Introduction To Chanting Meditation #2 Relaxation

Hello,

Good morning,

Good afternoon,

And good evening to everyone around the world.

Our last session,

We explored posture,

Which was sitting as tall as you can and with the least amount of effort and finding that delicate balance between effort and ease called resilience.

Today,

In our second of two sessions on posture,

We explore the attribute of relaxation through body awareness.

Tension and holding is our body's defense mechanism.

It's one way we protect ourselves,

Girding ourselves to deal with the threats of life,

Sort of like wearing armor.

But after a while,

This tenseness and holding takes a toll on our bodies,

And after years it becomes habitual to the point where we are no longer even aware we're holding our bodies in a rigid,

Intense manner.

Tension also dulls our senses,

Blocking our ability to enjoy the richness of the moment,

And ultimately,

It can actually make us feel sick.

Relaxing our body allows us to more fully experience our sensations and feelings.

We see,

Hear,

Feel and think more clearly.

Everything looks brighter and clearer,

Like switching between an old-fashioned low-definition TV to high-def 4K.

Once our body is aligned,

We naturally begin to relax.

Alignment allows us to surrender our weight to gravity and experience the feeling and lightness of relaxation.

Once we relax and let our body function,

We naturally begin to heal and restore and awaken.

The process of relaxation during meditation can take the entire session,

Almost like layers of an onion peeling away one layer after another,

Layer by layer,

Breath by breath.

This self-discovery of relaxation is quite restorative and healing.

So as you find deeper and deeper layers of tension and holding,

Don't be disappointed or concerned,

Judgmental or critical.

Instead,

Be happy that you discovered these layers of yourself.

Enjoy the self-discovery.

Okay,

Let's begin our session.

Coming now to sit.

Entering into your meditation.

Finding your intention to be here,

Present and alert.

Finding a comfortable meditation posture.

Sitting or kneeling on a cushion,

On the floor or in a chair.

If you choose to sit in a chair,

Sit with your back away from the back of the chair,

Feet flat on the floor,

Hands resting comfortably on your thighs or in your lap.

Sitting as tall as you can with the least amount of effort.

Aligned and resilient in the balance between effort and ease.

Your whole body posture embodies a sense of dignity and presence.

Gently bring your awareness to your posture.

Examining the sensations in your body generated by your posture.

How comfortable and supported do you feel?

Begin this session by simply resting,

Allowing your whole body to settle.

Enjoying these moments to just rest.

Know where else you need to be.

Nothing you need to do.

Nothing you need to fix.

For now,

You are exactly where you need to be.

Taking a deep breath in through your nose and exhaling through your mouth,

Letting out a great big sigh.

Softening your forehead,

Eyes,

Cheeks,

Jaw,

Mouth,

Neck,

Shoulders arms,

Hands,

Chest,

Lower back,

Belly,

Pelvis,

Groin,

Hips.

Legs and feet.

Gently move your attention to your feet.

What sensations do you feel in your feet?

Toes,

Ball of your foot,

Edge of your feet,

Arch,

Heels,

Top of the foot,

Ankles.

If you find any tension or holding in your feet,

As you breathe out,

Release it,

Letting it sink away into the floor.

Feel how your feet surrender to gravity.

You may feel this sensation of release as a lightness or an opening.

Moving your awareness up into your legs.

What sensations do you feel in your legs?

Your shin,

Your calf,

Knees,

Back of the thigh,

Front of the thigh.

If you find any tension or holding in your legs,

With your out breath,

Let it go.

Feel the subtle sensation of release as the tension or holding melts away into the floor.

How do your legs feel now?

Moving your awareness up into your pelvis,

Groin,

Hips.

What sensations do you feel here?

Whatever tension or holding you may find here in the pelvic region,

With your out breath,

Allow the whole region to soften and release.

Moving up into the belly and lower back.

What sensations do you feel in your belly and lower back?

Whatever tension or holding you may find in your belly and lower back,

With your out breath,

Let it melt into the ground.

Continue up to your chest and upper back.

What do you feel in your chest?

What do you feel in your upper back?

Imagine your breath is swirling and moving around this region and then as you breathe out,

Letting it carry away any tension or holding.

Spend some time breathing into these areas,

Observing what you feel and with the out breath,

Letting go of the tension,

Releasing it into the floor and moving up to your shoulders.

What do you find and feel in your shoulders?

Whatever tension or holding you may find in your shoulders,

With your out breath,

Letting it melt away.

Moving to your arms and hands.

What do you feel in your hands,

Fingers,

Palms,

Back of the hands,

Wrists,

Your forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm?

If you find any tension or holding in your arms and hands,

As you breathe out,

Let it go.

