If you have tight hips or low back pain (which are usually related), then you will love this hip opening yoga sequence.
Not only will you get the relief you need, but the addition of Yin Yoga postures can help release stuck emotions that can be causing these physical imbalances in the first place. This is because we focus on mobilizing the energy in the Liver and Gallbladder meridians that run through the inner and outer legs, respectively.
You can learn more about how to balance liver and gallbladder energy in Spring Health Tips from Traditional Chinese Medicine . These organs and channels tend to become imbalanced in Spring, resulting in a condition we call Liver Qi Stagnation. It results in issues like:
eye strain
headaches
angry outbursts
tight hips & groin
menstrual irregularities
PMS
and much more…
Of course some people just have a this type of constitution and can be prone to these issues at any time. This makes this Yin Yoga Liver and Gallbladder yoga practice even more important so that you can do it regularly to find balance in your life.
Before you begin, make sure you have:
a blanket or cushion to prop up the hips
1-2 blocks
You may also want to download my Stress-Relieving acupressure guide. You can do these acupressure points while you hold some of the Yin Yoga shapes! This acupressure sequence will make the yoga practice even more effective and can help you sleep at night. You’ll love it!
Hip Opening Yoga Practice Video
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I hope you enjoyed this hip opening yoga practice! If you were experiencing issues with Liver Qi Stagnation before you began, did they resolve by the end? Let us know in the comments!
Spring has sprung! The shift in temperature is obvious, but can you also notice the change in energy and feeling? There’s the flurry of activity in nature – from the behavior of local animals to the different seasonal fruits and vegetables bursting from the branches and soil. We need to adjust our activity and lifestyle to the energy of the season in order to experience vibrancy in our lives too. I’m going to teach you exactly how with these Spring health tips from Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Traditional Chinese Medicine and Spring
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a complete holistic health system that supports the body, heart, mind, and spirit. It’s based on the concept that we are all microcosms of nature. We achieve a relative balance of Yin and Yang energy based on our personal constitution and that of the current season.
In Spring, we experience a balance of Yin and Yang energy at the Spring Equinox, and then the Yang, hot, vibrant energy of the sun starts to accumulate as we approach the Summer Solstice. For this reason, we feel the desire to be more active, to be outside, to soak up the sun when it makes an appearance, to move our bodies more, and we may find ourselves wanting to stay up later and rise earlier in the morning, making the most of the day.
In Chinese Medicine and Taoist philosophy,Spring is associated with:
The element Wood
The color Green
Movement of Qi (vital energy)
Liver & Gall Bladder organs & channels in the body
The Tendons
Our Eyes & Sight
Sour taste
Compassion & Decisiveness when in balance
Anger & Indecisiveness when out of balance
Wind as the Weather that can cause harm
We can consider all of this as we strive to find balance this season. Here are my Spring health tips on how to do this on every level!
How to Support Your Body in Spring
Change Your Diet to Lighter, Cooler Foods
It’s time to let go of those heavy, nourishing, comfort foods of Winter and start adding lighter, more cooling foods into the diet as the weather gets warmer. But this transition should take time, and may still not be appropriate if your constitution is more cold and damp (tending toward loose stools and generating a lot of mucus in the nose/lungs). If digestion is okay, you can eat more salads and raw in-season fruits & vegetables, otherwise, cook your veggies and fruits well.
Lemons, limes, pickles, and vinegar all support the liver. But if your Liver energy is too strong (with feelings of heat rising up to the head, anger, tinnitus/ringing ears, frustration, see more in the Emotions section below), then avoid these foods.
Clear Your Body of Toxins
Spring is a popular time to try detoxifying protocols to clear the Intestines, fortify the gut lining, support the Kidneys and Liver, and boost immune function.
Of course it’s best to detox under the guidance of a qualified practitioner to make sure you’re still eating a balanced diet and that it’s not too strict or done too long.
Find Natural Allergy Relief
If Spring is your least favorite season, I bet it’s because of seasonal allergies!
I totally understand any discomfort you’re feeling. I used to have intense allergies every Spring too, until I changed my lifestyle. Your can read more about my story here.
