Hello,
This is Sarah Weiss and welcome to the Embodied Wisdom Teachings.
This is a series of guided audio meditations that will teach you about Embodied Wisdom.
What is Embodied Wisdom?
Embodied Wisdom is the wisdom of the body and being present to the body.
The body is really a microcosm of the macrocosm.
Everything that you see in the outer cosmos is reflected in the inner cosmos,
As above so below.
And by learning to listen to your body,
Connect to your body,
Be present in your body,
You're open to an entirely new and exciting way of life.
The first guided audio meditation is called Full Body Breathing.
Now this meditation at first seems like a very simple meditation,
Yet it is very subtle and can teach you a tremendous amount about yourself,
Your body,
Your mind,
Your emotions,
And how to relax.
It's really a total practice.
It's the type of practice that if you spent six months doing it every day,
You would discover something new,
You would release heavy duty emotions,
You'd learn to quiet the mind,
You'd learn to rejuvenate the body,
And most of all,
You would learn to let go of control.
We try to control our lives in so many different ways.
Our culture is a culture of control,
And we use a lot of energy to try to control things that are out of our control.
I'm not saying that you shouldn't try to arrange,
Manage,
And work your life in ways that work for you,
But over-controlling becomes an issue and it uses up an enormous amount of energy that we could use for creativity,
For health and wellness,
For inspiration,
And for love and joy.
So for the first practice,
The Full Body Breathing,
I'd like you to prepare by lying down on something comfortable like a couch,
The floor,
A bed,
And make sure this is a place you'll be comfortable for maybe 10 to 30 minutes,
Depending on how long you want to do this practice.
So you might need something rolled up under your knees or the back of your neck,
But lie down comfortably,
Let your legs open up,
Let your arms fall by your side,
And start to breathe and feel yourself in your body,
Lying on that bed,
Becoming present to yourself.
At this point,
Give yourself permission to have your full focus within.
It's just you and your body right now.
If your mind is lingering with anything outside right now,
Give it permission to come back and remind yourself that you can take care of whatever you need to later on.
So feel yourself breathing,
Feel your body from head to toe.
You can even outline your body mentally,
Like you did when you were a child lying down on a big piece of paper and someone took a crayon and made an outline of your body.
You can mentally make an outline of your body,
And this helps define your space and place.
It helps you feel right where you are at this very moment.
Now let the weight of your body sink downward.
It's a feeling of letting go and letting the underside of your body get very heavy.
It's like ice cream melting downward.
It's a downward feeling where it feels like the back of your body is heavier than the front of your body.
This is a felt sense.
It's not really true.
Your body hasn't redistributed,
But it's a felt sense of letting go and letting yourself sink.
Now become aware of your breath.
And the very first thing to do is just notice where your body is responding to the breath.
Is your tummy going up and down?
Is your chest going up and down?
Your right shoulder?
Where do you feel yourself breathing in your body?
Take a moment to feel it.
Notice it gently with a very,
Very,
Very gentle awareness.
So gentle that you don't disturb how you are breathing right now.
We're not trying to change the breath.
We're just trying to notice it.
And become so interested in that portion of your body that is moving in response to your breath.
It's really interesting.
Maybe just the right side of your chest is moving.
Maybe just the left hip.
Maybe your throat.
Maybe your back.
It's just very interesting that there is an area that is responding more to the breath than any other area in your body.
Now something very interesting starts to happen with this gentle,
Gentle awareness of the breath.
It's like there's a silent communication that gives the breath and the body permission to do more.
To be connected more.
And so maybe you'll feel your breath moving and including another area of your body.
Maybe it moves to include the belly,
The back,
A leg,
A thigh,
An arm.
And once again,
Just very gently notice how the breath is spreading.
How the body is opening up to receive the breath.
To be less resistant,
Less tense.
Imagine with each area that the breath opens into,
You're getting more oxygen to the muscles and the tissues.
The muscles are relaxing.
There's more vitality that's coming in there.
And now notice where else the body is receiving the breath.
Has it spread a little more?
Maybe to the lower back?
Maybe to the right knee?
Maybe to the calf?
Maybe to your cheek or the side of your head?
Just pause and let the breath go where it wants to go.
Let the body open in the order that it wants to open.
Not the way that you think it should open,
But the way the body wants to open.
Which muscle is your body willing to release first and then second and then after that?
Ideally we want to stay with this practice until we get the entire body open and breathing in harmony.
This is the very first step of this practice.
Once you've gotten to the point where your entire body is breathing in a beautiful rhythm,
Relaxed,
Then we'll move on to the next level,
Which is becoming more aware of the energy and the consciousness in the body.
So continue on with this practice as long as you like.
Do it as often as you like.
And allow yourself to be fascinated by the relationship between your breath,
Your attention,
And your body.
Hopefully every minute you spend in this practice you feel better and better,
More and more relaxed and more comfortable with yourself.
If you stray off into thinking about something other than the practice,
Bring yourself back and start at the same place that you started before.
Notice where the breath is gently,
Softly,
And allow it to move and open and flow throughout the body with the body directing the practice.
Enjoy.
