The Gift Of Stillness

Join Selena for this deeply nourishing practice recorded from a live session. Through chanting, breath, and the spaciousness of silence, we return to the place within that needs nothing and find everything already there. Please note: This practice is deeply relaxing, so please do not listen while driving or operating machinery.

Transcript

So today we're going to begin with the centering technique, Which many of you are familiar with. We'll then move into chanting the sound Aum. Although many of us think of Aum as belonging to different religions, We could consider that the sound Aum is the primordial sound in creation. It is the sound, The vibration that is within everything. So it doesn't belong to any one tradition. It is this vibration of creation itself. And when we chant the sound Aum spiritually, We may feel more of a connection of our oneness with others, With all of life. It can take us into deep states of silence and stillness within, Going beyond the agitation of the mind, Body and emotions. And physiologically, It helps to activate the vagus nerve, And in turn, Really activating the parasympathetic nervous system, Which the vagus nerve is part of, To help us have this experience of greater peace and relaxation and well-being. And of course, There are other benefits as well. So we will practice the centering technique. We'll chant Aum together. We'll move into a little breathing technique together, Spend some time in silence, And then complete our session. So I invite you to find a seated position, If possible, That allows you to sit tall. Maybe your feet are on the floor and you feel that connection of being rooted, Or maybe the feet are tucked underneath you if you're sitting. Let's take the fingertips to the shoulders. And of course, If you can't move your body, You can always visualize the movements that we practice together. Let's roll one elbow and shoulder up, Back and down. So it really, Oops, Sorry, Little sweeties, Opens the shoulder and then the other one. So up, Back and down. Great. So we have this openness now across the chest a little more. You're welcome to do this a couple of times if it's helpful. Feel the space more open. Relax the shoulders back and down. Sit tall. Chin is just slightly tucked, So the back of the neck is long. This allows that energy to flow freely up and down the central channel. This, Yes. Palms touch at the heart. We'll move into the centering technique, This ancient yoga technique that helps us to come into greater balance and alignment, Which benefits all of our experience, Mental, Emotional, Physical. Let's take a deep breath in. Exhale completely. Oh, Let's take another deep breath in. Exhale completely. And now we'll inhale as we reach the right hand all the way up through the midline. The left hand comes down by the navel, But all the fingers point up toward the sky. And now we exhale really slowly and move the arms slowly to come back to the heart where the palms touch. Inhale, Left hand all the way up, Right hand comes down, All the fingers point up, Maybe straighten the upper arm. Exhale slowly. Take your time to come to the heart. Inhale, Right hand up, Left hand by navel. Open the chest. Exhale slowly. Take your time. Palms touch. Close the eyes. Allow the hands to rest on the lap, Maybe with the palms facing upward. Find the shoulders dropping back and down again. The spine lengthens up toward the sky. Feel the fullness of the breath. Deepen the breath. And now we'll chant the sound Aum 16 times. I will count so you can just relax into the experience. Your chanting may be longer or shorter than mine. That's perfectly okay. Just allow yourself to be in the experience. There's no one right way to chant. However, For today, I invite you to open your mouth so that you're really creating this space for greater resonance of the sound. And if it's possible, I invite you to chant with more power, More volume in your voice. This creates even more of this vibration in the physicality of the sound. The louder we chant, And it can also help to take us out of the distraction of the mind and into the present moment experience of the chanting. Again, I will count. I invite you to give yourself fully to this experience. Let's take a deep breath in and a full breath out. And we'll inhale to begin. Inhale deeply. Ah. The breath is relaxed and natural. Just dissolve into the stillness. If the mind is wandering, It's okay. Gently guide it back to feeling the sensations of the breath. Follow the inhale and the exhale. The thoughts are like clouds that pass through the air. The thoughts are like clouds that pass through the sky. We can allow them to pass through our awareness one by one. Become aware of the breath. We'll now take a shorter breath in through the nostrils, If possible. We'll pause and hold the breath. And then allow a long exhalation out through the mouth. So take a full breath in. And a full breath out. And now through the nose, Inhale a short breath, Just a couple of seconds. Pause and hold the breath. Relax the shoulders, The face. And now through the mouth, Exhale long, Slow breath. Inhale a short breath through the nostrils. Pause, Hold. Exhale, Long breath out the mouth. Inhale through the nose. Hold. Exhale through the mouth. Hold. Three more rounds of breath like this. Inhale. Hold. Breathe naturally. Allow yourself to be still. Body is relaxed at the same time. Sense the body breathing. Feel the body supported by whatever is beneath you, Behind you. And deepen the breath, Welcoming this breath of life. Very slowly move the fingers, The toes. Slowly move any part of the body that it feels nourishing to move, To stretch. Move the spine, The head, And the neck. Maybe open and close the mouth a few times. Release the jaw. Gently massage the body. Maybe you just caress down the arms or caress the face or maybe massage the jaw, The forehead. Offer some loving, Gentle touch to your physical body. Maybe you rub some circles on the center of your chest, The heart center, Maybe the belly, The solar plexus. Take all the time you need. And when you feel ready, Slowly open the eyes.