Week #3 Progress Check
Hello friends!
This week incorporates body work into the meditation exercises with the “Mindful Movement” meditation (track #3). As I am one who struggles mightily with monkey mind, I find body work essential to my mindfulness training. The sensations of stretching muscles, tendons, and ligaments -- such that are achieved through yoga practice -- are useful anchors for the busy mind. One simple stretch, such as the side bend, gives the mind so many feelings to explore. As you bend to the left, you may have a significant awareness of the lower spine, the energy of muscles anchoring the right hip, or the stretch of the skin of the right torso. You may become aware of some tension in your neck or at the base of your skull. You may even find that you need to bring more intention to your inhalations and exhalations as your ribs collapse into and crowd your lungs. All of these sensations help tether your mind to the Now like the ropes that keep giant parade balloons from floating off into the sky. If you choose to boost your mindfulness practice, I recommend incorporating some daily yoga practice. My favorite online yogi is Adriene found at yogawithadriene.com youtube.
The “Three-Minute Breathing Space Meditation (track #8)” is also an indispensable tool for your emergency grab-and-go mental health bag! Make this and all meditations a form of body work by really harnessing the power of the breath! We do this by breathing properly with intention: this is referred to as belly breathing. This is how it works:
Belly Breathing, The Basics
On your inhale, think of your breath filling the core of your body like water fills a pitcher -- from the bottom up. When you belly breathe, your abdomen should feel like it’s feeling with air first and should visibly distend. As your belly fills and bloats, allow your breath to then fill the lungs so that your chest cavity expands. (Here I think of a rooster puffing up his breast!) As you exhale, the air pours out of your body from your chest cavity (the top of the pitcher) first. Force out the last remainder of the breath by contracting the abdominal muscles. Remember to focus your mind on the feel and sound of your breath as it passes through your nose on the inhale and through the lips on the exhale. This focused, intentional technique of belly breathing gives the busy mind many sensations and movements to explore in addition to the breath itself.
As always, I would love to hear your feedback! Specifically, let me know what you found of the “valuing television” exercise! Did your brainless TV time become more of an “experience”? Was the quality of the time enhanced? Were you able to enjoy it more because it was time intentionally spent instead of time “killed” or “wasted?”
Week #4 will be posted this Sunday. We are almost half way there!
In the meantime, enjoy the Now!