Now I may have a slight runny nose, but that’s it. This is a huge deal since I use to get frequent sinus infections and stuck in a horrible cycle of antibiotic use.
Spring is a great time to pick up a new sport or activity, and for weight loss endeavors. You’ll enjoy exercising outdoors and the motivational energy of the season will keep you going!
Give Your Eyes a Rest
When the eyes are heavy and strained from time on the computer or other electronic device, the best thing you can do is go outside and look at the leaves on trees and bushes. The green color is soothing for the eyes (supporting Liver/Gall Bladder energy) and being outside in 3D will use your eye muscles in a more balanced way.
How to Support Your Emotions in Spring
Soak up the sun
Sunlight is known to improve your mood. Plus, you’ll be storing vitamin D at every exposure, which is vital for immune health (related to gut health which also supports your emotional health!)
Recognize Feelings of Overwhelm
For some of us, Spring is glorious! But for others who are already very Yang (active, hot, intense characters), the increased energy of this season can be too stimulating.
Instead of going with the flow, they can try too hard to control what is happening, creating more emotional & physical stress and energetically what we call in Chinese Medicine “Liver qi stagnation”. Symptoms include sensations of heat rising, high blood pressure, headaches, neck/shoulder/upper back/side rib tension, impatience and angry outbursts.
* When any of this happens (anytime of year, really), it is a sign to chill out.*
Eat cooling foods and use diluted peppermint essential oil as a cool compress on the head/neck. You can also move your energy down by taking a casual walk outside; grounding in the earth, grass, or sand; and really paying attention to your feet making contact with the ground.
How to Support Your Mind in Spring
Adopt a Playful Attitude
Do you have to hold onto stress in order to prove that you’re successful, doing something worthwhile, or care deeply about something?
Are you upset about things happening in the world that you cannot control?
There is no need to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders and it’s not your sole responsibility to solve it’s problems. You will be more useful in coming up with impactful solutions if you’re balanced in body, heart, and mind anyway.
Oftentimes when I’m stressed, taking life too seriously, or just feeling overwhelmed, I sit and imagine again what it felt like when I was young and did not have so many responsibilities. I was empathetic, compassionate, and could be oversensitive in the moment. But I did not dwell on sadness and what was negative in the world. I moved forward.
Maybe you can try connecting in with your younger, more relaxed & trusting self. See if you can carry that attitude into everything you do – parenting, working, cooking dinner, whatever. Or maybe you can connect with your faith or higher power to guide you along. Life is what you make it!
Just do what you can, when you can, and appreciate the life that has been given to you!
Embrace Change
There’s a saying in Yoga that the only thing you can count on in life is change. And our resistance to change is what causes suffering.
If you’re resisting change and suffering, this maybe a great time to move with the wind and try something new. Open up your mind to other possibilities. Trust that where you’re going is exactly where you need to be! It may be uncomfortable, but sometimes we need to experience unease before we can expand and grow.
If seated meditation does not suit you, try walking meditation. Move as slow or fast as need be, but keep the mind fixed on placing one foot in front of the other and all the sensations that arise from that action. This is a skill we can all develop in life when things become overwhelming
Spring asks us to be like the trees – sturdy, strong, and focused on reaching for the sun (or our passions, goals, plans), but flexible enough to sway and adjust in the wind to avoid breakage.
So when you feel like the branches of your body, heart or mind are becoming too taut & resistant, I hope these Spring Health Tips help bring more ease to your life.
Are you hopping about with Spring fever? Or are you laying low with allergies and other seasonal discomfort? In this Ayurvedic kriya technique series, we’ve been exploring ways to stay well since the transition from Winter to Spring is challenging many of us, myself included! Last week, I showed you how to perform Jala Neti, or how to cleanse the nasal passages with warm salt water and a neti pot. Have you tried it? This week I’m teaching you Kapalabhati pranayama, translated as skull “shining breath”.
Kapalabhati pranayama clears energy and blood stagnation from the center of the body, where it can remain as a sludge that slows the body and mind. It also helps to break up mucus in the upper respiratory tract. Kapalabhati builds heat as it pumps and increases circulation.
