Grounded & Connected - A Six Elements Meditation (12-08-20)

Effortlessly experience the depth of the present moment by connecting t o the Earth and the Air, through your body and your breath. Part of the Six Elements Meditation series - Earth and Air. (Improved audio quality, March 2021.)

Transcript

So we're going to begin this grounded and connected meditation with the first element of Earth. And to begin with, Simply bring your attention to your own body. A good time to adjust your posture, Have a bit of a stretch, Get comfortable, And really fully arrive with the body for this meditation. So for the Earth element, The aspect of the body I'd invite you to particularly pay attention to is two aspects, And the first of those is becoming aware of all the parts of your body that are in connection with something else. So spend a few minutes, Or a few moments, Just scanning through the body and noticing all parts of the body, And the areas of the body that are in connection with something else. And really feel the sensation of connection as you come across each of these parts of the body that are in contact. So for example, I notice my feet in connection, In contact with the floor, And then I spend a few moments really feeling that sensation of connection between the feet and the floor, Feeling exactly which parts of my feet are in contact and which parts are not, Feeling warmth, Pressure, And connection. And whatever you are sitting or lying on, Just notice all the parts of your body that are in contact, And feel that sensation of connection. And then I can also notice that many parts of my body are in contact with clothing, Noticing the different but still noticeable sensation of connection there, Noticing the variety of sensations across the different parts of the body in the different clothing. So I have that attitude of exploring and discovering, Open, Alert, Seeing what's there, Seeing what I can feel in the body. And finally for this first aspect of the body, Seeing if I can notice the contact with the air between the skin and the air, My hands, Face. This could just be a slight sense of coolness, For example. Just contrasting that with the other parts of the body that are in contact with the floor or the chair, Or the clothing. So we can often feel the body is isolated from its surroundings or its environment. So I find it really useful to regularly realize and experience and feel that the body actually is always in connection, It's never on its own. And just this simple exercise in itself can be very grounding and really bring you into the present. That's where the body always is, That's where you'll always find the body in this present moment, And always in contact, Always in connection. OK, So the second aspect of the awareness of the body, This first element of earth, Is to now feel the weight of the body. So we've been feeling all those points of contact and connection, Noting exactly how that feels across different parts of the body. But now getting a sense of the whole body and that feeling of either heaviness or lightness, Getting a sense of the weight of your body and how that feels in the body. Noting your legs have weight, In your hands and arms, Shoulders, In your head and torso, And the whole body. And bringing those two elements together of connection, Contact and weight, Noting how the ground, The floor, The chair, Supports the weight of the body, Holds your body. And allow your body to be held, Allow and feel that your body is being supported. This can be an opportunity for the body to really release tension throughout the body. As we become aware of the weight of the body and allow that weight to be supported, We are in effect releasing the body. We are realizing we don't need to hold on to the body, We don't need to tighten and hold on with those muscles. We can release, Let go, And allow the whole weight of the body to be supported by the ground. And sometimes I can feel tension in the body almost dissolving and passing out of the body into the ground through all those points of contact. It's as if those contact points are drawing the tension away from the body into the ground, Into the air. All I need to do is release and allow the body to be supported and feel that sensation of connection. Stress in the body is often about disconnection, About feeling separated, Fearful. Fearful of the environment in some way. So by really feeling the connection, That immediate contact and connection with your environment, By allowing your body to be supported and held, We're letting go of that separation and that tension and that holding on. And gradually the stress and the tension in the body will dissipate. So finally for this first element of the earth, To really have that direct connection with the earth, Is as simple as just adding that thought, That realization that the weight I'm feeling of the body, That heaviness or lightness is actually the physical and immediate sensation and feeling of gravity pulling on the body. That's why we feel weight, Because of the gravity. And that gravity is the attractive pull of the earth. So when I feel the weight of my body, I'm literally and actually feeling the earth attract my body towards itself. Every moment, Everybody, The earth is attracting you towards itself