I'm Tanya,
And it's good to have you all here.
Today is day five of our group meditation.
If you are just joining,
No problem.
There's no time better than now to drop into the beginning of a daily practice of meditation.
So today's practice is going to be about acknowledging that thoughts,
The thoughts that we have are energy.
And some of you may or may not recognize,
You know,
All of the busy thinking that you're thinking or the critical thinking,
Whether it's of yourself or of someone else.
But it's important that we recognize our thoughts as energy.
So whether they're the positive thoughts,
The negative thoughts,
Just all thoughts have energy.
So we're going to explore the different opposites of thoughts and how they land in our body.
So today's mudra,
So if you're not familiar with the mudras,
The mudras are hand positions that help stimulate nadis in the body.
Today's mudra is a hakini mudra.
Basically we're just going to take the tips of all the fingers together and we're just going to place it on our laps.
Now you don't have to be sitting really for meditation.
It's just a way to unite the sky and the earth as we become sort of the grounding rod between sky and earth.
And that's oftentimes why we recommend sitting.
You could be sitting in a chair,
You could be on a cushion,
A pillow or a blanket,
Sun's not up.
It's a great time to be meditating by the way,
Either at sun up,
Right at the middle of the day or sun down.
Very potent times for meditating.
So no matter where you are,
Hopefully you're in one of those places.
All right,
So the hakini mudra to facilitate our deep and full yogic breathing.
So resting those hands on the lap.
And what this mudra will also do,
And you can have your eyes closed or open,
Is that it helps to open up our nostrils,
Both sides.
So oftentimes we'll find that we're more dominant on one side or the other.
And certainly when we wake up in the morning,
We're going to be more dominant on one or the other.
And as we progress throughout the day,
That will change.
And this is going to help to open both nostrils.
And it helps to bring equilibrium to the whole body.
So as we begin to experience these opposites of thoughts and how they land in our bodies,
It's really important that we stay grounded.
Otherwise it might set us off quite a bit,
Maybe trigger something.
It's important we have a comfortable seated position with something intentional that we can return to,
Such as the hakini mudra.
And this hakini mudra also puts us into a receptive state,
Also in an active state.
So kind of acknowledging what's arising and also being present with it and finding calm in it.
This creates harmony too in our body.
So just sensing your breath,
Tall,
Long spine,
Back of the head lifted slightly so that your chin is more or less parallel to the ground.
The ears are receptive.
There's not a particular tilt of the head forward or back.
It's balancing nicely and with ease at the top of the spine.
So as we move through today's practice,
I will be inviting certain words in.
And if there's different words that arise for you,
You can welcome those in as well.
Don't be stuck on any one particular word.
But what we're going to work with is the sensation in the body and how that word lands to recognize how important thoughts are as energy.
So let's welcome in the word love or even the phrase,
I love you.
Where do you feel that?
As it shifted your breath,
What else might you have noticed?
Now,
Welcome in the word hate.
I hate.
Where does this land in your body?
Where do you feel it?
And has your breath started to change?
What else is arising in your body?
Welcome in the word now capable.
I am capable.
Where do you feel this as a vibration in your body?
I am capable.
And is there resistance to it?
Let's welcome in the word incapable.
I am incapable.
I am incapable.
Where does this land?
Where do you feel it?
Do you feel your body starting to grip?
Is there tension arising in the shoulders?
Tension arising in the breath as the breath becomes shorter.
How about your jaw?
Now let's welcome in the word well.
I am well.
I feel well.
I am well.
Now let's welcome in the opposite word.
I am sick.
Welcome in happy.
I am happy.
Is there a shift in your attention,
A shift in your body,
A shift in your breath,
A shift in any sensation?
Is there any light colors,
Temperature you might sense?
I am sad.
Let's welcome in the word sad.
Sorrow.
Where do you feel this in your body?
And does this feeling stay in one place or do you feel it throughout as you begin to move outward?
Now let's just welcome in harmony.
My body is harmonious with my breath,
With my thoughts,
With my heart.
I welcome in harmony,
Balance.
I breathe with harmony.
I breathe with integration,
Receptivity.
I acknowledge my thoughts as energy.
My body responds to this energy.
I welcome in harmony,
Balance,
And equilibrium.
I am receptive.
I acknowledge my thoughts as energy.
I can choose my thoughts.
I can choose how I respond to my thoughts.
I can choose how I respond to words that come at me.
I recognize them as energy,
Energy that flows.
My body breathes in balance and harmony.
I am receptive and I welcome balance and harmony.
Now if your hands were in that Hakini Mudra,
You can release the hands and maybe start to circle your wrists,
Move those fingers in and out.
Take a deep breath in,
Roll the shoulders up,
Down,
And back.
Exhale letting that breath out.
And if your eyes were closed,
You can lift your gaze and just welcome in the rest of the day that you have,
Acknowledging how our thoughts that come to us from other people,
Words that come to us from other people are energy and recognizing how our own thought patterns can be self-sabotage or they can be uplifting.
Well thank you all for being here today.
Namaste.
