Curiosity practice.
You can use this meditation to hone your curiosity muscles.
It is said that curiosity will conquer fear even more than bravery will.
So sitting or standing or lying down in a comfortable position.
Begin by checking in with your body.
Simply asking the question,
How does it feel in my body right now?
As you check in,
Seeing if you can find one or two words that describe how you're feeling.
Relaxed,
Tense,
Peaceful,
Anxious.
There's no need to struggle to find the perfect word or words.
Simply tuning into how you're feeling.
And then get a sense of it by rating on a scale where zero is relaxed and feeling a sense of expansion in the body.
And ten is tight,
Tense,
Feeling contracted in the body.
What number best represents how it is for you now?
Letting thoughts be in the background and exploring with an open and curious awareness.
Just seeing if you can get a sense.
Recognizing what you're feeling and letting it be however it is.
Now let's take three deep intentional breaths together.
If you're noticing any tightness or tension,
You might imagine breathing into the area where you feel this tightness or tension.
Holding the breath there and breathing out from that area.
So first breath now,
Breathing in,
Holding,
And letting go,
Releasing.
Second breath in,
Imagine breathing into where you're feeling the tightness,
Holding it there,
And exhaling,
Letting go.
Last breath in,
And letting go.
And what's here now?
Just seeing,
Recognizing,
And finding a sensation to focus on to explore with curiosity.
Scanning through the body,
It might be an area of tightness or perhaps a sense of coolness or warmth or heaviness,
Tingling or pressure.
And then zooming in on that area.
Where do you feel the sensation?
And seeing if you can tell if it's more to the right or the left side of the body or body part.
Is it stronger on the left or on the right?
And what sensations tell you this?
Is it more to the front of the body or the more to the back of the body?
Exploring with interest and curiosity.
Was it more on the right or more on the left?
If you're not sure,
You can make a guess.
And how does curiosity feel in the body?
How does it feel as you're curious about your experience?
Is it more expansive or is it more contracting?
And as you're ready,
Turning the focus of your attention to your hands.
Feeling the right hand,
Feeling the left hand.
Exploring,
Which hand is warmer?
Is the right hand warmer?
Is the left hand warmer?
Scanning the palms and the backs of the hands.
Letting your attention soak into the hands like water soaks into a dry sponge.
There's no need to think about it too much.
Simply sensing it moment by moment.
Was it the right hand or the left hand?
If you're not sure,
Just make a guess.
And seeing too,
How does curiosity feel in the body?
Is it more expansive or contracting?
Just notice.
And letting go of the focus on the hands.
And checking in with your body once again.
How does it feel in your body right now?
Is there any difference from when we started?
Rating again where zero is relaxed and expansive and ten is tight and contracted.
What do you notice?
No need to force anything,
Just seeing.
What's it like when you're curious about your experience?
Is there more contraction or more expansion?
As we drop out of thinking mind and into our direct experience,
We can let go of the thinking process associated with anxiety and craving,
Which often leads to tension and tightness in the body.
When we're present to sensation,
Interested and curious,
We invite a sense of expansion and openness.
You can play with this throughout the day when you notice craving or feeling anxious.
Bring a kind and curious attention to your experience,
Dropping into your body.
Play with curiosity and see what happens next.
This is the end of the practice.