Continuing up into the neck,

The neck connecting the shoulders to the head,

Your throat.

Whatever tension or holding you may find in your throat and neck,

With your out breath,

Releasing it,

Letting it go.

Moving up to your whole head,

Your face,

Eyes,

Cheeks,

Your ears,

The back of your head,

Temples,

And scalp,

All the way up to the crown of your head.

Whatever tension or holding,

Tightness you may find in your face and head,

With your out breath,

Let it go.

Feel your whole body surrendering to gravity.

Observe your body as a whole,

The contact between your body and the surface that supports it,

Your presence within the volume of the room,

And observe how your body feels now.

Moving your awareness to your breath,

Noticing what is the tone of your breathing,

Deep,

Slow,

Soft,

Smooth,

Silent.

Feel the pulse of your heart in your chest,

The pulse down into the belly,

Legs,

And arms.

In this relaxation,

You may feel light,

Or heavy,

Or big.

Perhaps as if there is no separation between you and the floor,

Or between you and the room around you.

Whatever you're feeling right now is perfect.

Welcome.

Move your awareness through your body again,

Beginning from your feet,

Slowly moving up to the different regions,

All the way to the crown of your head.

And as you do this,

See if with each out breath,

You can allow the various regions of your body to release even a little bit of tension further,

Layer by layer,

Breath by breath.

In this very relaxed state,

In this moment,

You are much more aware of your body as a whole.

Sensations of relaxation may be noticeable or extremely subtle.

Sometimes they can feel like a slight shimmering or vibration.

You may even experience some involuntary twitching or jerking of your muscles as they let go of tension and holding.

Keep surrendering to gravity,

Observing and accepting the sensations and feelings and insights that occur.

Everything is welcome.

When the bell rings,

Easing your awareness from breath to sound,

And keep observing your body,

Alignment and relaxation,

Allowing yourself to feel the sound resonating and vibrating throughout your body.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo Nam Myoho Renge Kyo Nam Myoho Renge Kyo Nam Myoho Renge Kyo Nam Myoho Renge Kyo Nam Myoho Renge Kyo Nam Myoho Renge Kyo Nam Myoho Renge Kyo Nam Myoho Renge Kyo Nam Myoho Renge Kyo Nam Myoho Renge Kyo Nam Myoho Renge Kyo Nam Myoho Renge Kyo Nam Myoho Renge Kyo Nam Myoho Renge Kyo Nam Myoho Renge Kyo Nam Myoho Renge Kyo Nam Myoho Renge Kyo Nam Myoho Renge Kyo Nam Myoho Renge Kyo Nam Myoho Renge Kyo Nam Myoho Renge Kyo Nam Myoho Renge Kyo Nam Myoho Renge Kyo Nam Myoho Renge Kyo Nam Myoho Renge Kyo Nam Myoho Renge Kyo Nam Myoho Renge Kyo Breathing in,

I know I am breathing in.

Breathing out,

I know I am breathing out.

In Breathing in,

I know that every in-breath is a new beginning.

Breathing out,

I know every out-breath is a letting go.

New beginning Letting go Here Now Slowly and gradually beginning to emerge from your meditation.

Releasing your meditation posture.

Wiggling your toes and your fingers.

Taking a deep breath up and stretching your arms up high.

Nice big stretch up.

Breathing in and as you lower your arms letting out a sigh.

Rocking side to side.

Bringing a bit of motion back into your body.

Waking it up slowly.

And as you do that rubbing your legs.

Reaching behind to your lower back and giving your lower back a massage.

Sliding your hands around to your lower belly.

And as you gently hold your lower belly,

Repeating to yourself,

I am well.

Moving your hands over your heart.

Repeating to yourself,

I am happy,

Loved and loving.

Crossing your arms,

Putting your hands on your opposite shoulders.

Giving yourself a hug.

As you lightly stroke down your arm from shoulder to elbow a few times.

As you repeat to yourself,

I am safe.

At home.

In my body.

With my breath.

And lightly caressing your face from your forehead.

Around your eyes.

Down your cheeks.

To the tip of your jaw.

Through your hair.

Over your head.

Around to the back of your neck and pausing there to give your neck and shoulders a massage.

Sliding your hands back to your heart.

And back to your belly.

Repeating,

I am peaceful and at ease.

And take a moment to be grateful and appreciate this gift of relaxation and self-care that you gave yourself.

And coming together here in our group to share it with each other.

Take these good feelings with you into the rest of your night,

Day and week.

Now rubbing the palms of your hands together,

Warming them.

Lightly cupping them over your eyes.

With your next in-breath,

As you breathe in,

Opening your eyes into your hands.

As you breathe out,

Slowly lowering your hands,

Returning your awareness to the room around you.

Thank you all very much.