Liberation Through Experiences

A meditation which is guided throughout and has extended periods of explorative silence towards the end.

We start at the point where the breath and awareness meet each other. From there, we look for sensations which have the "taste of freedom" and then move towards open awareness. Finally, we explore the notion of "you having an experience".

Transcript

If you're set up in your posture, Just feel free to take three deep breaths. This is one of my favorite practices, Supporting a pause, Bringing in space, Like literally into the body with the air that we breathe, Creating expansion, And then as we breathe out, Feeling that dropping down of the weight of the body into the ground, Encouraging any places of holding, Tension, Contracting to soften and release, And then returning the breath to its natural rhythm, And gently inviting the awareness down into the points of contact with the ground, Firstly, Just noticing what it's like to be held, Supported, And then slowly beginning to open to the sensations here, Pressure, Warmth, Tingling, Numbness with each out breath, Just inviting a little bit more dropping down and surrendering to the ground, And the qualities of the earth, The stillness, Sense of safety, Support. Even here, We can start to begin to get curious about the simultaneity of the three bodies, So we have the physical body, Contacting the body of the earth, And we have sensations where that contact is happening, So there's energy here, Mutuality, And if we drop the idea of body and earth, What's left? Just sensations, Dancing, Moving, Changing. From here, We can begin to open to the rest of the body. If you're sitting up, Just noticing the body naturally rising towards the sky and expanding into space. You're laying down the whole front of the body, Softening into infinite space, Above and all around. Again, Here we can just see what it's like to soften our ideas of the boundaries of the physical body, Allowing awareness to stretch into space. Opening to sounds here can help. So here we are, Held by the earth, A physical body in space, And so much more. There's an invitation now to begin to connect with the breathing body, And in particular, The body of the breath, The shape of air coming and going, Bringing a natural expansion and contraction of each breath, Allowing the breath to bring awareness more and more deeply into the body, And all the various sensations coming and going as we breathe, Becoming more present and available, More here and with the breath. And again, Here we can get curious about the mutuality of breathing, The way it connects us with the whole living, Breathing planet, The way the breath brings energy and aliveness into the body. That's not separate from the aliveness outside the body. There's an invitation now to just begin to get curious about any sensations in the body that have the taste of freedom. Sensations where there might be a sense of energy flowing, Tension softening, Expansion or warmth, Maybe even a sense of color or light in the visual field. And if there's anything like that happening, The invitation is to just dwell with those sensations, Even allow yourself to enjoy them, Invite them to grow and spread across the whole body. Noticing any ease or sense of peace and okayness that might flow from this dwelling. Just seeing if we can really allow and give space to whatever's here, This energy moving through us, Without trying to squash anything or rush it along, Or make it last. There is a deeper sense of okayness here. Just if we can also invite that to fill the whole of our body from head to toe, Front to back, Side to side. Really allowing it to resource and nourish us just now. Just noticing any stillness of body and mind that might be emerging as we settle. And if there's anything happening right now that's difficult to be with, Resistance or aversion, Fantasizing, Shutting down, Dissociating, Then the invitation is just to see if we can stay with the body. Unhook from any storyline that we might have about what's happening. Notice any places of contraction or holding and just invite that to be fully felt and to move through us. Doing any resourcing that you know could support you here, Self-touch, Deeper breaths, Reconnecting with the ground, Bringing in some metta. So feel free to keep working in any way that's feeling generative and creative just now. And there's also an invitation to begin to open out the awareness, To include the whole body breathing and all of what's coming and going in the six senses. You could even open the eyes, Maintaining a soft focus if you want to try that. So here we're really trying on the practice of radical inclusivity, Welcoming all of what's coming and going in awareness and allowing it to be as it is. Body and mind completely open, Receptive, Curious. One traditional metaphor for this is that it's a bit like you're sitting on a beach, Looking out at the expanse of water and all the different waves coming and going, Forming, Dissolving. So it's a bit like all of what's coming and going in the six senses are like those waves rising out of the ocean of awareness and dissolving back into it in their own time, In their own way. And we're just witnessing all of that. We don't have to interfere with anything. Simply allowing all the pores of the skin totally open, Receiving the felt sense of being here. All the senses, Eyes, Ear, Nose, Mouth, Open, Receptive. The whole of the physical body like this diaphanous, Ever-changing cloud of sensations and the mind completely open, Thoughts arising and passing like bubbles on the surface of the sea, Foamy, Always changing. So if things have started to get a bit stale or rigid, Just feel free to give the body a little shake. And then return to this open space of awareness. And then if there's any sensations, Thoughts or emotions that are particularly persistent, Seem to be wanting your attention. Another metaphor you can use is imagining that they're a bit like cows in a field and you're just giving them this really big, Wide open, Grassy field to roam around in. So again, Nothing to do with them, Just let them get on with whatever it is that they're doing. Big, Open, Spacious field. If there's any idea of separation from your experience right now, The idea that there's a you having an experience, The invitation is to just see what it would be like to let that idea drop. Like a curtain dropping. And just see what gets revealed. So there's an invitation here to just get curious about the qualities of this awareness, Which we aren't separate from. Just noticing its boundarylessness, How it's completely open, Limitless, Unbiased. Noticing the clarity with which everything that can be perceived is known directly, Seen as it is. And the awareness is deeply sensitive. Fully feeling all of what's here. The moment it begins to arise through its life cycle and as it begins to dissolve. So there's an invitation now to just notice what it would be like to shift into more of a connection to the awareness rather than what's coming and going in the awareness. Resting back fully in this awareness that is fundamental to our true nature. Totally open, Clear and sensitive. There's an invitation to just begin to take a few deeper breaths. Coming back to closer connections, Whatever it is that you've been sitting or lying on, Feeling the support of the ground. Start to wiggle fingers and toes. Wrists and ankles. Rotating the head. Stretching the neck. Stretching arms and legs.