Feel The Fire - A Six Elements Meditation (12-03-20]

Feeling the fire of life, sensation, and emotion. How to use mindful meditation to transition from suppression to integration. Recorded live and unedited. (Part of the Six Elements Meditation series - Fire.) Effortlessly experience the depth of the present moment. (Enhanced audio - March 2021.)

Transcript

Feeling the fire,

Six element meditation.

So before we get to the element of fire and the emotions,

We'll spend a little time just grounding and connecting ourselves with the first two elements of earth and air,

The body and the breath.

So I become more aware of my body and I feel the breath enter the body.

And I explore all the different sensations the breath creates in the body as I breathe in.

And I consciously choose to really allow the breath into the body without restraint.

And enjoy that sensation of taking in the air,

The oxygen,

And feeling the effect on the body.

Using the breath to connect to the body and to connect to the present moment,

To really arrive here and there.

And then becoming particularly aware of the sensation of contact with the body.

So all those areas of the body that right now are in contact with something,

Having a scan across the body,

Noticing and feeling all the sensations of connection.

So I feel my feet connected to the floor.

I feel the connection with the chair.

I feel the contact of my clothing.

I feel the air on my hands and face.

And the air as it enters and leaves as I breathe.

And I feel the weight of the body.

I may feel this as heaviness or lightness.

And I allow the ground,

The floor,

To support that weight,

To hold the body.

So I can release and let go of the body knowing it's being held and supported.

A feeling of security,

Being connected and grounded and still.

And to connect with the earth,

I don't need to imagine or visualise,

But just realise that this feeling of weight in the body is actually the earth gently pulling on the body.

The gravity of the earth attracting my body towards itself.

So as I feel the weight of the body,

I'm feeling the force,

The gentle pull of the earth.

So simply realising I am,

And I always am,

Connected to the earth through this physical sensation.

So allowing myself to feel rooted,

Connected to the earth,

Stable.

I return to the breath for a few moments and have that sense of allowing the breath.

It's not that I am breathing.

I don't need to make any effort.

I don't need to choose or remember to breathe.

I'm allowing the breath to enter and leave the body.

Allowing the air to breathe the body.

And allowing the breath to find its own rhythm,

Its own depth,

Its own speed.

And I can enjoy the rise and fall of the breath.

And allow the breath to flow freely.

Allowing the breath in without restriction and letting go of the breath as I breathe out,

Not holding on to the breath at all.

And you can do the same with your thoughts if they become a distraction at any point in the meditation.

Just treat them like your breath.

Allow them to come and go,

Noticing you don't have to make any effort to think.

Allow them to come into your mind and let them go,

Just as we're doing now with the breath.

Free flowing thoughts,

Free flowing breath.

So at any point in this meditation,

You can always return to the breath and to that feeling of connection with the ground,

With the earth.

The earth keeps us secure and safe.

And the breath keeps the process going,

All the way to completion and integration.

Okay,

So now we've got the base,

The beginnings,

That we can move to the element of fire.

So to begin with,

Get a sense of the aliveness of the body,

That feeling of being alive.

Perhaps the simplest and most basic sensation we can have.

But taking time now to hold it within our awareness,

Appreciate and explore that feeling,

Being alive,

The aliveness in the body.

How does that feel for you?

So really feeling that distinction between the animate and the inanimate,

What makes this body a living thing and not just an object like the chair.

Feeling the aliveness of your body right now,

Keeping the breath going,

Flowing freely and always connected to the ground.

So exploring now how I'm feeling,

What's my current emotional state,

Starting on the surface,

Just noting how I'm feeling.

I find this easiest if I locate or connect my emotional state with a sensation in the body,

Just so it becomes a tangible thing.

So I might be feeling a little tired or stressed,

Maybe there's some anticipation,

Maybe calm or happiness.

Of course,

Often it's a mixture of things.

So just taking some time to explore all the feelings that you can become aware of,

Not expecting anything,

Just being open and patient and seeing what feelings emerge and seeing if there are related sensations in the body.