This circulation of blood and energy is what’s needed to maintain proper gut health, immune function, and inflammatory response.
It’s a part of my Spring yoga practice to help lighten up my body, but you may find that it’s useful whenever you’re feeling lethargic or uninspired too! Read on or watch the video to learn how it’s done.
Kapalabhati Breathing
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Benefits of Kapalabhati
Kapalabhati breathing is one of the 6 Yoga kriya exercises to promote health and wellness. It’s also an invigorating practice that is a wonderful way to start the day!
Here’s some of Kapalabhati’s benefits:
Invigorates the body and mind, removing sluggishness
It strengthens the lungs, liver, heart, and mobilizes the intestine
It tones the abdominal muscles.
Increases breath capacity
Clears mucus and pens the sinuses and airways
Contraindications: This technique should not be used if you have a headache, vertigo, high/low blood pressure, history of stroke, gastritis, hernia, or ulcers.
How to do Kapalabhati Breathing
It’s best to perform Kapalabhati on an empty stomach.
Come into a comfortable seated position.
Take a few deep breaths to settle your mind down into your body.
Keeping your mouth and nose closed, exhale forcefully by pulling in the abdominal muscles. Let the inhalation fill up the abdomen and lungs passively. This is one “pumping”
Start by doing 10 pumpings. You can build up to 50+ with time, but want to make sure that you don’t hyperventilate or get dizzy. Stop when you feel that you’ve had enough.
After the pumpings, inhale long and deep. Lift the pelvic floor (mula bandha) as you bring your chin down (jalandhara bandha). Hold the breath in as long as is comfortable.
Then let go of the pelvic floor and chin locks, and release the breath completely.
Breathe normally and repeat 2-3 more cycles if you wish.
Note that while these kriya exercises can help keep you healthy and vibrant, you still need to do other work to maintain it. They’re not going to erase the immune challenges that come with poor sleep, an unbalanced diet, or overwhelm & worry.
I hope you find this breathing practice useful! Let me know how it works for you, in the comments below! Well wishes to you..
Want relief for your tired, dry, computer-strained eyes? Want to focus with more ease? Do you want relief from minor headaches? Trataka Meditation, also known as candle gazing, is one of the Ayurvedic yoga kriya cleansing exercises for the body that can help with these issues and much more!
I especially love doing Trataka in the spring time, when the energy of our Liver and Gall Bladder organs and meridians tend to become imbalanced from the Chinese Medicine perspective. These organs are associated with the eyes and our ability to follow through on projects with more direction and less frustration.
Watch the video below, or read on for instructions on how to do the meditation. You may also want to check out my stress-relieving acupressure guide, which would be a wonderful accompaniment to this Ayurvedic technique. You can get it here:
Trataka Candle Gazing Meditation
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Benefits of Trataka
Trataka is a has many wonderful benefits. People perform Trataka in order to:
tone the muscles of the eyes which may improve vision
Trataka is one of the easiest, most relaxing meditations you can try. Even kids can do it!
Just know that this meditation is not appropriate for people suffering from migraines or severe eye issues, such as just had eye surgery. It’s also a good idea to go very slowly if one has had any psychological trauma.
Instructions:
It’s best to be in a dim or dark room.
Light a candle, placing it at the same height as your eyes.
Sit about an arms length away from it in a comfortable position.
Take a few deep breaths, relaxing your mind into your body.
Gaze at the tip of the candle flame, the brightest part, without blinking. Continue to gaze until your eyes start to water or for up to ~ 30 seconds.
Then close your eyes and gently concentrate on the image of the flame that may still be present against your eyelids, or imagine the candle flame if the image disappears.
Concentrate here for ~ 1 min. or so.
Repeat this process 3 more times.
Once you’re done, take some deep even breaths with the eyes closed to fully come back. If you’d like, you can imagine that the candle flame is burning bright in your heart space, symbolic of the light inside you.
Be sure you blow out the candle!
Let me know how you feel, in the comments below, after doing this Trataka Candle Gazing meditation! I hope you have the relief or connection you desire!
