Hey,
It's Doug,
Today we're taking our meditation a little bit deeper by integrating some body awareness.
No experiences needed,
No fancy breathing,
Just you and that brilliant body and mind of yours.
Let's get mindful in just a matter of minutes.
So come into a comfortable seat,
Doesn't matter where or how,
Just be comfortable.
Got it?
Nice.
From here,
Get your spine nice and straight,
Sit up tall,
Roll those eyes back,
Be at attention.
Bring the eyes to close and begin to breathe in and out through those nostrils.
So you should be comfortable but alert.
Start by noticing your breath,
See if you can track it from where it starts all the way to where it ends.
Notice as it comes in through the nostrils,
Travels through the nose,
Down the back of the throat,
Into the lungs and back out.
Notice any other mechanisms that happen at the same time.
Noticing how the chest or the belly rises as you inhale and falls as you exhale.
Become aware of how the body feels on the inhale and how the body feels on that exhale.
Your breath is the spotlight today,
It's going to help bring awareness to wherever we point it.
So you can imagine it as a bright color that illuminates wherever it goes.
Just as it illuminated your experience from the inhale of the nostrils down the back of the throat into the lungs and back out,
It's going to illuminate parts of our body too,
Making us aware of the sensations that occur in the places that we choose.
See if you can breathe the spotlight down into your feet right now.
See if you can become aware of how the soles of the feet feel today.
Just start with what they are touching,
The floor,
Your shoes,
Maybe some socks,
Maybe each other.
Now start to explore how they feel.
Can you notice temperature?
Can you notice pressure?
Is something pressing on them?
And can you notice any sensations?
Things like tingling.
Just becoming aware of your feet maybe for the first time today.
Extend that spotlight and breath into the big toes now.
Do the same thing here.
Notice the experience they're having.
Notice where they are located.
You just get curious about how your big toes are today.
All right,
Good job.
Next I want you to breathe into your calves and the front of your shins.
Once again,
Can you notice what they are touching?
What fabrics fall on them?
Or maybe they are exposed to the air.
Are they warm?
Are they cold?
Do they feel tight?
Do they feel loose?
Just getting to know your calves and your shins.
Okay,
Let's go a little further up the body.
Breathe into the thighs,
The hamstrings,
The bum as we say in the UK,
As well as the groin.
Just checking in with these areas.
Temperature,
Sensation,
Pressure,
Restricting your attention.
Notice the spotlight of breath just to these areas.
Notice how they may feel different.
Left and right or maybe the thighs compared to the hamstrings.
Notice the pressure that's exerted onto your bum by the suture.
Maybe even notice are you shifting your weight to your left or to your right?
And can you equalize that weight?
Now,
Is there any tension somewhere that doesn't need to be?
Are you clenching?
Are you tensing a muscle?
And can you use the next exhale just to relax it?
Okay,
Let's move on from the lower half of the body.
Let's start at the top of the body instead.
Breathe in to the scalp of your head,
Right at the top.
The crown is maybe a better word.
How does this feel?
See if you can get really particular about your experience using the spotlight of breath.
Maybe you can feel the individual follicles of your hair in your head.
Maybe you can feel the air as it moves past it.
Now become aware of how the eyelids feel closed.
Can you feel the top eyelid touching the bottom eyelid?
By the same token,
Can you feel your top lip touching your bottom lip?
Can you even feel your nostrils getting bigger as you inhale and exhale?
Lots of things to notice.
Now move the next breath to your torso,
Your belly,
Your back,
Your chest.
Just becoming aware of how these feel.
Notice the clothing touching them.
Noticing the warmth that resides underneath them.
Noticing how they touch any other body parts.
Maybe even noticing the belly and the chest rising and falling.
Let the next breath take that spotlight of attention down both arms,
Making you aware of how these limbs feel.
The shoulders,
The biceps,
The triceps,
The forearms,
The elbows,
The palm of your hand.
Each one of those five fingers.
Can you check in with how are these parts of your body are feeling now?
Can you feel the inside of the palm of the hand as well as the outside?
Can you feel the tendons in your elbow?
Can you feel the blood flowing up and down these limbs?
So many sensations to experience.
All right,
Great job.
Now just feel the entire body as a unit.
How does it feel?
Now become aware of how you feel,
Not just as a body,
But as a person,
As a spiritual being.
You don't have to be good,
You're just becoming aware.
You see how your body can be this mediator between you and your experience.
How it's constantly showing you the experience that you have it.
One sensation at a time.
This is your present moment.
This is your experience.
Thanks for taking me on your journey.
You can blink the eyes open and take this awareness into the rest of your day.
Namaste.
