Mindfulness with Weight
Good Morning.
Today’s practice involves sensation to weight. Many people are feeling unsteady in the world. Many, many things in the future are unsure and out of our control. Mindfulness teaches us that acceptance can protect us from unnecessary suffering. The suffering comes from inability to accept our emotions about unpleasant things or our inability to accept that we do not indeed have control. I think most people I speak with have gotten much better at acceptance (really we had lots of opportunities for practice). However, accepting that we do not know what is coming does not do much to help us when we are feeling rudderless. This feeling is something that we have some control over. Once you accept the fact that there are a lot of unknowns, you do have a choice about how you feel. If that thought makes you worried, anxious or unsteady, you need to notice that, but you do not need to sit continuously in a state of anxious apprehension. Grounding practices using the body and your breath can help immensely.
For today’s practice, you can use a weighted blanket, a heavy quilt, or even an open book. You can lie down and cover yourself with your blanket or sit upright in a chair with a good back and place an open book in your lap. After you click on the timer, you will hear three chimes. Click the following link to begin the practice.
After the chimes, begin breathing in deeply and exhaling slowly. Feel the weight of gravity pulling you downward on your bed or in your char. Feel yourself supported. As you continue to breathe, move your sensation to the weight of whatever is covering you. Feel its presence and feel weight move as you breathe in and out. Continue to feel grounded in the weight and your breath until you hear chimes signaling the end of your practice.
When you feel unsteady, out of your element, distanced from the familiar, or jarred by news of fears about the future, take a deep breath in and feel gravity connecting you to your chair or the floor. Connect to the present moment and take another breath. It helps!
Be Safe!
Michele