You may feel a sensation or some energy in one particular part of the body.

You're someone who works with chakras or familiar with chakras and maybe there'll be a sensation in a particular area of the body connected with that.

It could be anywhere,

It could just be a general sense of energy or sensation throughout the body.

Becoming sensitive to your body,

Listening,

Feeling to what's happening in your body right now.

It may be very quiet and neutral or there may be a concentration,

A heightening,

Just being open to what's there.

As we did with the breath and when we really allowed the breath into the body,

Welcomed and enjoyed the breath in the body,

Whatever sensation,

Whatever emotion you're in touch with at the moment,

Just have that thought,

That attitude or that intent to really welcome that emotion,

Welcome that sensation.

Being open to really feeling the depth,

Deciding to be fearless and open and welcome whatever's there for you.

Choosing to allow the fire to grow if that's what it wants to do.

Keeping the breath flowing freely and always connected to the earth.

As much as possible I like to take a neutral approach to the emotion,

Feeling it as much as possible as a sensation or an energy in the body.

So not feeling the need to label it as any particular emotion or as a negative or positive emotion.

But being like an explorer,

Interested in whatever you come across,

Whatever you discover,

And really wanting to go into the depth of it and really feel it and allow it to do what it wants to do.

To allow a fire to burn you just need to give it space and oxygen and stand back and enjoy.

Be fascinated by the flames of the fire,

The emotion and the sensation in the body.

However gentle or intense,

Welcoming and accepting what you discover today in your body.

Remembering that feeling of flow of the breath,

Welcoming in and releasing and letting go.

Continuous flow,

Allowing the energy and the emotions also to flow freely.

So allowing whatever is happening for you to just flow through your awareness,

Whether it's the sensations in the body,

The breath,

Or your thoughts or emotions.

Accepting what's happening for you,

Allowing and letting go.

The idea is that if there's a positive emotion there,

We're giving it space to grow,

To really become part of us.

Giving it permission to fill the body,

To fill our mind and to express itself.

We can often feel inhibited and restrict or suppress our positive emotions,

Our joy,

Our bliss,

Our happiness,

Our love.

So being brave and allowing those positive emotions to gently and gradually grow and expand within us.

Giving ourselves permission to experience as much positive emotion as we can.

Not imposing any limit.

If a sensation or emotion is feeling quite intense,

Then we don't have to restrict it to the body.

We can release it into the space around us.

Giving it all the time and space it needs to express itself.

Just like the breath enters the body and then we release the breath out into the space around us.

So the breath is flowing,

Passing through the body.

So too with our emotions,

Allowing them to flow and pass through the body.

Remembering that we're always connected and grounded to the earth through that sensation of contact,

Connection and that sensation of weight of the body.

And the same approach I find works just as well for negative emotions.

The idea of fearlessly allowing and welcoming any emotion while I'm feeling stability and connection with the earth.

And while I'm allowing the breath to flow and process,

I can allow negative emotions to do what they need to do to resolve themselves,

To work themselves out,

Work themselves through.

And to eventually with patience reach a point of resolution and integration and a feeling of a greater wholeness and completeness within the self.

So rather than moving away from or suppressing negative emotion and thereby dividing myself,

I'm allowing myself to become whole,

Integrated and complete.

Just by being open,

Alert,

Present with the body and fearlessly allowing.

Allowing and letting go and letting everything flow through the body,

Through the awareness.

Feeling the energy of the body,

The fire of sensation in the body.

And that feeling of being alive,

The aliveness of the body and how special that is,

How miraculous it is that the body is alive.

So taking as long as you need to allow your process to unfold and resolve.

Keeping the breath flowing freely,

Keeping connected to the earth,

Remaining open,

Fearless,

The explorer.

But for now I'll bring this meditation to a close.

Acknowledging the emotion that I'm feeling now,

Connecting again with the breath and connecting to the body,

Feeling the weight of the body.

Feeling that connection to the earth.

Feeling the stillness of the body and the flow of the breath.