Are you looking for more ways to stay healthy this season? Want some internal Spring cleaning for your body? Ayurveda cleansing techniques, like Jala Neti (nasal lavage with a neti pot), help Yogis stay healthy and strong. They can do the same for you!
Yogis hold their bodies in deep regard and have many ways to support their health. Kriyas are special purifying exercises. They allow one to practice Saucha, cleanliness, as outlined in Raja Yoga and the Hatha Yoga Pradipika.
The 6 Kriya Practices:
Jala Neti – nasal rinsing
Kapalabhati – invigorating breathing exercise
Trataka – candle/steady gazing
Dhauti – cleansing the esophagus & stomach with gauze
Basti – cleansing of the intestines with an enema
Nauli – abdominal churning
These exercises are so effective, they’re still practiced today by serious yogis. But a few of them, especially numbers 4 – 6 above, are either extremely difficult to perform or may be too weird for many Americans.
B.K.S. Iyengar, in his book The Tree of Yoga, says that the kriyas should not be performed by healthy people. He says they’re “drastic treatments, only to be given in drastic cases, and not for everybody.”
Yes, there are contraindications that I’ll list below – they are certainly not for everybody. But I would also argue that many of us in America are NOT healthy and DO need more drastic help!
The first 3 exercises are easy to do and are very therapeutic. I do them all regularly and feel they are safe enough to suggest them to you too.
You can start practicing Jala Neti before exploring the other two kriyas that I’ll introduce next week.
Jala Neti | Neti Pot Benefits
Directly translated as “water net”, jala neti is nasal rinsing with salt water from a neti pot into one nostril and out the other.
Benefits: Removes microorganisms, pollen, dust, excess mucus, and other impurities from the nasal passages. Can help immensely with seasonal allergies and can shorten the span of the common cold if done in the first few days.
Contraindications: Do not use untested well water or even water from the tap. Because of the intimate nature of the sinus cavity and the brain, it’s best to use the cleanest water possible. Deionized or reverse osmosis water is suggested. Do not do Jala Neti if you have a serious sinus infection or earache (see your primary care provider first).
Jala Neti Instructional Video
If you’re intrigued by the idea of cleaning the nose & sinuses but are concerned about using a neti pot, you can use a purified saline spray. In my experience it can help, especially with kids. For adults with chronic allergies, a neti pot is definitely more effective.
I would love to hear how your experience with jala neti has been. For those of you who’ve done it, did it work as you expected? And if you have any questions, please post in the comments. I’ve been using one for almost 20 years so I can probably help you out!
Do you ever feel like you’re running on auto-pilot? Do you feel like life just happens to you? Or do you make conscious choices to shape your life?This meditation, mindfulness of intentions, can give you more control in your life.
We’ve been doing a 5-part mindfulness meditation series, and with the last four (Mindfulness of Breath, Body Awareness, Emotions, and Thoughts), we’ve been exploring different anchors of awareness as techniques to keep the mind in the present moment. However, when we focus on mindfulness of intentions, we’re focusing on WHY we are practicing meditation, not HOW.
Our success in experiencing the benefits of meditation hinges largely on how personal, how deep, and how meaningful our intention is. Your positive experience will then feed you commitment to continuing to meditate.
For example, if your intention to meditate is just to get a good grade on a test, once the test is over, you may quickly drop the practice. But if you’re meditating to open your mind to all possibilities and absorb new information readily so your school, work, or home life can thrive, do you see how this is much grander? Once you start to see positive changes, meditation will easily become a stronger part of your life.
We must also remember that intentions are seeds of potential that you will grow as you are mindful of them. So intentions must be positive, kind, and for the benefit of all involved.
Here’s another example: an intention to meditate in order to be better or smarter than someone else is not growing intelligence, it’s growing competition and comparison. You’ll need to rephrase it so it’s clear that you wish to benefit, but without harming anyone else with animosity.
I make intentions for my yoga & meditation practices, for the yoga classes I teach, for my acupuncture sessions with clients, for my doTERRA business activities, and for my social media posts. I try to stay mindful of my intentions in every conversation I have. It helps me to be more diplomatic with relationships. It helps me anticipate the results of my actions – good and bad.
If it sounds like this would bring more balance to your life, then you’ll love this meditation!
