Calming The Nervous System From The Effects Of Ukraine War

So just closing the eyes and just,

Again,

Taking a deep breath in and gently letting it go,

Really allowing the out-breath to be long and slow,

A few more deep breaths in your own time.

And as you allow the out-breath to be slow,

Long,

We're actually activating the rest and restore part of the nervous system,

Parasympathetic nervous system,

Just to help you settle and calm the body and mind.

And then just allowing the breath to fall into its natural rhythm,

Bringing attention to the face,

Sensing the eyes,

Allowing the muscles of the eyes to be relaxed,

Bringing awareness to the jaw,

Softening and relaxing the jaw,

And even sensing the tongue,

Just allowing the tongue to rest in the palate and bringing attention to the belly,

Just the belly to hang out and be soft so that the breath can flow freely and sensing the breath in the body,

Noticing the chest and belly as it rises with the in-breath,

It falls with the out-breath as a way of helping the nervous system settle,

Just bringing attention to the out-breath,

Seeing if you can completely let go any holding,

Any effort with each out-breath,

Allowing the breath to be completely effortless,

As if you were asleep,

Releasing and relaxing,

Letting go of any effort through the whole out-breath,

Even as the next in-breath arrives,

Allowing the next in-breath to arrive in its own time,

And if thoughts come to mind,

No problem,

Just noting,

Thinking,

Thinking,

Just with the next out-breath,

Just imagining that breath to be like a breeze,

Blowing away dry leaves,

The thoughts that come to mind,

Just coming back to the breath,

The feeling of the breath in the body,

Seeing if you can rest in stillness,

Giving yourself the freedom and the nourishment,

Just simply letting go of all concerns that you have about the future or the past,

Just seeing if you can allow yourself to just simply rest with this breath and this breath,

Sounds will come and go,

Thoughts will come and go,

Just settling the mind and body,

By using the breath as an anchor,

Helping the distracted monkey mind just settle,

Sensing the next in-breath and out-breath,

Relaxing through the entire out-breath,

Becoming aware of a whole body,

Many sensations in the body in this moment,

Perhaps tingling,

Areas of coolness or warmth,

Areas of pressure,

The body makes with the chair or the floor,

Thoughts come to mind,

Just using the next out-breath,

Just with the out-breath,

Releasing and letting go of any thoughts,

Bringing your attention back into the body,

Any feelings come up,

Just allowing things to be as they are,

Whether it's pleasant or unpleasant,

Just bringing a kind and compassionate attitude to whatever arises from moment to moment,

Agitation,

Restlessness,

Planning,

Whatever it is,

Making room for it all,

And then coming back to the breath,

Not thinking about the breath,

But actually sensing the breath as it rises and falls from moment to moment,

Just practicing for a minute or two in silence,

Simply resting with the breath,

Letting go of thoughts as they come and go,

Releasing and relaxing through the entire out-breath,

Letting the next in-breath arrive in its own time,

Now as we've settled body-mind,

Made space,

We can shift into the loving kindness practice,

Just to become aware of the area of the heart,

I invite you to bring your hand up to your heart,

Just rest your hand over your heart area,

Just noticing even this action,

It sort of comes with this natural sense of kindness and compassion to oneself,

And perhaps taking a moment to notice,

Bring to mind any ways that you might have been suffering in recent times,

It might be through illness,

It might be in the domain of relationships,

It might be a feeling of emptiness or lack of purpose,

Or an overwhelm and distress around the state of the world,

Just offering yourself some loving kindness and compassion,

And for those who are new to this practice,

You can silently bring to mind some phrases that feel of comfort,

Really making sure these phrases feel authentic in the traditional practice,

We repeat silently the phrases,

May I be well,

May I be free from suffering,

And you can come up with your own phrases that evoke a sense of love and compassion for yourself,

May I forgive myself for any ways that I may have hurt others,

Or showed up not as my best self,

May I be safe,

May I be well,

You don't have to feel any particular way,

It's just more about turning attention inwards and activating loving kindness to self,

We know that if we don't take care of ourselves,

Give ourselves time and space,

We really can't be of great service to others,

Now as we all sit here in community,

Hands on hearts,

Just holding a sense of this communal heart space that we're all in,

And just sensing the hope and connection of gathering with others in this loving and compassionate way,

