Hi friends,
This is Kelsey with Life Alchemy,
And today we are going to spend about 15 minutes exploring the full spectrum of sensations in the body,
Including any pain or discomfort that may arise.
The goal is to expand our resilience and capacity to be with our full experience.
When we meet discomfort,
The invitation is to ask ourselves,
Can I be with this?
And can I be with this with kindness?
We do not want to practice outside of our tolerance,
And so with very intense sensations of discomfort or pain,
Resourcing can be wise.
Some options for resourcing during this meditation include shifting attention to the breath or an area of the body where sensation is neutral or pleasant,
Titrating attention back and forth between the area of discomfort and an area where sensation is neutral or pleasant,
Or switching to a practice of self-compassion or metta.
My guidance is simply suggestion,
And I encourage you to listen to the wisdom of your body and make any adjustments throughout that would best support your practice.
I invite you to make any movements that might help you transition into our practice,
Maybe a stretch,
Maybe shaking some energy off.
And when you're ready,
Come into a position where you can be most at ease and also alert.
Take the time to make any adjustments that might be supportive.
Is there anything you can do to become even just one percent more comfortable?
And take a deep cleansing breath in.
And a slow cleansing breath out,
Maybe sighing.
Again,
Breathing in.
And on the next exhale,
Letting it all go.
Ah.
Return to your natural breath now,
And if the breath is a pleasant or neutral place to anchor attention,
Begin to notice the body breathing.
Another option is to anchor attention in the sensations of the hands or the sensation of the body on the surface below you.
Whatever the anchor,
See if you can invite in a kind,
Open,
Curious attention to the sensations that are unfolding.
And with this same kind,
Curious attention,
We will begin to scan the body,
Noticing any sensations that arise,
And remembering that resourcing is always an option.
Begin by bringing attention to the feet and toes and welcoming in sensation in the legs,
Holding both of the lower limbs in kind awareness,
Taking notice of the pleasant,
The unpleasant,
And the neutral sensations.
Maybe asking yourself,
Can I welcome all that's here?
Allow attention to gently shift to the torso,
Noticing sensation in the belly,
The waist,
The chest,
And the back.
Maybe noticing the lack of sensation.
Whatever is arising,
Can you include it all in kind,
Curious awareness?
If you notice something unpleasant,
It might help to whisper,
This too,
Or this is welcome.
And now,
Shifting attention to the shoulders,
The arms,
The hands,
And the fingers.
Could you welcome the full spectrum of sensations in the upper limbs into kind awareness?
Noticing and welcoming the pleasant,
Unpleasant,
And neutral and shifting attention to the neck and the face,
Crown of the head and the back of the head and the brain,
Holding the whole neck and head in kind,
Curious awareness.
Noticing whatever sensations arise,
Whether pleasant,
Unpleasant,
Or neutral.
Can you hold all that's here in loving awareness?
And bringing attention to the whole body now,
Noticing sensation throughout the whole body,
Holding the whole body in awareness.
Now,
Allow the attention to go somewhere with unpleasant sensation that may be calling for attention and care.
Maybe where the sensation is at about a 3 to 4 out of 10 level of discomfort.
As you bring attention to this area of the body,
You might ask yourself,
Can I be with this?
And can I be with this with kindness and curiosity?
It can be helpful to say,
Yes,
Or this too,
Or this belongs.
You might try naming the sensation,
Itching,
Burning,
Throbbing,
Aching.
Maybe associating the sensation with a color.
And if it becomes too intense,
You might try shifting the attention to the space around the place of discomfort.
Or you might shift attention back and forth between your anchor and the area of unpleasant sensation.
If it feels okay to stay with the discomfort,
You might notice how it moves or changes.
Can you be with whatever sensations are unfolding moment to moment with kind attention?
And if any reactivity to the discomfort arises,
Physical or mental or emotional,
See if you can include that in kind awareness as well.
For the next minute,
You might explore offering loving-kindness or compassion to the area you've been exploring.
You might bring a caring hand to the area or to the heart space.
You might offer a loving phrase or welcome in a somatic sense of love.
Or you might experiment with sending energetic currents of care to the area.
In the final moments of our practice,
You might extend a sense of gratitude to yourself for being here and for exploring this.
I thank you so much for practicing with me.
Until next time.