Guided Meditation: Mindfulness of Intentions
This meditation was recorded from a Facebook Live on my business page @falconhealingarts
Determining your Intention
Prepare your meditation space so it’s quiet and comfortable. In the video I used the doTERRA Melissa, Litsea, and Blue Tansy essential oil blends on my wrists and heart space. Emotionally, these oils help with manifesting light and positivity which is an intention I’m focusing on right now.
Come into a seated position on the floor or in a chair. If you’re on the floor, sitting on a cushion will elevate your hips and help your legs relax in the hip joints. Let your hands rest on your knees or thighs.
Before we start the formal meditation, let’s take some time to set an intention.
Breathe slow, even, and deep to bring the mind down into the body. Let your awareness rest at the heart space. Notice what you’re feeling.
If you have an intention, you can say it to yourself now. If you don’t have an intention, stay connected with the feelings you have in your hear and ask yourself why you’re meditating. Simply keep asking until something bubbles up to the surface.
If nothing comes up, you might want to use a standard bodhisattva intention that goes something like this (the following is a combination of what I’ve learned from Sarah Powers and Stephen Batchelor):
I vow to awaken – in body, heart, and mind – for the benefit of all beings. I appreciate it’s immeasurable value in how I live my life and know that it’s possible, in this moment, regardless of conditions.
Mindfulness Meditation Instructions
It’s your choice now, where you would like to anchor your attention. It can be on the breath, on physical sensation, on emotions, or thoughts as they surface. You can even focus on sound, which we haven’t talked about yet.
Remember that these anchors are simply features of the present moment. Once you have some experience, you can even let your mind float from anchor to anchor, whatever is grabbing your attention with each passing breath.
There is a key difference with mindfulness of intentions though. When you inevitably become distracted, instead of simply returning back to your anchor, remind yourself of your intention. Remember why you’re doing this and why it’s so important. Then go ahead and return to your anchor. Chances are, your awareness will be stronger now.
After 10 minutes or longer, when you’re ready to come out, return to your deep, even breathing. Open up all the sense organs to notice what you’re feeling on the skin, smelling, tasting, and hearing. Then slowly open your eyes.
Before you get up, you may wish to make an intention for the rest of the day. It’s my hope that setting intentions will become a natural part of every activity. Living intentionally can give you a greater sense of control and responsibility for every choice you make. I know for me, it certainly makes life for special and enjoyable!
How did it feel to focus on intentions during your meditation? If you have any insight that you’d like to share, I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
Please share this meditation with a friend, since there are many who can use this support now! Thank you & well wishes to you…
In this last month we’ve been exploring the different anchors of awareness in mindfulness meditation. Today we’ll be doing the 4th guided meditation in this 5-part series, this time focused on mindfulness of thoughts.
The goal of meditation is always to live in the present moment, regardless of the circumstances in your life. It is an extremely helpful tool when we’re challenged physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
I want to clarify this upfront because many people incorrectly believe that meditation is about emptying the mind. They know that their mind never stops and doesn’t see that this is possible. As a result, they don’t even try, or they give up to soon.
With mindfulness of thoughts, we’ll be watching our ideas, thoughts, and fantasies as they enter the mind but then stay unattached as we watch them leave. It is a more advanced practice, so you may want to start with with one of our previous meditations if you are a beginner meditator: Mindfulness of Breath, Body Awareness, or Emotions.
Guided Meditation: Mindfulness of Thoughts Instruction
This meditation was recorded from a Facebook Live on my business page @falconhealingarts.
Meditation Instruction: Using Your Thoughts as an Anchor
Prepare your meditation space so it’s quiet and comfortable. In the video I used the doTERRA InTune essential oil blend on the back of my neck and soles of my feet to help me feel grounded and focus the mind. You can use essential oils or any other tools that will help support your practice.
Come into a seated position on the floor or in a chair. If you’re on the floor, sitting on a cushion will elevate your hips and help your legs relax in the hip joints. Let your hands rest on your knees or thighs. Set a timer for at least 10 minutes and close your eyes.
