Good morning to everyone that is joining in.
Thank you so much for attending this Monday's meditation on the lawn offered by the University of Virginia.
I feel very fortunate to be a member of the Contemplative Sciences Center staff teaching well-being through mindfulness,
Which is actually associated with the School of Education and Human Development.
And so I offer mindfulness programming through CSC as well as teach yoga.
So for this morning's practice,
The focus will be being able to rest in the awareness of the body and the breath.
And I offer this as we recognize that life is busy and life is full and often feeling complicated.
And how nice it is,
Is that coming back to this moment through the body,
Through the breath,
Is really a simple,
Not easy,
But there's a simplicity,
A natural simplicity with doing that.
So that's what the practice will focus on today.
So please find that comfortable posture where you feel upright,
Not uptight,
Where the body feels relaxed,
A bit of effort,
Alert,
And not over-efforting.
You're easing into the Monday,
But with intentionality and with purpose and with kindness.
So I invite us to bring awareness perhaps to the feet or the legs,
Whatever they're resting on.
And even honing in a bit more to see if there's a bit of activation and seeing if we can offer through the breath or through the noticing an element of letting go.
For now,
We are here and it's just the right place to be in this moment.
And I invite us to bring awareness to what the torso is resting on.
Once again,
Bringing that lens of curiosity without judgment to feeling the sensations of pressure,
Of touch,
Maybe even temperature.
But once again,
Noticing if there's a holding where perhaps even on the inhale and then the exhale,
You sense a bit more of a letting go to rest and to receive whatever you're resting on,
It is supporting you in this moment.
Then shifting the awareness to the back of the body,
The spine as it lifts upright out of the pelvis and feeling the upright nature of it,
Perhaps honoring the muscles alongside the spine,
About 200 or so that support this upright nature.
And then bringing awareness to the front of the body where there's space,
Space for the inhale and the exhale.
So if you're ready and if you would like to shifting your awareness to where you notice the breath the most,
Could be the abdomen,
The side body,
The chest or the nostrils,
Maybe deepening the inhalation and exhalation will allow you to settle in that spot that feels natural.
Nothing to force or nothing to have be different.
So once you tune into that location,
Beginning to hone the awareness more into the specificity of the breath cycle.
The very beginning of the breath through that inhale,
Top of the breath through the pause,
Beginning of the exhale,
End of the exhale through the pause,
All of this to link our awareness to.
Having that intention of curiosity and kindness as the wider lens to frame this work we're doing this morning right here,
Right now.
Detention.
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So honoring the simplicity of and the beauty of being here in body and the body that breathes in,
Breathes out.
If we find ourselves thinking,
Just noting that,
Once again coming back to resting in the awareness of the broad breath.
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As we know,
Time continues to move on.
And I invite you,
Though,
To pause for a moment in this sense of awareness,
Where you might be able to use or use this easy access to the breath and the body in your day.
Perhaps as you leave your chair,
Come to your chair.
Perhaps as you go through a door,
Coming back,
These simple moments to allow the mind to settle and the breath to help regulate,
Bring us back right here,
Right now in this moment,
Truly through the beautiful opportunity of this breath,
Breathing the body.
So let us take this moment to open our eyes if they've been closed and we see the world.
The world is already here,
No effort needed.
I'm so happy that you all chose to join in this morning and I hope we recognize out of 92 of us,
We're here to be here.
And I'm so happy that you all joined in this morning and I hope we recognize out of 92 of us,
We're here settling and choosing to be present in this moment with an openness and kindness to move us to the next moment into our day with steadiness.
So I wish you much ease as you travel throughout your day and your week.
And of course,
Please recognize that,
Yes,
That there's upcoming,
Right,
There's upcoming meditations every Monday,
7 45 a.
M.
So once again,
Thank you and be well.
