Hello,
Dear ones.
Welcome.
Today,
I invite you to be outside while you're listening to this audio.
And if you've got earbuds,
To only put one in so you can still hear the sounds around you.
And we'll keep our eyes open.
Beginning with a deep breath,
In through the nose and out through the nose.
I encourage you to stay with your breath.
As I introduce today's practice.
We will be connecting with our bodies through sensations.
And connecting with our environments through our senses.
Will pendulate slowly from one to the other.
I first learned a version of this from a somatic-experiencing practitioner,
My teacher Molly Carol May.
Which was a very helpful modality at the time for my highly sensing body.
In this experience,
The invitation,
Or my invitation for you.
Is to meet each moment without expectation.
And simply notice what's here.
As if you're in this human body and this particular place for the very first time.
Or for the very last time.
As always,
Everything is welcome.
Thoughts can be here.
Discomfort can be here.
Heavy hearts can be here.
Delight can be here.
Finally,
Remember that nothing needs to happen.
We trust this inherent connection is reorganizing something unseen as we remember our divine connection with all life.
We strengthen the practice of being present in our bodies and attuned to our environments.
So let's go into our practice.
Taking a few slower,
Deeper breaths.
In through the nose.
And out through the nose.
Making your exhale longer than the inhale.
Let's do one more like that together.
And exhaling.
And just letting the breath return to its natural rhythm.
And inviting your attention.
Inwards,
While keeping your eyes open,
If you're able.
And gently scan for a sensation in your body.
This could be a pressure.
A tightness,
Constriction.
A spaciousness,
A temperature.
A tingling or buzzing.
A numbness,
Nothing needs to change.
There's no right or wrong experience to be having.
You're simply noticing what's here.
And if thoughts arise,
They can be here.
I would invite you to return to your breath in that case.
Feeling your inhale and exhale from the inside.
And now turning your attention to the outside.
Inviting in.
.
.
A receptive state.
So your eyes can lean back.
As if they're resting further back in your head.
And then gently,
Very,
Very slowly.
Let your eyes and head move.
To take in your surroundings.
Visually.
Go where your eyes are drawn.
But even slower.
And there's no rhyme or reason,
We're just listening to instinct,
To your body's natural inclination.
As you're looking around.
With a new sense of curiosity.
As you're exploring here.
I'll remind you of your breath,
Not to change it.
But are you still aware of it?
As you're looking around.
Perhaps you're noticing.
Light.
Or shadow.
Movement.
Or stillness.
And now,
Especially if you're in a familiar place,
Really let your eyes soak in a detail.
You might have never noticed before.
One detail,
Whether near or far.
Again,
As if you're seeing this scene for the very first time.
Or imagining you have one full minute to soak in some item or plant or being and then you'll get to try it without looking.
Kind of soaking in with that level.
Just one,
Just one detail.
Your eyes can relax from that focus.
Turn to soaking in the wider view once again.
As we return.
Inside.
With our attention.
Once again,
Without changing it.
Can you feel yourself breathing?
And I invite you to notice a sensation in the body.
You can return to your first one and see if it has shifted.
Or comb through for another.
You might feel something in your muscles.
Tenderness.
Soreness.
Constriction.
You might feel something on your skin.
Warmth from the sun.
Coolness from the air.
The touch of a breeze.
And itch.
You might feel something from an organ.
Like hunger,
Upholstering.
Fullness.
Darsha And if this feels tricky for anyone,
You're always invited to explore where your body is making contact with the surface.
If you're sitting,
That could be your seat.
Or your feet,
If they're on the ground,
An arm resting somewhere.
Notice what does that contact feel like?
Where is the pressure?
And we'll pendulate our attention again to the outside.
Your eyes can stay relaxed and open.
And we'll turn our attentions to our ears.
What sounds are you hearing?
Inviting your ears to be 1% more attuned,
Just 1%.
More present.
There's no need to identify or label what you're hearing,
But can you distinguish the sounds?
What does it feel like?
To have these sounds wash over you.
Without changing it.
Are you aware of your breathing?
As you listen to the sounds around you.
Can take a minute and sense for.
An internal sensation.
Now I invite you to rub your fingertips together gently.
With childlike curiosity.
If you're not looking at them directly,
How do you know?
You're touching your fingers.
What does it feel like?
From the inside.
Again,
You don't need word descriptions.
Just notice.
The sensations you're experiencing.
It might play with pressure.
Or different rhythms of touch.
Now reach out and touch a texture nearby.
Placing all of your attention on your fingertips.
Inviting in 1% more presence there.
Calling in fingertip eyes.
What does this texture feel like?
You might explore another texture or item.
Notice what that feels like.
And as you're experiencing these textures,
Can you feel yourself breathing?
Again,
Without changing it.
We'll return to the breath.
Here and now.
Let's do a deep breath together.
So we close our practice.
Inhaling through the nose.
And exhaling through the nose.
Allowing some stillness.
As your body integrates.
This experience.
You can weave this practice into your days.
I refer to it as inside-outside in my mind.
So you're slowly going back and forth.
Identifying a sensation within your body.
And then sensing into your environment through one of your senses.
And as with most of the practices I share,
The purpose is not an immediate change or relief.
The purpose is to practice noticing what's here.
To practice being with sensations without judgment.
And to practice connecting with our environments.
Through our senses,
In our physical bodies.
These vibrant,
Sacred vessels that can attune to inherent wisdom when we are not distracting them.
And weaving this practice through your ordinary days can be transformational to one's nervous system.
60 seconds while sitting in a car before you go into work.
Or pausing for five minutes before you drive home.
It was through continual practice across years that I experienced tangible change in my physiology.
And by practicing,
When you're feeling grounded and resourced,
While it might feel boring or slow,
You'll be all the more likely to turn to this tool in moments when you feel activated.
Can you pause and listen for two sounds when you're beginning to feel overwhelmed?
Or can you pause and identify one sensation?
In your body.
When you begin to feel irritated.
At a driver going a different speed than you.
Sensation precedes emotion.
And so this practice of noticing the sensation and experiencing it can absolutely rewire your physiology.
Again,
I always turn folks to Irene Lyon if you want to go deeper there.
So whatever feels right for you going forward,
I thank you for being here today.
Truly.
You are cultivating such an important way.
Of being.
Your curiosity,
Your willingness to be with and experience what's here now?
Your paws into stillness,
Where you can hear God.
The ripples reach farther than you'll ever know.
So thank you.
May you go well and rooted into your day.