Take several slow deeps breaths. You may want to make each part of the breath 4-5 seconds in length, making sure the inhalation and exhalation are equal. This is called “sama vrtti”, or equal fluctuation, which slows the mind down, slowing the transitions from thought to thought.
Now let the breath move naturally. Let the mind shift from watching the breath to watching and feeling the body breathing. You can then notice any emotions related to the body and breath. Finally, let your mind rest on thoughts.
This is a profound experience where the mind watches the mind. We are tapping into a higher state of consciousness and awareness.
Notice where the mind is and what thought is in the foreground of your experience. As you notice it, you can name it “thinking”, or “planning”, or “remembering”, or whatever the mind is doing.
While you don’t want to get caught up in the thought, it is interesting to notice if your mind consistently moves in the same direction, caught in the past or in the future.
After the thought is acknowledged, let it go. You may wish to visualize the mind as a wide open sky and you can place the thought in a cloud to let it float on by.
It is inevitable that you’ll find yourself caught up in your thoughts. When this happens, simply focus your mind on the breath, then the body, then on your feelings, and back to the mind watching the mind.
Eventually, you’ll experience less time managing your thoughts and more time in the sweet spaces in between.
When you’re ready to end your meditation, do so gradually by opening up all the senses except for your sight. Find a balance of internal and external awareness. Then open your eyes.
How did it feel to focus on thoughts during your meditation? Did you notice a pattern in your mental habits? How are you feeling now? Please let me know in the comments!
Committing to meditation for just 10 minutes a day is such a simple, yet huge endeavor that can bring more peace into your life.
Please share this meditation with a friend, since there are many who can use this support now! Thank you & well wishes to you…
Welcome to the third of our 5-part series on mindfulness meditation. This time, we’re focusing on mindfulness of emotions. Not only will you be able to tame the fluctuations of the mind to experience more clarity, but will also be able to process intense emotions.
As I write, we’ve been sheltering-in-place to slow the spread of Covid-19 for over a month now. Emotions are intense, but it’s not just because people are afraid of getting the disease. We are now dealing with the emotional and mental repercussions of being isolated from others, dealing with financial hardships, and for many, a loss of purpose.
How is Meditation Good for Emotional Health?
It’s important to recognize that no emotion is innately bad! We humans are emotional beings and our capacity to feel is what makes life so deep and meaningful. So meditation is not meant to remove any emotion from our lives.
However, where we get stuck is when we become reactive, impulsive, or defensive because of being caught up in our emotions. This is more harmful to us and our relationships than the emotion alone.
Meditation give you a wider perspective where you can see your emotions clearly. You’re able to pause and give intense emotions space. Quite often they diffuse into something less intense when you can see them alone, separate from the story that you feel caused them. Meditation helps you to live with all emotions regardless of whether you like them or not.
Guided Meditation: Mindfulness of Emotions Instruction
Meditation Preparation
Is this your first time with mindfulness meditation? You may want to look back on our last two sessions Mindfulness of Breathing and Mindfulness of the Body for helpful tips on what to expect.
Find a place where you won’t be disturbed. Create the ambiance for your practice that will promote relaxation and strengthen your resolve to meditate.
For this mindfulness of emotions meditation, I used the doTERRA Adaptiv Calming blend. It helps to bring you into a relaxed, parasympathetic state of being. It keeps the heart open, allowing for more space to feel.
Meditation Instruction: Using the Emotions as an Anchor
Come to sit in a comfortable position on the floor or in a chair. Let your hands rest on your knees or thighs with the palms turned up or down. Set a timer for at least 10 minutes and close your eyes.
There’s always an overlap of anchors in mindfulness meditation. First, bring your awareness to the breath, letting the mind settle as it watches the smooth steady flow.
Next, feel the breath deep in the body. Allow your mind to settle down with the breath. Feel your whole body breathing. Expand and open with each inhalation. Release tension with each exhalation.
Finally, bring your awareness to your physical heart space. Which emotion is most on the surface here? Can you name it? See if you can sit with this raw emotion with out getting into the story of why you feel this way.
