In the body,
There can be peace.
Returning to that body now,
Settling into a seated position such as in a chair with the bottoms of your feet on the ground,
Or bringing yourself to stand with your feet about hip distance apart.
Each day brings an abundance of experience.
Sensory experience in our body.
Thought experience in our mind.
Each profoundly impacting the other.
A body-mind intricately linked.
A nervous system sensing within us,
Sensing around us.
Sometimes immersing us deeply in the moment,
Other times carrying us away in our thoughts.
When distress or anxiety or fear fill our system,
We often find the sensations in our body stuck,
Stagnant,
Resistant.
We can support those sensations of stress and distress to move through us,
Taking a path toward release,
Toward change in our nervous system.
Together,
We will try a practice that can be used whenever it is needed.
In solitude,
Or in the midst of a conversation,
Or waiting in line in a public place,
Almost anywhere you find the need to move toward release in your nervous system.
Taking 100 steps.
These steps might be normal walking steps if you try this in the future,
But our practice here will be doing a version of walking in place in a subtle,
Mindful way,
Either standing or seated such as in a chair with feet on the ground.
Let's start by exploring the movement.
Noticing the sensation of your feet resting on the ground,
Your foundation.
Now lifting one heel,
Leaving the ball of the foot touching the ground.
Setting that heel down.
Now lifting the other heel.
Alternating back and forth a few times.
Lifting one heel,
Setting it down.
Then the other,
Setting it down.
As you do this,
Feeling your toes.
Feeling the gentle pressure between the ball of your foot and the ground.
Focusing on that sensation.
If you're standing,
You might try another variation,
Leaving both heels on the ground and just alternating the bend in your knees.
Bending your left knee,
Then straightening,
Then bending your right knee and straightening.
Just trying out the motion here,
Feeling the bottoms of the feet.
In a moment,
We will give our minds a second task,
To count to 100,
With intention to experience the sensation of each step in its fullness.
When your mind inevitably wanders,
Returning it to the movement and counting from wherever you left off or want to begin from.
I'll start us off,
Then allow you to continue counting each step until you reach 100.
We begin.
1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8,
9,
11.
Continuing counting now on your own.
Wherever your count landed you,
Returning your feet to stillness now.
The mind drawn to other thoughts,
Bringing it back for a moment to notice your senses.
Noticing what is around you.
Noticing the scent of the air,
Or maybe no scent.
Breathing in and out.
On your next inhale,
Deeply filling your chest with air.
Then releasing.
Noticing the sensation in your body.
100 steps.
Steps that can be repeated again right away,
Right now,
If it feels right.
Or again in the future when you seek an internal shift.
Thank you for taking these steps together with me today.
From here,
Wherever your journey takes you,
May you feel each step in its fullness.
