Archive for February, 2009
February BodyTip: Ground Yourself! Get To Know Your Feet
Posted by: | CommentsBring your attention into your body. Become aware of your breath and how far it reaches in your body. Now bring your attention into your feet. Use them as your point of entry to connect with your body right now. Feel into your feet, stamp them on the ground, shake them. Once you feel the energy moving in them, begin to slow your movement down, letting it become smaller and smaller, until it winds up being very minute movement. Feel for the easy flow that comes from within the spaces inside as you s l o w r i g h t d o w n. Stay with this for as long as you can – 1, 2, 5 minutes… or more. There is nothing to do, nothing to achieve. This exercise is simply about feeling your feet, experiencing that connection with yourself and with the earth. Ask yourself, what do I feel? Chances are you might find yourself feeling more grounded, stable, balanced, awake, present, connected… what is it for you?!
The more you practice doing this – bringing your attention inside an area of your body – the easier it becomes. This is a meditation that includes your whole body. It really doesn’t matter the entry point. In fact, you can take this process and practice with other areas of your body. See what you notice. Next month I will give you the next step to take you deeper.
Finding Enlightenment Through the Body
Posted by: | CommentsMy experience suggests that our problem is very simple. We are attempting to practice meditation and to follow a spiritual path in a disembodied state, and this is inevitably doomed to failure… the full benefits and fruition of meditation cannot be experienced or enjoyed when we are not grounded in our bodies… there is no other way to do so. ~Reginald Ray, Touching Enlightenment
I wanted to share this piece with you… it is so true! I am really enjoying this book, and am delighted to read so many things I have come to realize myself and work with in my own journey & with clients. To me, the body is the path to Spirit. That means being present to what is going on in my body, and tuning in to what it is sharing with me. When I do – no matter what shows up – I always experience more connection, peace and freedom as a result.
My body speaks to me a lot, hence the work I teach! … and two nights ago when I got into bed, my stomach was really hurting. As I was holding it and breathing into it, my body’s voice began to speak. As I listened & felt, I became aware of a recent situation with a colleague… and I heard this angry voice inside. So I let it speak louder (instead of resisting it, or going into my head, I stayed with the feeling coming from my body) and I was able to give the anger I was holding about the situation a voice. I really let myself rip with the feelings I was having and sure enough, very soon the pain in my body started to dissipate. As a bonus, I also got an intuitive flash of an herbal drink to calm my tummy (the body often gives us intuitive flashes if we are paying attention), which I promptly got up and drank. When I went back to bed I had a great pain-free sleep! I see both these as ways I was being guided by my body.