Do you notice anything else as you’re feeling this way? How is your body responding to this emotion? Are you tense? Is your breath constrictedIs your stomach queasy? Do you feel palpitations as your heart beats faster? Again, just stay with these raw feelings and do not react by turning your attention away.
Be as present and as accepting with these emotions as a loving, peaceful parent would be with a child who’s having a meltdown. (Seriously, this perspective really works to create more self acceptance and compassion).
If you do notice that your mind has drifted, go all the way back to feeling the breath moving deep in the body. Rest here for a moment, and then slowly return to the heart space.
Repeat this over and over for the amount of time you’ve committed to being here. When you’re ready to come back, return to deep breathing. Allow the sense organs to slowly open to what’s happening around you.
Before you get up, take note of how you’re feeling now vs. how you were feeling when you began. Any change is progress! Remember this to help you commit to continuing for your personal benefit and those you’re in relationship with.
How did you feel after doing this meditation? Did you notice a shift in your mood? I’m eager to hear about it in the comment below!
Please share this meditation with a friend, since there are many who can use emotional support right now! Thank you for considering it! Well wishes…
Welcome to the second session of our 5-part Guided Mindfulness Meditation series. With mindfulness meditation (also known as Insight or Vipassana), we develop clear, nonjudgemental awareness that helps us to connect more deeply with our lives. To stay mindful in the moment, we focus on an anchor of our direct experience. Last week we worked with mindfulness of breathing. This week, our focus is on mindfulness of the body.
Meditation is the #1 tool that you have, right now, to experience contentment in your life. It is possible to be peacefully aware, regardless of what’s going on within you or around you. This body awareness meditation is especially important to practice right now as most of us are feeling a lot of discontent around the Covid-19 shelter in place.
Mindfulness of body sensations is a doorway into our inner landscape. This is where we can process this discontent in order to find greater ease. It is also a wonderful opportunity to connect with your body and work through any fear or judgements you have about it.
Guided Meditation: Mindfulness of Breathing Instruction
Try to find a space where you won’t be disturbed. It’s nice to create a ritual that will make this time more meaningful and help you commit to your practice. You can light a candle, use crystals, or choose to apply or diffuse essential oils.
For this mindfulness of the body meditation, I used these essential oils that help relate to the body:
Patchouli – the oil of physicality. Helps one feel more grounded and embodied, which is why it’s traditionally used in yoga practices.
Grapefruit – the oil of honoring the body. Helps one process judgement or shame about the body and encourages body positivity
Come to sit in a comfortable position on a cushion or chair. Stay upright in your body so you can remain as alert as possible.
Meditation Instruction: Using Body Awareness as an Anchor
Start your timer for at least 10 minutes. Then, let your hands rest on your knees or thighs.
Drop the mind into the body by taking several slow deep breaths. You can exhale with a “ha” sound out of the mouth to help you release tension in the body. Feel gravity’s pull as you let your shoulders drop and your hips settle into the Earth.
With mindfulness, we simply watch what unfolds in the moment. But for a beginner, it’s helpful to first direct the mind. Bring your awareness to the whole volume of the body. Notice where it is in space, feeling the front, sides, and back of the body. Notice if you’re weighted evenly in both sit bones or if you’re leaning to one side.
Discomfort in the body is one the biggest excuses for not wanting to do the practice. So, definitely adjust your posture until it feels balanced and comfortable. There is a point where you want to stop fixing your shape and fidgeting every time the body wants to move.
Do your best to just watch discomfort show up and then pass. This will build up your tolerance for discomfort. You’ll learn how to stay present and appreciative, even when conditions are not what you’d like. It also shows you that when we bring our mind to discomfort and give it presence, it often shifts and disappears.
Practice the ability to be with the body as it is by scanning it from head to toe. Take your time in each body part. Notice if you’re feeling spaciousness and physical ease or if there are places where you’re habitually tight. Try not to get caught up in a story. If you find yourself in a mental dialogue, simply note where the mind went. Then watch the breath moving in the body.
As you visit each region of the body, you may come up against resistance to live in that space. Maybe it’s a belly that’s bigger than you like or another place you’re self conscious of. Strengthen your resolve to stay with all the emotions that come up. If you stay long enough, you’ll be able to shift negative beliefs and form new ones as appreciation builds.
