Well,
Hello everyone,
And thank you for joining me for this meditation practice.
And as part of freedom from the kleshas series,
We are now on to dvija.
And dvija is a tendency to resist or push away what feels uncomfortable.
It shows up as irritation,
Aversion,
Tension,
Or the feeling that something shouldn't be happening.
In yoga,
Dvija is not a problem to fix but a habit to notice.
When resistance is seen clearly and allowed,
Without reaction it begins to soften on its own.
This practice invites you to meet discomfort with steadiness rather than opposition.
Allowing ease to arise,
Not by changing experience but changing how we meet it.
And there's a number of ways we can tell that this is going on.
I'll just go through a couple.
You tense your body when an uncomfortable sensation appears like an itch or an ache.
You feel irritation when a sound won't stop,
Like traffic or somebody chewing.
You push away mental emotions such as sadness and anxiety.
You replay difficult conversations and feel resistance towards how they unfold.
You distract yourself to avoid sitting with discomfort or uncertainty.
And also it very much shows up as avoidance.
Avoidance to things that we really should be doing and that are necessary for our well-being.
And one of them that springs to mind from being a yoga teacher is the avoidance of doing the physical,
Doing,
Excuse me,
Doing exercise.
Because it feels uncomfortable,
Effortful and exposes weaknesses or putting off tasks that create tension,
Boredom or self-doubt.
Procrastination in other words.
So in this practice,
Dvesha loosens not by forcing action but by noticing resistance and that's where we want to be,
Is just noticing and understanding ourselves a little bit better.
So get yourself comfortable,
Whether that be in a seated posture or if you really like to lie down that's fine too.
But we want to be mindful of the spine being in line.
And just gently closing the eyes and coming into your meditation practice as you do.
Whether that be through the breath or the sounds or the feeling and sensations within the body or connecting with the third eye.
So what technique do you use to become present?
And I'd like you now to just practice your own technique of getting deeper as you sit.
Noticing now if there's any resistance,
Where it might live in the body,
A tightening perhaps,
A feeling that something shouldn't be happening,
Perhaps in the jaw,
The chest,
The belly and the shoulders.
There's no need to search for this,
Just allow awareness to notice what's already here.
Just noticing any gripping,
Anything that you're avoiding.
And then just gently allowing yourself to let go of that,
Become aware and let go.
As you become deeper and present,
Presence prevails.
Feeling that sense of depth now.
So the visual is not something dramatic,
It's often quiet and subtle.
It may appear as some sort of resistance and if there is,
Notice how your mind responds to that discomfort.
A sensation arises and the mind reacts.
A sound appear and then there's irritation.
A thought comes and there's judgment.
Just noticing.
Not to stop it,
Not to change it,
Just to see it clearly.
Resistance depends on being unseen.
And when it's noticed,
It begins to soften.
Just soften into this.
Nothing to avoid.
Nothing to run away from.
Just recognizing.
Recognizing the desire to do so.
Clear the mind.
Be present.
Now,
Without trying to accept or reject anything,
Allow experience to be exactly as it is.
Just the moment unfolding for you.
The nature of life unfolding in the present.
Nothing else.
Pure experience of the present.
Discomfort is allowed.
Ease is allowed.
Restlessness is allowed.
Nothing needs to be different for awareness to remain present.
Let this be felt.
If resistance arises,
See if you can meet it with curiosity rather than opposition.
What does resistance feel like?
Before the story about it,
Where does it live in the body?
Just let it be.
Stay with the raw sensation.
Breathing.
Sensing.
Aware.
When a thought arises,
Just accept that.
When you get attached,
Just sense that.
And when there's resistance and judgment,
Recognize that.
Notice how resistance often adds a second layer of tension.
Not just discomfort,
But dislike of discomfort.
See if you can allow the first layer to remain without adding the second.
Just acceptance of discomfort.
Not forcing acceptance,
Just not fighting.
As resistance softens,
Even slightly,
Notice the change in the body.
Perhaps a release.
Perhaps more space.
Perhaps nothing obvious at all.
Whatever is here is enough.
Let awareness remain steady.
Now,
Widen the field of awareness.
Widen the field of awareness.
Include breath,
Body,
Sound and thought.
Let everything arise and pass with pure awareness.
Nothing is singled out.
Nothing is pushed away.
Experience is allowed to move freely.
If irritation or aversion returns,
Simply recognize it.
This is resistance.
And let it be known.
No judgment and no correction.
Awareness itself is enough.
As resistance loosens,
Notice the quality of the mind.
Is there more space?
More ease?
More neutrality?
Not indifference,
But openness.
Rest here for a few moments.
Let experience come and go.
Pleasant or unpleasant.
Wanted or unwanted.
Nothing needs to be held.
Nothing needs to be avoided.
I'm here with you now.
Very deep now.
Purity.
Purity.
Clarity.
Oneness.
Resting here.
Resting here.
Now slowly become aware of the body on the mat or on your couch or on your seat or on the floor.
See the room you're in in your mind's eye.
See yourself lying on the floor and gently start to breathe the body.
Just allowing the body to breathe and being aware and then taking control of the breath and breathing the body.
Gently starting to come back now.
Coming back now.
All the way back now.
The room,
The sounds.
And as you open your eyes see if the openness can remain not as a practice but as a way of meeting life.
All the way back now.
All the way back.
The practice of da visha meditation is over.
Once again thank you for practicing with me and you know from a practical sense when you meet something that you know it needs to be done why are you not doing it?
And just simply ask your question but you're not judgmental not trying to be judgment of yourself allowing yourself understanding why you're not doing it.
And grow through yoga grow through love.
If you enjoyed this and like to pass it on as I say we'll have the next one next week so have a wonderful time enjoy yourselves it's been my pleasure as always from my heart to yours with love Yogi Phoenix
