Today's meditation will focus on the sensations of the body.
The body is considered the outermost layer of the mind in yoga.
In fact,
It has a name,
Anamaya kosha.
So kosha means layer or sheath of the mind and anah means food.
So the body is the food layer.
And if your body is not comfortable,
It will be challenging to meditate.
We'll meditate on the sensations of the body today,
But begin with a comfortable seat.
So you could cross your legs.
I'm in sit asana here with the heels aligned with each other.
You could take sukhasana or a kneeling pose or if you'd like to sit on the edge of a chair to help keep the spine upright,
Then just take your comfortable seat.
And we want the sitting bones to move back and apart with that little internal rotation of the thighs.
It opens the pelvic floor and helps the spine extend.
Now with your hands,
You can make the okay signs,
Index fingertips and thumb tips come together on each hand with the palms face up,
Jnana mudra,
The gesture of knowledge.
That tends to bring a sense of spaciousness to your experience.
Or you could have the palms face down,
Chin mudra,
The gesture of consciousness,
Which has a little more grounding quality to it.
Use your hands in the way that they are comfortable.
And the invitation is to close your eyes or just keep a soft gaze.
Bring awareness to the natural flow of your breath.
We don't have to alter the breath in any way.
Just notice the gentle rise or expansion with the inhale,
The release or the softening of the exhale.
With your breath in,
Let the collarbones lift.
With your breath out,
Let the shoulder blades settle down the back.
Our meditation is inspired by a practice from Thich Nhat Hanh.
And as we move through our practice today,
If at any point you start to feel uncomfortable,
It is okay to gently move your body.
Just do so slowly and quietly to make yourself more comfortable once again.
I mean,
Sometimes the leg tends to fall asleep or something else.
So just know our practice is on the sensations of the body,
But make sure that you're comfortable.
We're holding stillness for the most part,
But you have permission to move if you need to.
And of course,
There are small movements of the body in coordination with the breath anyway.
Bring awareness to those small movements now as you inhale through the nostrils.
Notice a gentle expansion of the belly and the ribs and the upper chest as the collarbones lift a little.
And with your exhale,
Notice a softening.
That softening might be anywhere throughout the torso also.
Long,
Slow,
Smooth breaths.
Effortless breaths.
Now,
Allow my words to be your words.
Breathing in,
I know that I am breathing in.
Breathing out,
I know that I am breathing out.
Breathing in,
I know that I am breathing in.
Breathing out,
I know that I am breathing out.
Breathing in,
I calm my body.
Breathing out,
I smile.
Breathing in,
I calm my body.
Breathing out,
I smile.
Aware of my body,
I breathe in.
Relaxing my body,
I breathe out.
Aware of my body,
I breathe in.
Calming my body,
I breathe out.
Calming my body,
I breathe in.
Caring for my body,
I breathe out.
Calming my body,
I breathe in.
Caring for my body,
I breathe out.
Smiling to my body,
I breathe in.
Easing my body,
I breathe out.
Smiling to my body,
I breathe in.
Breathing the tensions of my body,
I breathe out.
Smiling to my body,
I breathe in.
Easing my body,
I breathe out.
Feeling joy to be alive,
I breathe in.
Feeling happy,
I breathe out.
Feeling joy to be alive,
I breathe in.
Feeling happy,
I breathe out.
Aware of my stable posture,
I breathe in.
Enjoying that stability,
I breathe out.
Aware of my stable posture,
I breathe in.
Enjoying that stability,
I breathe out.
Dwelling in the present moment,
I breathe in.
Enjoying the present moment,
I breathe out.
Dwelling in the present moment,
I breathe in.
Enjoying the present moment,
I breathe out.
Breathing in,
I calm my body.
Breathing out,
I smile.
Continue with an effortless flow of your own breathing.
To maintain awareness of this softening and relaxing through the body,
You might continue with the phrases to yourself.
Breathing in,
I calm my body.
Breathing out,
I smile.
Or you could even shorten it so that on your inhale,
Simply repeat to yourself internally,
Calming,
On your exhale,
Repeat to yourself,
Smiling.
On the inhale,
Calming.
On the exhale,
Smiling.
And continue.
Breathing in,
I smile.
Breathing out,
I smile.
Breathing out,
I smile.
Breathing out,
I smile.
Breathing out,
I smile.
Breathing in,
I calm my body.
Breathing out,
I smile.
Slowly now,
You can bring palms together,
Hands to your heart center.
We'll close our practice today with the universal sound of om one time.
You can join in or simply listen.
We'll inhale fully.
May our practice be for the benefit of our own selves and also for the upliftment of all beings.
Thank you for your practice today.
Namaste.
