This is the recording for the Web of Life meditation,
A practice that can be done outside,
Somewhere where you won't be disturbed,
But which can equally be done inside,
Under shelter or in your home.
So taking whatever time you need to make yourself comfortable in a posture that supports you to be present and awake,
And letting go of any tension that you don't need to be holding as best you can.
And then with the eyes still open,
Taking a few deeper,
Longer breaths,
Appreciating the fresh air as it comes into the body,
And then appreciating the sense of release as you let the breath go.
And then after a few longer breaths in this way,
Breathing normally again,
And just beginning by acknowledging what is around you,
Noticing what can be seen,
What can be heard,
What can be smelled,
Felt or sensed in some other way,
And whether you are inside or outside,
Becoming aware of other beings,
Other life-forms that are around you,
Or which are nearby,
Trees,
Plants,
Birds,
Animals,
Insects.
And then at a certain point,
Letting the eyes close,
And in the first stage of this practice,
Turning the attention inwards,
Dropping the awareness down out of the head and down into the body,
As if it were affected by the force of gravity,
Letting awareness sink down into the torso,
Front and back,
Letting awareness extend out into the arms and hands,
Letting awareness flow down into the legs,
All the way to the feet,
A sense of the whole body,
The whole body sitting or lying here,
Filled with awareness,
Noticing sensations on the outside of the body,
Such as the air on exposed areas of skin,
The touch of the clothes,
Contact with whatever is beneath,
And sensations happening inside of the body,
Such as tingles,
Warmth,
Pulsing,
Vibration,
All different sensations coming and going,
Arising and dissolving.
Awareness of the whole body,
Alive with sensation,
This whole living,
Breathing human body,
Itself a community of trillions of cells,
Bacteria and other organisms,
All of them interconnected,
Interdependent,
All of them unique,
But also an inseparable part of something greater,
A part of the whole.
And then beginning to extend awareness further outwards in all directions,
So letting the awareness reach deep down into the earth below,
The earth which holds and supports us,
From which we draw nourishment,
The earth from which the molecules in our physical body have come,
And to which they return,
The earth on which our life depends,
The earth from which we cannot really say that we exist independently,
The earth from which we are inseparable.
Taking a moment to rest in a sense of connection,
Of oneness with the earth below,
And bringing awareness out now to the air all around,
On all sides,
Cooler as it comes in,
Warmer as it flows out,
The air that we are continually taking in with the in-breath,
And to which we are continually contributing with each out-breath.
The air that is created by all living beings on this earth,
The air on which our life depends,
The air from which we do not exist independently,
The air from which we are inseparable.
Taking a moment to rest in a sense of oneness with the air,
And then opening up the awareness again to include the surrounding community of birds,
Animals,
Plants,
Flowers and trees,
The community above,
Below,
On all sides,
The community of life of which we are an important part,
Plants and animals that,
Right now,
Can be heard or sensed,
Or ones that are known to be there,
Or which can be imagined,
From the largest to the smallest,
From the most simple to the most complex,
Beings which support and affect one another,
And support and affect us in many ways,
Seen and unseen.
Plants and animals that create the air that we breathe,
That create the soil that nourishes us,
That provide us with food,
Beings who drink the same water and who are warmed by the same sun,
Plants and animals on whom we depend,
From whom we do not exist independently,
From whom we are inseparable.
Taking a moment to rest in a sense of oneness with a community of plants and animals,
Opening up the awareness right out,
In all directions now,
Limitless space in front and behind,
Limitless space to the left and to the right,
Limitless space above and limitless space below,
Vast expansive awareness,
Taking in all aspects of the intricate,
Interconnected web of life of which we are a part.
The sun,
The rain,
The air,
The earth,
The moon,
Humans,
Animals,
Plants,
Microorganisms,
Minerals,
All of life interdependent,
All of life interconnected.
The web of life on which our life depends,
From which we do not exist independently,
From which we are inseparable.
Just like the trillions of cells,
Bacteria and microorganisms which make up our own body,
We are all part of this dynamic,
Evolving,
Living system.
Exploring what it is like to let go of any notion of being a separate,
Isolated self,
Resting instead in this sense of interconnection,
Of oneness,
All of life happening within this vast,
Expansive awareness.
Thoughts,
Sounds,
Feelings,
Perceptions,
Sensations,
And life in its many and varied forms,
All sharing,
All existing together in this wide open field of awareness.
And then in the last stage of this practice,
It might feel right to stay with this sense of interconnection,
But to open up the eyes again and take in whatever is around,
Whatever can be seen,
Can be heard.
Appreciating the many different forms and expressions that life takes,
Each unique,
But at the same time each an inseparable,
An integral part of the whole,
Of the One.
