What follows in this guided meditation is a practice in the truest sense of the word.
We often expect our yoga and mindfulness techniques to come to fruition while we are on the mat or the cushion.
However a practice is really something that we do as a training for something else.
In the case of this recording we are training up composure.
Whether you are confronted by a challenging event or a triggering conversation,
The prompts in this meditation can bring forward a more responsive rather than reactive inner attitude.
That way your next move doesn't compound the situation.
The setting for this guided practice is Sphinx pose chosen for being a relatively gentle although not entirely neutral shape.
Postures can help us to approximate uncomfortable situations so that we can practice how to respond to them.
Start by lying on your belly while propping yourself up on your elbows.
This posture creates a bit of compression in the lower back by design.
We're looking for gentle sensation that you can sustain for a time so it isn't necessary or desirable right now to do a deeper back bend.
You may be tempted to do seal pose but I encourage you to resist that urge and settle into something that you can sustain.
If the sensation in the low back is too strong you can bring your elbows a little more forward so your torso is closer to the floor.
You're welcome to hold your forehead or chin in your hands in order to support the weight of your head.
For those with low back issues,
You might find it supportive to engage the abdominal muscles a little bit to create a container of support for your condition.
You might be able to relax the abdomen over time but you can also maintain this engagement through our time here.
Another option is to suggest the pose by lowering the torso to the floor and resting your head on your hands.
Once you are settled,
Try to release any unnecessary tension or holding in the body.
You can close your eyes and let your legs roll to the side naturally.
Remember that you don't have to hold this shape for as long as the meditation.
You can always lower your torso down and rest on your belly.
Begin to notice how your body feels in this moment.
What do you notice first?
What aspect of your body-based experience is your mind drawn to right now?
Look more closely at the sensation that's attracting your attention.
How strong is it?
Where are you in your relationship to your edge?
Does it feel like the sensation is increasing or decreasing?
Go right into the nucleus of this sensation and notice if it's steady or does it feel like it's moving in some way?
Notice how you feel about this sensation.
Is it pleasant or unpleasant?
Do you find yourself wishing that it would go away or is it okay for now?
Do you find yourself longing to change something about this moment right now?
What's it like for you to stay here in this shape,
Staying with this feeling?
Now take a slow,
Deep breath,
Completely filling your lungs with breath.
When your lungs are full,
Pause for a few beats,
Holding the breath in.
Then very slowly allow the breath to flow out of your body through your nose.
We'll do this one more time together.
Slow steady breath in with a pause at the top of the breath and then a slow steady release.
What's happening in your body now?
It's changed,
If anything.
How do you feel towards the sensations in the body now?
Now widen your field of awareness to notice what else is happening in your body.
Are there other sensations?
Notice any neutral sensations like the temperature of the room on your skin or the feeling of the surface beneath your body.
Also notice the quiet areas in the body,
The areas that are free from sensation.
At this point,
You might open your eyes.
With a soft gaze,
Notice what's in your field of vision.
Take in the details,
Colors,
Shapes,
Areas of bright light,
And the shadows.
Notice what it's like to be present with that physical sensation along with this wide,
Spacious container.
The next time you breathe out,
Carefully lower yourself down to your belly.
You can rest your cheek on your hands or on the flat surface beneath you.
Now that you're in a neutral shape,
Reflect on what it was like being in Sphinx Pose.
In what ways were you adding to the moment rather than just experiencing it for what it was?
Did you have an underlying belief about the pose that you brought with you?
Maybe a past experience of being in the pose?
How might these mental additions have shaped your experience of the pose?
And what's it like right now in your body?
How are you relating to your experience of this moment?
Taking your time,
Press through all fours and back into Child's Pose in order to stretch the low back after the long compression.
Stay here for as long as you like.
When you're ready to move,
Go slowly and remain watchful of how your body responds to the movement and how that affects your heart-mind.