This time,

Knowing that there is good in the world,

And as a way of filling ourselves up,

Just stepping into gratitude now,

The very base level,

You might be become aware of something that maybe we don't think about so much,

Which is just the gratitude of safety,

Just feeling grateful that we are safe in this moment,

We can rest easy,

To some extent,

Perhaps filling up the body,

Mind and heart,

With gratitude for anyone in your life,

That has shown love and that is loving towards you,

Bringing to mind and heart,

Just the gratitude you feel for people that come to mind,

Offer you love and care or that you love so much,

Love so much,

Might be people,

Might be animals,

Might even be the greatest sense of nature in the world,

What nourishes you,

You might bring to mind places that feel soulful and nourishing,

Just feeling gratitude to have access to those places,

And just allowing this gratitude to really feel the body,

Like a jug is filled with water,

Allowing this gratitude to seep through all the cells in your body,

Really offer you nourishment,

Restoration,

Noticing how you can evoke this,

This is a real inner resource,

It might bring one person to mind in this moment,

Their face,

Their name,

Someone that cares for you or that you care deeply for,

Really just sensing the immense gratitude you have for this person,

Just like you,

This person wants to feel safe,

Feel happy and well,

We're now turning this loving kindness outwards,

Some people almost like to visualize,

Can be helpful or not,

Just a golden light in the heart area,

Allowing this light to pass over and cover and hold this person,

And filling this person with your loving kindness,

May you be well,

May you be safe,

May you be happy,

Now letting this person go,

You can keep your hand on your heart or just relax your hands by your side,

We're going to expand our awareness now beyond the people that we know that we care for,

And just bringing to mind people sitting together in this moment now,

This community we've gathered here in this moment,

From all corners of the world,

Although we don't know one another personally,

We can be sure that each one of us practicing together in this moment,

Have a lot more in common than we have different,

We all want to be safe and well and free from suffering,

It's I'd like you to imagine,

Bring to mind a sense of the hundreds of people in this very moment in this community as we sit here,

And sending out this loving kindness to this community,

And after the practice you'll see names scrolling through the chat box,

You can just send loving kindness to these individuals,

Who have complex lives that are full of sorrow and joy and stress and beauty,

May you be well,

May you be happy,

May you be free from suffering,

Now expanding this awareness more globally,

Just bringing to mind now,

We've all been exposed to images and stories around the world,

Tonight we dedicate this practice to people in Ukraine,

But of course there are people all around the world in this very moment,

That are living in terror,

Myanmar,

Sudan,

Sri Lanka,

Not just Ukraine,

But perhaps just bringing to mind any groups of people that you have been exposed to,

That you know of,

That are suffering in this moment around the world,

People just like you,

Who suddenly have had their lives threatened,

People trying to protect their families,

Being in unimaginable dilemmas,

Decisions,

Protecting children,

The vulnerable in hospitals,

And people that are not only under the threat of direct bombs and missiles,

The people in bomb shelters,

Running out of food,

Running out of water,

This happening in this moment to people just like you,

Bringing awareness to your heart,

And tuning into compassion,

Sending out loving kindness to these people,

May you be protected,

May you find safety,

May you be free from suffering,

And may you again live in peace,

And as we sit here,

Sending this loving kindness outwards,

And taking a stand by the very nature of having shown up tonight,

Perhaps also just asking ourselves,

Who do we want to be in this moment in time,

How do we want to be,

And although small contributions can feel futile,

If you were the recipient of that small contribution,

It would be life-changing.

So just asking the question of yourself,

Can I give any more than I have,

Not because it's going to stop the wars,

But just because I'm going to take a stand,

And embody the values that I want to grow in the world,

Generosity,

Compassion,

Kindness,

And through stepping into compassion,

And taking action,

We can activate these caretaking pathways,

And hopefully stay more resilient,

And engaged.

Showing up here just shows the care,

And the wanting to make a positive difference,

And now just closing this practice,

And making a dedication,

May communities like this that come together,

May the benefits of this practice,

And these gatherings ripple out in ways maybe unknown to us,

Or that can contribute,

And make a positive difference.

May this practice in some way,

Ripple out in action,

In tangible ways that we might not understand,

And to contribute to bringing greater peace on earth.

Just letting go of these contemplations,

Just bringing your attention back into your body,

Sensing the next in-breath,

The next out-breath,

And closing the practice again,

With just some gratitude for what you have in this moment.

And just remembering,

Like with each breath,

Each moment offers us an opportunity to start fresh,

Take an action,

To set a positive intention,

To forgive ourselves,

Or forgive others,

And really step forward into being the person we really want to be in this world.

Just resting in stillness for a minute,

Before we come together,

Just moving your body in whatever way that you need,

Just sensing what's present for you in this moment.

Okay,

Just stretching,

And just gently moving the body,

And just noticing just how you feel,

What you've become aware of,

Through this practice,

That you might not have been present to.