Another mindfulness of the body method you can follow is to name what you’re feeling. Say to yourself “tension”, “digestion”, or “cold”, or whatever you’re experiencing.
With enough practice, you can let go of the methods and just let the mind float around the body. Be present with whatever shows up in your awareness of the body. Just sit in these regions with wide open awareness until you’re called to visit somewhere else.
How did this body awareness meditation work out for you? Let me know in the comments below! I hope you’ll join me next week to learn how to practice mindfulness of emotions.
Mindfulness meditation can be a powerful form of self-care and personal development. I practice mindfulness when I’m feeling disconnected, lost, or uncertain. If you’re tired of feeling this way too, then you have the motivation to try this 10 minute guided mindfulness meditation to experience inner peace.
Another name for Mindfulness meditation is Insight or Vipassana meditation. Vipassana translates as “to see clearly” or “to see in a special way”. It allows us to see the root of our distractions and preoccupations of the mind. We develop clear, nonjudgemental awareness of our experiences that allow us to let our lives unfold with keen interest. With practice, we can tap into longer periods of peace and joy as we learn to live more on the inside.
As I write this, we’re gearing up to experience the peak of COVID-19 cases here in California. Many people are starting to lose their cool with our shelter-in-place mandate. This is the perfect time to bring this practice into the community since it will help much more than our fear-based media, equally frazzled friends, and judgemental neighbors.
I always say that in times of conflict it’s wise to look to the wisdom of our peacekeepers to teach us how to find happiness, even when the world feels like it’s falling apart. I hope to be this kind of leader for my community. This is a sincere offering from my heart and the best way I can help you from a distance.
Guided Meditation: Mindfulness of Breathing Instruction
Prepare to Meditate with these Helpful Tips
If this is your first time meditating, it’s important to remember these helpful tips
The conditions for meditation are never going to be perfect. There will still be noises in your house, you may never experience a crystal clear mind, and maybe you’ll feel sick or uncomfortable in your body sometimes. Try not to use any of these as an excuse to not do your practice! In fact, when you’re feeling the worst, you’ll need meditation the most.
Distractions are part of the experience of meditation. You’ll be constantly coming back to the anchor of your breathing whenever you get distracted with thoughts, feelings, or sensations. These are all part of the meditation, so please be patient with yourself. With time, you’ll experience longer periods of focus.
The meditation is working even when you don’t think it’s working! Trust the process. Just like a cloud moving through the sky, sometimes it’s not that obvious, but it is happening, there is movement. Your family members may notice the changes in you the most (and like what they see!), which is another reason to commit to a meditation practice.
Meditation Instruction: Using the Breath as an Anchor
You can do this practice on your own, or watch the video above to follow along with my meditation instruction.
Come to sit in a comfortable position on a cushion or chair. Stay upright in your body so you can remain as alert as possible (also caring for your back with strong core muscles).
Close your eyes and take several slow, deep, even breaths to bring the mind into the body. Place your awareness on an area of the body where the breath is obvious, such as the nostrils, the chest, or the belly.
Watch each breath with interest from the very first sip of the inhalation to the very last puff of exhalation. To help you focus on the breath, you can name each part of the breath: inhale/exhale, rise/fall, in/out, or any other label that describes your experience of breathing.
Also this experience to deepen. As you’re connecting with your breath, your’e connecting intimately to your life force. Realize that without the breath, we would not exist. Realize that we have a limited amount of breaths. We can experience pleasure in our lives with each breath instead of choosing to remenisce about the past or fantacize about the future.
Still, try not to feel bad and judge yourself harshly when you become distracted as we all inevitably do. Simply return your awareness to the breath, recommitting to your intention to live fully in the moment.
It’s good to commit to 10 minutes of a seating mindfulness practice. If you notice a hesitancy to come back, then you’re ready to extend the practice out for longer time. See if you can meditate every day and journal about your experience. I promise you, it will be life changing!
How did this guided mindfulness meditation work out for you? Let me know in the comments below! If you’re eager to try another aspect of mindfulness meditation, join me next week for learning how to practice mindfulness of the body.
