Rhythm Breath Meditation

Hello.

It's wonderful to be here with you for this rhythm breath practice.

You can do this practice seated or laying in Shavasana.

If you're laying in Shavasana,

I'd suggest something to support the knees,

Like a rolled up blanket or a bolster,

And something to support the head,

A folded up blanket,

Or whatever you have close.

As you begin to settle into your practice posture,

We'll begin by placing the thinking mind on your natural rhythm of breath.

And utilize the breath as a sort of bed for the thinking mind to rest on.

I'll begin this practice by paying homage to all of my rhythm teachers,

To all of the drums that I've been lucky enough to play,

And the many,

Many styles that I've been lucky enough to study over my career.

Bring your awareness now down to whatever point of contact you have with the earth.

Take a moment to acknowledge this earth on which you practice.

Here in Toronto,

This is the traditional territories of the Haudenosaunee,

The Wendat,

The Anishinaabeg,

And most recently the Mississauga of the Credit Nation.

As we entrain our internal rhythms in this practice,

May we also look to synchronize with the rhythms of this land on which we live,

On which we play,

On which we practice,

So that we can live in harmony with this land.

Much like those who came before us,

And those many,

Many stewards who are still here now protecting these lands and these waters.

Begin to balance out your breath,

Equaling the length of your inhale and exhale.

And this isn't an effortful controlling of the breath,

But you're simply taking the energy that's already there and balancing out the breath as it draws in and out of the body.

Perhaps a three beat inhale and a three beat exhale.

The breath is calm and smooth.

And we'll move now through an embodiment exercise.

In rhythm yoga,

We leave out no parts of the body.

We're looking to synchronize and bring into rhythm our whole being.

Moving your awareness down into both of your feet.

And fill your feet with awareness,

All the way from the tips of the toes to the back of the heels.

Now drawing up into your ankles,

Filling your ankles with your awareness.

It's as if you're inside both of your ankles between your ankle bones.

Drawing up now to the lower legs and filling the internal space of your lower legs with your awareness.

And as you come up to your knees,

Balance your awareness within the space of both knees at the same time.

So rather than the sense of attention going from one side to the other,

The attention sits in both knees at the same time.

And the thighs.

Not leaving any part of the thigh out.

You're inside the whole space of your upper legs.

Your entire pelvis.

Awareness all the way from the front of the pelvis back to the sacrum.

This will include your hips as well.

Your pelvic floor.

And don't leave out the sitz bones.

And now your torso from the top of the pelvis to the point of the lower ribs.

All the way back to the spine.

So again,

We're not leaving any parts out.

We're filling the body with awareness.

Now coming up to the chest.

From the front of the chest all the way to the back of the spine as well as the sides of the chest.

Now come into both of your shoulders.

And much like the knees,

Balance your awareness within the space of both shoulders at the same time.

And now both arms,

Both wrists,

Both hands and all ten fingers.

Keeping the arms,

The wrists,

The hands,

The fingers with your awareness.

Don't forget about the elbows.

The neck and the throat.

All the way to the back of the neck.

Becoming aware of the entire internal space of the neck.

And finally the head.

You can begin by becoming aware of the whole face and relaxing the whole face.

Then filling the head with the awareness even.

The physical brain can soften.

And now spread your awareness through your whole body.

No parts left out.

And sense that the whole internal space of your body is breathing.

So even your feet are breathing.

Your fingertips are breathing.

The top of your head is breathing.

Your sacrum is breathing.

The whole internal space of your body is breathing.

Now beginning to align breath with rhythm.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Exhale.

The breath remains smooth and subtle.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Take the full four beats for the breath.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Breathing the whole body.

Inhale.

And there's no tension.

There's no forcing of the breath.

Exhale.

It's freely moving through the body.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Breath moving like the tide.

Fluid.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Fall into the pulse.

In.

Out.

Now beginning to add some retentions.

So listen carefully.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Breathing the whole body.

Inhale.

Hold the breath in.

It's not a tight holding,

But a restful pause.

Exhale.

Two.

Three.

Four.

And then hold at the bottom of the exhale.

Breathing in.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Pause at the top.

Exhale into the whole body.

And exhale.

Rest at the bottom of the exhale.

Few more times.

Inhale.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Retain the breath in.

Three.

Four.

And release.

Two.

Three.

Four.

And release.

Three.

Four.

And pause.

Let the rhythm do the work.

Breathing in.

And pause.

Controlled smooth exhale.

And rest.

One more cycle of retention.

Inhale.

Exhale.

And release.

Exhale.

And release.

And release.

Exhale.

And release.

Exhale.

And release.

And release.

Exhale.

And release.

And release.

Inhale.

Stock the breath inside the body.

Exhale.

And rest at the bottom of the exhale.

Now releasing retentions and breathing.

Inhale.

Exhale.

No pressure.

Exhale.

Exhale,

No parts of the body left out of the breath.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Breathing in.

Breathing out.

Let go into the rhythmic repetition.

In.

It's a soft release of control.

And out.

Keep breathing along with the rhythm.

The breath is never stopping.

It's a constant cycle.

The whole body,

The whole mind is in training to this rhythm.

The whole body is in training to this rhythm.

The whole body is in training to this rhythm.

As you continue to breathe with the pulse,

Sense that the inhale and the exhale are one.

Rather than being two separate movements of breath,

They are one continuous rhythmic cycle.

Moving like the one wind in different directions.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Now beginning to add in the body.

Much like the inhale and exhale are one,

Sense that the breath,

The physical body,

And the drums are moving together.

They are not separate,

Not experienced as subject and object,

But as a single undivided movement of energy.

If you notice tension or a bound up holding at any point in the body,

Allow this one cycle to move through that tension repeatedly as you breathe.

Softly and slowly releasing that blockage so that that part of the body can open and pulse with your whole being.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Exhale.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Exhale.

Exhale.

Exhale.

Exhale.

Exhale.

Sense that you are behind the breath.

That you're underneath the movement of breath.

Tuning into your deepest stillness,

Your purest consciousness,

Unwavering,

Unchanging awareness.

Unattached from the moving energies of breath,

Body,

Mind,

And even rhythm.

The body is breathing itself.

And feel that the spacious stillness of your awareness pervades the body and the breath.

The movement of the body and the movement of rhythm.

Dance through the space of your vast awareness without disturbing the stillness of that space in any way.

Experience these two levels of yourself.

The balanced,

Entrained energy body and the unwavering stillness of your pure awareness.

Exhale.

And out.

And out.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Exhale.

And out.

Inhale.

Exhale.

And out.

And out.

And out.

Inhale.

Exhale.

And out.

Breathing in.

And breathing out.

Continue this practice until the rhythm fades into silence.

And out.

And out.

And out.

And out.

And out.

And out.

Relax any synchronization between breath and rhythm and let the breath go.

You can rest here as long as you'd like in this boundless state of pure awareness.

Untethered from the breath and from the concept of self and other.

In a fluid interrelationship with the ever changing movements of energy all around you.

In rhythm and in flow with life.

Peace,

Peace,

Peace.