start with feeling the arches within the hands,
Whether they're folded gently in the lap,
Or palms down on the thighs,
Or resting elsewhere.
Feel the space in the palms of the hands.
Where else are there arches in the body?
Notice the belly and the pelvic area.
Feel into the space as it expands with each inhale and relaxes with each exhale,
Making space.
Observe the arches of the ribcage and the lungs.
Observe the movement and expansion with each breath.
Bring awareness to the head.
Feel the space of the skull that holds the brain.
Feel into the soft palate of the mouth,
The orbits of the eyes.
As you meditate on the space,
The arches of the body,
Notice how awareness itself expands the feeling of space.
Take some time to explore this concept and this experience in the body for as long as you'd like,
Resting in stillness,
Resting in awareness of the breath,
Resting in awareness of space in the body that's made possible by the arches,
The different parts of the body.
We tend to live in a state of contraction in the body and the mind as we go through our daily lives.
We forget to make space.
We forget how to make space or how to be connected to the space.
When we open space in the body,
We remember what it is to feel more open,
More relaxed,
More alive,
And more ourselves.
This helps us shift from being in a state where there is not enough to a state of receiving and openness.
So take a few more breaths here,
Feeling the space you've created.
Try this meditation and see how it feels to open up space in your body and in your life as you go throughout the rest of your day.
Reflect on the image of your body as a cathedral as you go throughout the day today.
What is it like to be more open to possibility,
Like the air and the light of the cathedral that flows through?
Let your imagination do this work for you.
Enjoy your day and see what opens up for you through this meditation.
And when you're ready,
Gently open your eyes.
