How To Save The World

So welcome to this Beaumont Center for Mindfulness guided practice.

I'm Dr.

Ruth Lerman and very glad to be practicing with you.

We'll start out with just some mindful movement to settle the mind and body.

So taking a deep inhale and just stretching the arms up over the head.

You might allow the gaze to come up to the fingertips and exhaling arms out to the sides and down.

And really adapting these movements in any way that's called for.

So I'm just offering some guidance.

It's really your body that's the teacher.

And even envisioning the body going through the movements can be an effective mindfulness practice.

So you could stay completely still and you would still be practicing with us.

Let's now just do a few shoulder rolls.

If you'd like to link the movement to the breath,

You could allow the inhales to guide the forward and up movements,

Exhales to guide the back and down movements.

And reversing direction.

Coming to stillness,

Just pausing,

Allowing the spine to be comfortably erect.

And in a moment,

We'll move into a gentle backbend,

Starting at the low back and moving our way up through the back,

Deciding whether it's going to serve you to involve the neck in this backbend at all.

So taking a deep inhale and exhaling,

Bending back just gently at the low back,

Mid back,

Upper back and as I said,

Choosing whether it supports you to involve the neck in the backbend or not.

Noticing any parts of the body where you're holding tightness or tension like the jaw or someplace else that doesn't need to be involved in this particular movement.

With the next inhale coming to an erect position,

An exhale coming into a forward fold.

In just whatever way is appropriate for the body and the space that's available to you right now.

Allowing gravity to do the work and just feeling the effects of gravity on the body in this forward fold.

And with the next inhale,

Rolling up one vertebra at a time back to an erect posture.

Pausing here and sensing into this body,

Noticing what areas feel like they would benefit from some movement.

So it might be that you want to twist the spine in one direction or another or perhaps it's moving wrists or ankles,

Fingers,

Toes.

Maybe a side bend.

As these movements feel complete,

Settling into a pose that allows you to be comfortable,

Awake.

An erect spine will support some steadiness of the mind but not rigid.

You might be sitting,

Standing,

Lying down.

So taking this moment to simply know the body in the position that it is in.

Just sit and know that you're sitting,

Stand,

Knowing the standing,

Or lying down,

Knowing the lying down.

Exploring how things are in the mind in this moment as the mind drowsy,

Energized,

Calm or agitated.

Or you might simply note if things are pleasant,

Unpleasant,

Or neutral.

Allowing things to be as they are.

And starting from where you are because this is the only place you can start from.

Now bringing the attention to anchor at the feet.

Noticing whatever sensations show up as you pay attention to the feet.

Whether it's warmth or coolness,

Tingling,

Moisture or dryness.

Even the absence of perceived sensation at the feet is something that can be noticed.

And here too,

Just being okay with whatever is felt or isn't felt as the attention is anchored at the feet.

And of course it's the nature of the mind to wander.

So when the mind wanders away from this anchor,

Just acknowledging it,

Perhaps with a soft mental note of what the mind wandered to.

Thinking or hearing,

Feeling.

And then coming back,

Beginning again,

Anchoring at the feet.

Now letting the attention flow up through the legs till it comes to the back of the thighs and the seat region.

Sensing into this area of the body.

And tuning in here.

Many times as the mind wanders,

Acknowledging it and beginning again.

Each moment of noticing the wandering mind is a success.

Sensing into the spine,

Making any adjustments that are called for to maintain this comfortably erect posture.

Now exploring for sensations at the neck and shoulders.

If there is any tightness or tension here,

Perhaps it can be allowed to soften,

To relax,

Or just allowing it to be as it is.

And letting this attention now flow from the shoulders down through the arms till it comes to the hands.

Noticing if the hands are touching each other or not.

Allowing all manner of sensations that can be appreciated when the attention is anchored at the hands.

So having the intention to keep the attention at the hands.

Knowing,

Allowing that it will wander.

And when it does,

Acknowledging it and beginning again.

You might choose to stay with one of these anchors that we've already practiced with.

Or if it feels friendly to you now,

Noticing where in the body the breath is most easily perceived.

And anchoring the attention with the breath.

Breathing in.

Knowing that you're breathing in.

Breathing out.

Knowing that you're breathing out.

Knowing the pauses between the breaths.

And asking yourself now,

What is the intention that brings me to this practice?

What is my intention in coming to stillness?

In doing something that is simple,

But often not easy.

Coming again and again to the anchor.

And so these words by Martha Postlewaite offer an intention for practice.

Just allowing the words to land with you as they do.

Allowing them to be simply a part of the practice.

The poem is called Clearing.

And she says,

Do not try to save the whole world or do anything grandiose.

Do not try to save the whole world.

Instead,

Create a clearing in the dense forest of your life and wait there patiently.

Until the song that is your life falls into your own cupped hands and you recognize and greet it.

Create a clearing in the forest of your life and wait there patiently.

Only then will you know how to give yourself to this world so worth of rescue.

Do not try to save the whole world or do anything grandiose.

Instead,

Create a clearing in the dense forest of your life and wait there patiently.

Until the song that is your life falls into your own cupped hands and you recognize and greet it.

Only then will you know how to give yourself to this world so worth of rescue.

Breathing in and breathing out.

And we'll move into now some friendliness or loving kindness practice.

I'll say some phrases and the invitation is simply to repeat those phrases in your mind after me.

Not trying to make yourself feel what the phrases say,

But just allowing yourself to feel whatever shows up as you repeat them.

Again,

This allowing.

May I be peaceful and happy.

May I be free from inner and outer harm.

May I be as strong and healthy as is possible for me.

May I live with ease.

May I be peaceful and happy.

May I be free from inner and outer harm.

May I be as strong and healthy as is possible for me.

May I live with ease.

And now bringing to mind someone in your life who has been a benefactor in some way.

Might be a teacher,

A parent,

Some other relative,

A friend,

A historic figure.

This individual might not be walking on this planet any longer.

Might not be a person,

It might be an animal such as a pet.

Or perhaps even a place on this planet.

So bringing this benefactor to mind and exploring how these phrases land with the benefactor.

May my benefactor be peaceful and happy.

May they be free from inner and outer harm.

May they be as strong and healthy as is possible for them.

May they live with ease.

And now bringing to mind those who are near and dear to you.

Might be just one being,

Might be many.

May my loved ones be peaceful and happy.

May they be free from inner and outer harm.

May they be as strong and healthy as is possible for them.

May they live with ease.

And now exploring how these phrases land with an individual in your life who is a bit difficult.

Best not to pick the most difficult person in your life but someone who's a bit difficult.

May they be peaceful and happy.

May they be free from inner and outer harm.

May they be as strong and healthy as is possible for them.

May they live with ease.

And now bringing to mind someone or someones whom you know to be suffering.

May those who are suffering be safe.

May those who are suffering be well.

May those who are suffering be happy.

And may those who are suffering live with peace and ease.

And now bringing to mind all beings on this planet.

Those that live in the waters,

On the land,

In the land.

Those that travel in the skies.

And including our planet itself.

May all beings and our planet be safe.

May all beings and our planet be well.

May all beings and our planet be happy.

May all beings and our planet live with peace and ease.

And now bringing to mind someone or someone who's suffering.

And in a moment we will close this practice with three chimes of the bell.

The bell is ringing.

The bell is ringing.