Living Your 1 Wild And Precious Life, Mindful Breath & Body

Noticing the feet on the earth,

The sit bones on the ground.

Noticing the body to fall into this posture as we open awareness to this moment,

To our experience right now,

Whatever that might be.

Who made the world?

Who made the swan and the black bear?

Who made the grasshopper?

By this grasshopper I mean the one who has flung herself out of the grass,

The one who is eating sugar out of my hand,

Who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down,

Who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.

Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.

Now she snaps her wings open and floats away.

I don't know exactly what a prayer is.

I do know how to pay attention.

How to fall down into the grass,

How to kneel in the grass,

How to be idle and blessed,

How to stroll through the fields,

Which is what I've been doing all day.

Tell me,

What else should I have done?

Doesn't everything die at last?

And too soon.

Tell me,

What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?

Sitting practice.

Bring your awareness to the points where the body makes connection with the earth.

Noticing the pressure of the ground that reaches the body.

Perhaps noticing this in the feet.

Maybe the sit bones or the hands.

If you're lying down,

Perhaps noticing this in the back of the head.

And you can choose to allow your awareness to remain with the body on the ground.

Perhaps moving your awareness to this breathing body.

To this gentle rise and fall as the body draws breath into the lungs.

Perhaps noticing how the chest expands,

The ribs move up and forwards.

As the cool air is drawn into the body,

Bringing energy.

Perhaps noticing that with the out breath,

This air which no longer serves us is released,

Let go.

These muscles which have contracted are allowed to relax and release.

Allowing the whole body to follow the breath and let go.

And relax and release with the out breath.

And moving your awareness to the point where you notice the breath most strongly in the body.

Taking a little time to bring your curiosity as you notice where this is for you right now.

Allowing your awareness to rest here.

Noticing the pattern of the breath.

Noticing as the body breathes in,

Pauses,

Breathes out,

Pauses.

And when you notice the mind has got distracted or wandered off,

Seeing if it's possible to be interested in this.

Noticing where the mind's gone.

Knowing that nothing's gone wrong.

This is the nature of minds.

Be noticing where the mind's gone.

And gently and kindly,

Guiding your awareness back to the body,

Back to this moment.

Back to the breath.

You may like to follow the full journey of the breath.

Noticing the journey the breath takes as it enters the body.

Fills the lungs and leaves the body once more.

Sensing this movement of the breath through the body.

Knowing that if the breath isn't feeling like a safe place to rest your awareness today,

You can always return to the body on the ground or a different anchor which you know does serve you.

You can also open the eyes as well.

Or perhaps pausing the practice or ending the practice if it doesn't feel right for you.

Knowing that this time is for you.

Doing something in your own deepest well-being.

And if you notice this isn't serving you,

Then checking in and seeing what might.

Perhaps bringing your awareness to the in-breath.

Noticing what it feels to breathe in.

Noticing the experience of each in-breath one after the other.

Perhaps noticing that energy is needed to breathe in.

Chest moves as muscles contract.

Moving your awareness instead now to the out-breath.

Noticing this releasing and letting go with each out-breath.

Perhaps allowing the whole body to follow the breath.

Release and let go as you breathe out.

Starting to release your awareness as a breath.

Starting to bring awareness to the body now.

Starting with the feet.

Noticing the toes.

Guiding your awareness down to all ten of your toes.

Noticing the space between the toes.

Releasing awareness of the toes.

Noticing the soles of the feet.

Perhaps the soles of the feet are resting on the ground.

Perhaps noticing the pressure of the feet on the air.

Expanding your awareness to take in also the top of the feet.

The insides of the feet.

The whole of both of your feet.

Noticing if perhaps there's numbness here.

Maybe there's part of the feet or maybe the whole of the feet that you're able to sense right now.

Knowing that's okay.

That too is an experience.

There's no right way to feel.

Expanding your awareness to take in the ankles,

The shins and the calves.

Knees.

The thighs.

Noticing if there's any holding or tightness in the muscles of the thighs.

If so,

Perhaps breathing into these points of tightness.

And as you breathe out,

Allowing and releasing.

Knowing that not all of the holding in the body is under our conscious control.

So not worrying if there's still tightness in the body.

Noticing where the legs join the body,

The hips.

Pelvis,

The whole basin of the pelvis.

The lower back.

Moving your awareness up the body,

Taking in the gentle curves of the back.

You notice the mid-back.

The upper back and the shoulders.

And if you notice the mind's wandered off,

Perhaps being curious.

Noticing where the mind's gone.

And perhaps adding a subtle,

A gentle note to yourself.

Perhaps planning.

Planning.

Daydreaming.

Daydreaming.

And be noticing what the mind's doing.

And then gently and kindly,

Guiding the focus back to the body,

To the shoulders.

Moving awareness to include the abdomen.

And noticing if there's any tightness here.

Any sense of feelings or emotions.

The chest.

The upper arms.

The elbows.

The lower arms and the hands.

The throat and the neck.

The scalp.

The forehead.

The eyebrows.

Place between the eyebrows.

The eyes.

Temples.

The nose.

The cheeks.

The jaw and the lips.

Expanding your awareness to take in the whole of this body.

Breathing here.

And if it works for you,

Perhaps using imaginative breathing.

To breathe down to the tips of the toes.

And back out again.

Noticing the whole of your body resting here in the air.

And as you do this,

If you notice any aches and pains,

Any discomfort.

Perhaps bringing your awareness to these points.

Breathing in and out of this discomfort.

Knowing that this discomfort is part of life.

We'll all experience pain at one time or another.

We may not be able to remove all of the pain or discomfort.

Perhaps we can choose how we respond to it.

Noticing if there's any aversion,

Any pushing away of discomfort.

Or perhaps any bracing,

Any tightness around this in the body.

Perhaps noticing if you can release any of this as you breathe out.

As you let go.

If it feels right,

Expanding your awareness once more to the whole of this breathing body.

Nothing to do.

Nothing to achieve.

Simply being.

Simply resting.

Starting to release your awareness of the body.

Relaxing your noticing.

And bringing your awareness back to the feet resting on the ground.

The sit bones or the hands.

Noticing these points where the body makes connection with whatever's supporting it.

And as we come towards the end of this practice,

Noticing if there's anything that the body needs.

Some movement,

Some stretching,

Maybe a drink.

As we start to come out of the practice,

Noticing if you can give this to the body.

Perhaps starting to move the fingers and the toes.

Whenever you're ready,

Slowly starting to open the eyes.