Embodiment And Gratitude Meditation
It is so easy to find all the things we don't like about our bodies; how they look, how they feel, how they don't work the way they once did. This meditation, asks you to focus on each part of your body, acknowledge how it feels physically and emotionally, and thank it.
Transcript
Welcome to today's meditation.
Today we are going to breathe together.
We are going to scan our bodies.
We are going to be present in this moment.
So let us find a seat where we are comfortable,
Either on the ground or on a cushion or in a chair.
If you're in a chair,
Make sure that your feet are firmly on the ground,
Flat,
Not crossed in front of you.
And sit up straight with your head held high as if a thread is pulling it up towards the ceiling.
Then you may close your eyes or look gently ahead of you or keep them open,
Whatever makes you feel comfortable in this instance.
Place your hands on your lap in a way that is comfortable and not distracting.
There are no rules here,
Just to be present and comfortable in this moment.
Now we're going to start by focusing on our breath.
To breathe normally.
You don't need to change the way you're breathing,
Just focus on it.
As you breathe in,
Perhaps there is a place in which you feel it more.
Perhaps you feel it in your nostrils.
You feel it in your chest or your stomach as your diaphragm expands and contracts.
Just continue to breathe in and out,
Focusing on that breath and that place in your body where you feel it most.
Focusing on that spot.
Now as we continue to sit here,
Continue to try to be present here in this moment,
Not worrying about things that have happened and things that have not happened.
I know that this can be difficult for many,
And so as we sit,
Continuing to breathe,
And as thoughts come up for you,
Thoughts of things that need to be done or things that have been done wrong or right,
Just acknowledge them.
We're not trying to clear our brain of thoughts.
We're just trying to be present in this moment.
Because in this moment is the only time in which we have actual control over.
A great teacher,
Thich Nhat Hanh says.
So breathe in,
And as those thoughts come up,
Acknowledge them and then let them go.
If you were thinking about what needs to be made for dinner later today,
Don't follow it down a rabbit hole.
Don't think of that list of ingredients.
Just think,
Tomorrow,
Today,
I need to make dinner.
And then let the thought float away like a leaf in the breeze.
As those thoughts become too much,
Focus back on that part of your body where you feel your breath.
You feel the breath coming in,
Perhaps in your nostrils,
Filling your lungs,
Perhaps through your chest,
Moving up and down.
Spend a moment acknowledging thoughts and letting them go.
Let your thoughts float away on the breeze.
Remember,
You can always come back to the breath.
Now we are going to do a body scan meditation.
It's where we focus on parts of our body,
Acknowledging them.
Today I want us to also thank them.
It's so easy in this world to point out all the ways which our bodies fail us.
Our sore backs,
Our extra pieces of skin,
The ways in which we are not able to interact with the world the way we did when we were younger,
Our weaknesses.
But today,
Let's focus on the good.
So we are going to start in our feet,
Those things that keep us firmly planted to this earth.
Feel your feet.
How do they feel right now?
Are they sore from walking all day,
Standing at work?
Perhaps they are soft.
Feel pampered from a pedicure.
Maybe they are tingling.
Let us,
As we focus on how our feet feel right in this moment,
Let's also express some gratitude for what they do for us.
Let's move up our legs,
Feeling our calves,
And then our knees,
And our quads,
And our hamstrings.
How do your legs feel today?
Are you feeling the air conditioning blow against them as you wear shorts today?
Are they hot in your stuffy pants that you must wear for work?
Are they sore from a workout?
Do you not merely acknowledge them at all?
Focus on them.
As we move up our bodies towards the base of our spines,
Our torsos,
How do we feel there?
What sensations are you feeling?
Are you feeling the hardness of the chair on the ground?
Perhaps your bladder is filling up a little bit and you wish you had gone to the bathroom before this meditation.
Acknowledge this,
The root of our spine,
Our torso,
Thanking it for all that it does.
Let's move up towards our stomachs.
How are we feeling?
How is your stomach feeling right now in this moment?
How are you feeling about your stomach?
Perhaps it's feeling a little uneasy after lunch.
Maybe it isn't the way,
The look,
The way which it would,
But in this moment,
In a non-judgmental way,
Thank your stomach,
Your belly,
Your midsection for all that does for you.
As we move up our torso,
You may feel your back,
Perhaps it is a little more creaky these days or sore.
Maybe you tweaked it from lifting something too heavy or sleeping funny.
Acknowledge your spine as the thing that carries your spinal cord,
Your nerves and signals throughout your body.
In this moment,
How does it feel?
Again,
Let's thank it for all it does.
As we move up our torso towards our chests,
What are we feeling now in this moment?
As they raise and lower as we breathe,
Perhaps we are also feeling our hearts beat.
Something in our chest.
Again,
In the non-judgmental way,
Let us thank all the parts of our bodies there.
And as we move up to our shoulders,
How do they feel in this moment?
Let's move down our arms,
Our biceps,
Our elbows,
Our forearms.
What do they feel like in this moment?
Moving to our hands,
How do they feel?
Perhaps there's some arthritis there.
Perhaps you are thankful for all they do,
The things that they can create,
Hold,
Or manipulate.
Let's again,
Non-judgmentally,
Thank our arms and hands for all that they do.
Moving back to the center of our bodies,
Let's move to our necks,
Our throats.
As the air moves through it,
As we breathe,
This house is our voice box.
The ways in which we can communicate with our fellow people.
How does it feel?
Perhaps it's sore.
Perhaps it's thirsty.
Let's thank it here in this moment.
Let's move up our heads to our faces,
Our mouths,
Our nose.
Those things in which our breath comes in,
How do they feel?
Again,
Let's thank them for all that they do.
Let's move to our eyes,
Those in which we can see the wonderful creation around us,
The people in our lives,
The beautiful things that are made.
How do they feel at this moment?
Let's move to our ears.
How do they feel?
Those things that listen.
Perhaps they're getting warm in the summer heat.
Perhaps you have headphones in right now and they're feeling a little tired.
Again,
Let's thank them for what they provide for us.
Let's move to the top of our heads.
What do we feel in this moment?
Do we feel the sun shining down on them or air conditioning blowing over them?
Perhaps we feel some sweat in this heat building up within our hairline.
Perhaps we have no hairline at all and so we feel everything on our scalps.
And as our energy moves from our feet up through our bodies and out through the tops of our heads,
Let's take a moment to acknowledge the energy in which we put out in the world through those things.
Let's take a moment to breathe,
To feel our bodies.
In this moment,
If there is a spot of your body,
A part of your body that felt like it needs to be focused on a little bit more,
Spend some time now feeling it exactly in this moment.
Now as we come towards the end and finish up our meditation,
Let's begin to wiggle our fingers,
Move our feet,
To loosen up that body that we have just focused on.
And as you are ready,
You may slowly open your eyes,
Gaze ahead of you.
As you go forth into this world,
Let us continue to remember that our bodies are amazing things.
And that though it is easy to hate on them,
To be mad about them,
To criticize them,
They are things that allow you to interact with all that we have.
Friends,
Thank you for your practice.
