During the Body Scan Meditation from the previous day did you notice that some areas of your body were more relaxed and alive than others? For example, you may have noticed your legs were relaxed but that your low back was holding tension. Many spiritual practices include body scanning as a way to increase awareness to unconscious holding patterns or tension in the body. Awareness or “chit” as it is called in sanskrit, refers to a state of resting in pure consciousness. At our essence we are all wildly alive, pulsating energy bodies where life-force or prana is moving without any blocks to its flow. Areas of tension are like dams in the river or flow of the prana in the body and are often linked to times when have been triggered to defend or protect ourself from perceived danger. To protect we shut down, tense, cringe, recede or contact our body. Awareness acts like a laser beam that can dissolve chronically tense areas by bringing the healing attention and Love that these tense areas are craving for. Loving attention heals and restores our connection to our true nature.
Day 6 & 7: Bhakti Challenge
For the weekend, practice the warm-up movements and the Body Scan Meditation (see Day 5 for instructions) on Saturday and Sunday. Focus on the flow of the breath moving in and out of the body while directing your attention to each body part. Notice changes in your breathing. If you loose touch with your breath or your breath becomes shallow or constricted this may be a place of increased charge or tension. Stay here and breathe. Maintain loving awareness and notice what arises. Welcome your experience as a way to release the blocks that hold your back from the pure light of your heart.
Journal and share about your experience-- be your own loving witness. And, this weekend hold yourself in a heighten state of loving kindness by doing something special for yourself. May the loving action you choose nourish and renew you on a deep level.
Namaste,
Sienna
I will be the first to comment on how the Bhakti challenge is going. Since I'm a bodyworker, I've done a body scan practice for a long time. But focusing on pleasurable places in the body helped me open to a new level of awareness of how much I focus on the trouble spots and how allowing myself pleasure stirs things up a bit. And...I love the radiant heart meditation.
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ReplyDeleteHI Susan,
ReplyDeleteWhat a joyful practice to bring attention to places that feel open and pleasurable. Since you liked the Radiant Heart meditation--you may be interested to read Dean's comments that he posted on Day 1.
Thank you for sharing and adding your expertise to the practice.
Warmly,
Sienna