Mindfulness Qualities Series: Practicing Acceptance

We typically cling to the pleasant and push away the unpleasant. What happens if we greet all experiences with acceptance, being with life as it is? In this meditation, we explore by noticing our initial reaction and then discover what there is to be found when we set aside our usual knee-jerk reaction and practice allowing life to unfold. Enjoy!

Transcript

Let's go ahead and begin. And first, Tending to body in a way that promotes gentleness to body and wakefulness to mind. And we'll walk through a seated posture recognizing you can meditate laying down, Sitting, Standing or walking. So in our seated posture, Placing your feet flat upon the floor, And it can be helpful to take your shoes off, Have that true felt sense of the floor through the soles of your feet. Feeling that support of the floor. And then determining does your back need support of the back of the chair or scooting forward a little and being seated unsupported. Either way, Inviting a rising up of spine from Danny Arguetty. Lid, Back, Neck. Up through the top of skull, A zipper. String is gently pulling upwards. Elongating spine towards sky. Perhaps a few gentle shoulder rolls, Loosening and lowering shoulders and torso. Arms draping down. And hands either comfortably resting upon dives or cupped within lap, Whichever you prefer in this moment. Inviting head to slide back atop spine and shoulders. Taking the burden off the muscles of the neck to support the head and letting your Mac support. Dividing jaw to loosen. Lips either gently touching or slightly parted, Whichever you prefer in this moment. And dies either opened or closed. They're open, Simply receiving the light through eyes, Not needing to look around. Or closed, Just letting lids lower in this moment. Bringing your attention to this felt experience of body seated here in this moment. Danny Arguetty. So bringing your attention down into toes and feet. Just noticing sensations found in toes and feet. Not needing to change or fix anything, Just becoming aware of sensations down in toes and feet. Then moving your attention now up into calves, Thighs and hips, Just noticing. What sensations are found in this region? Danny Arguetty. Ribs and mid back and chest and upper back. Just becoming aware of sensations noticed within torso. Danny Arguetty. Forearms and hands. Just noticing sensations found within arms and hands. Danny Arguetty. Sides, Around the face. All the way up to crown. Just noticing sensations found within the region of head. Now having tended to body in a kind, Gentle way, Turning your attention to the physical sensations of body breathing. Perhaps feeling the rise and fall of chest and belly. And the movement of air through nose or mouth. Not having to change or manipulate the breath, Simply feeling, Body, Breathing. My breath. Moment. I love it. With the inhale feeling that gentle expansion of body, Of torso. Perhaps noticing a pause at the end of inhale. Then a letting go. And the out breath. Coming in closely to this physical experience of body breathing in this moment. Letting that fill your attention. And at some point for each and every one of us, Whether this is your first time meditating or you've done it for a few decades, Like myself, It happens to all of us. Focus for drafts. Typically into some sort of thoughts, Maybe memories of the past or worries of the future. Just acknowledging that's okay. That's what our minds do. Share with us memories or Sorry. It doesn't mean you did anything wrong or failed at meditation. It is impossible to do this wrong. You just notice, Oh, Look, I've drifted away. And with gentleness and kindness, Coming back home once again to body breathing. We'll continue our exploration of the attitudes or characteristics of mindfulness. In past weeks, We explored suspending judgment and suspending striving. And today it's an exploration of accepting. You may notice over time that each of these qualities or characteristics really support each other. Accepting is this being with life as it is in this moment. And as always, The quickest way or the. The doorway into acceptance is noticing when we're fighting or pushing against something in this moment. So perhaps when we did the sweeping through body, There were some sensations of discomfort. I wanted to say what was my reaction to that discomfort? Or maybe in this moment in your location, There's a sound from the environment. It's like, Oh, That needs to go away. It's ruining my meditation. Maybe it's certain thoughts are showing up, Questioning, Doubting. I can't meditate with those thoughts. They have to go away. So the doorway into accepting is noticing what are we pushing away in this moment, Be it from inside or outside. Be it mind, Body, Or emotion. Typically it's something experienced as unpleasant, That we have a tendency of wishing it or pushing it away. So just notice what might you be pushing away from your immediate experience in this moment. Bringing a gentleness, A kindness into noticing this. Tendency to push away. Noticing that. The thing itself and the tendency to want to push it away. And what would it be like in this moment to allow this? Experience to simply be as it is. So sometimes we use the word allowing instead of acceptance. Acceptance isn't liking something which is unpleasant. It's simply allowing it to be within our experience. Just acknowledging the presence of this discomfort or noise or thought as it is. Making space for it. Like, Okay, I see ya, I hear ya. Let's just hang out together for a moment. Like to just let this. Saying this phenomenon be present in this moment as it is. Always having the option of body breathing to come back home once again to resettle, Reground, Refocus. What do I start to discover about this unpleasantness in this moment? Myself and relationship with this unpleasantness when I allow it to simply be. Maybe I find that letting go of the fight creates a reserve of energy to apply in another way. Maybe I have a deeper resiliency that I didn't give myself credit for. Maybe I'm stronger than I believe myself to be by just letting this unpleasantness Be present, Just hang it out, Allowing this moment to be as it is. And maybe like all phenomenon, I noticed that this unpleasantness shifts, Changes, Maybe even fades away. Inviting myself, Even after this meditation ends, To have moments where I bring acceptance, Allowing into my day, Especially when I sense a struggle or pushing back. Just another option to invite accepting and allowing into the moment. What is there to be discovered when I practice this quality of mindfulness? Coming back to body breathing once again, Always an option at any time during the day to resettle, Reground, Refocus. Opening eyes, If they were closed, Inviting into light and surroundings. Maybe a little gentle stretch. Movement as a way of transitioning back from being mode into doing mode. But doing mode in a little bit different way, A little more present and engaged. So thank you all and may you be well. Goodbye now.