Kia ora everyone.
So to begin this meditation, lie comfortably on your back. You just want to move gently from side to side, finding balance between the left and the right side of your hips and pelvis, relaxing your shoulders down towards the ground and then gently draw your shoulder blades towards your hips. Very, very subtle, small movement. Just notice how that can create some space in your chest and then you want to feel the base of your skull on your mat.
Or you can use a wee blanket as well to pop your head up. Draw your chin straight. And so you’re not lifting up towards the ceiling and you want to feel the back of your pelvis, your tailbone, and the base of your skull on your mat. Feeling these two connection points, the base of your spine and towards the top of your spine. And then notice the ribcage, so your thoracic spine also on the ground.
Then observe the natural inward curve, so there’s spaces between your spine and the ground. So this would be your lower back, your lumbar spine and also your cervical spine, your neck.
Become aware of all parts of your spine. And start to just observe the rhythm of your breathing. Noticing the natural breath. We’re not really manipulating the breath at all today. But we’re going to be meditating to the breath. So we’re going to say we Mantra. The mantra being, “you breathe in, my breath rises, and as you breathe out, my breath falls”.
OK, and then withthe mind’s eye we’re going to just ascend and descend the spine. So you’ll bring your awareness to your tailbone or to the base of your spine, feeling it resting on the ground, and then as you breathe in to say to yourself, my breath rises, more awareness will gently ascend up the spine all the way up towards the base of your skull. And then as you breathe that saying to yourself, my breath falls, and you will descend your mind’s eye your awareness and down your spine.
So let’s begin. Breathing in, my breath rises. Breathing out, my breath falls. My breath rises. My breath falls. My breath rises, my breath falls. Continue. Continue with the mantra, the ascending and descending awareness around your spine. As you breathe and you may start to notice the gentle expansion of the body. Your abdomen, your chest. As you breathe out, just feeling that connection to the ground or contraction. And from time to time, you may notice that your mind has wandered off into other thoughts.
When you notice. That your mind is no longer on the breath, on the awareness of your spine and very slowly guide it back to just acknowledge that your mind was it, and then just simply got it back to you breath. And back to the ascending and descending awareness of your spine. As you continue your awareness of the ascending and descending up and down the spine. And you start to really visualize the curvature of your spine, your spine is not just one straight line, it has these natural inward curves and outward curves.
By lying on your mat on the ground, really start to sense those curves, as you ascend, visualizing that inward curve of your lumbar spine… Of the curve… Of the thoracic… the inward curve… the Cervical your neck… Sensing those parts of the body that are connecting with the ground and that are away from the ground. And slowly start to draw your awareness back to your surroundings. If your eyes are closed, just slowly open your eyes, take in your surroundings, look around.
Notice sounds you can hear, just bringing you back to the time of day. When you’re ready to move, you can slowly make your way up to a seated position. Thank you for joining me for this meditation.