unconditionally, Supporting you in every moment. So this isn't a visualization or imagination. This is simply realizing and being aware of something that's always happening, And is happening right now, Tangibly in my body. So I allow the air to gently pull my body towards itself. And I just sit back and notice how that feels in the body. So moving on to the second half of this meditation and the second element, That's the element of air. So all I need to do now, Staying with the body and sensations of the body, Is to just add that awareness of the breath in the body. Feeling the air enter the body through the nose or mouth and leaving the body. How does that feel for you? So there's no need to make any effort with the breath, You don't need to count the breath or try and breathe evenly or deeply or slowly. Just become more aware of your breath as it is in this moment, Just follow your breath in and out. Remembering we can just allow our thoughts to flow freely, They're just something else that's happening. So the idea isn't to concentrate or focus on the breath really, I think the better description for me is to have the breath just at the centre or the foreground of your awareness, But keep your awareness open so we're not narrowing down and focusing. So I'm still aware of sounds, Thoughts, The body, Emotions, My environment, Still open to the wholeness and the variety of this present moment. Just imagining or feeling the breath being at the centre of everything that's going on. So everything else happens around the breath and I welcome it all. And I follow the breath in and out of the body and allow everything else to flow around the breath. Don't worry if you find your awareness moves away from the breath because the breath will still be there waiting for you to gently come back, Back to the body, Back to the breath. The breath won't judge you, It will always welcome you. The breath is always pleased to see you again, To have you and have your company following the breath. So we can begin to explore all the variety of sensations connected with the breath. So really noticing which parts of the body are responding to your breath, Which parts of the body are moving as you breathe in and out. Maybe more of the ribs or the diaphragm, Maybe a bit of both, Maybe very gentle, Very small movements. Let's see what you can notice. So feeling that slight expansion with the in-breath and the contraction of the out-breath. Noticing exactly where in the body you can feel that. For the second part of the breath and the air element, We need to try just having the thought or the intention each time you breathe in, Of allowing the breath in. Just have that thought, That intention to really allow the breath in without any restriction. So we're not making effort to change the breath in any way, We're just checking if we're maybe restricting the breath without realising it. And just being open to allowing the breath in freely and fully, If that's what it wants to do. So not limiting what the breath wants to do, Not limiting how much air wants to enter your body as you breathe in. So an open invitation to the element of air to enter the body as fully as it wants to. And really notice how it feels to allow the breath in, Allowing that oxygen, That life-giving oxygen into the body. And similarly, Having a thought and an intention for the out-breath. Not trying to change it in any way, We're just checking, Noting if I'm holding on to the breath, If I'm not allowing the breath to leave the body freely. So having that thought, That intention to completely let go of the breath. So I'm allowing the breath to leave as freely and as fully as it wants to. I'm not going to hold on to the breath, I'm going to allow it to go, Set it free. And really notice how that feels in the body, To release and let the breath go fully and freely. So in time, If I really do allow the breath in and allow the breath out, Allow the breath and the element of air to do what it wants to do, I can then merely begin to get a sense of the free-flowing breath, The natural, Spontaneous and free flow of breath in and out of the body. And that wave-like motion, That rise and fall of the breath in the body can be very relaxing, Just feeling the body rising and falling with the breath. Maybe getting to the point where it doesn't feel like you are breathing, But you are being breathed. The body is being breathed by the element of air. I'm receiving and allowing the breath, Allowing the air in and out of the body, But not making any effort. Just feeling the sensations in the body and allowing the air to breathe the body. Just as I allow the earth to support the weight of the body, I allow the body to be breathed by the breath of the earth, By the air. So feeling supported by the earth, Feeling the connection with the ground and the body, And allowing the breath to flow freely through the body. The earth giving you support, The air giving the body life. Feeling grounded to the earth and connected through the breath. And remembering that the body and the breath, The earth and the air are always here for us, Always here in the present moment, And always really happy to welcome us so we can join them. In being connected and grounded, Held and breathed. Okay, So we'll bring the meditation to a close.