Breathing Posture Meditation

BREATHING POSTURE MEDITATION

“Do you make regular visits to yourself”- Rumi.

Intention of this practice is to assume a dignified posture honouring the symmetry and beauty of our body and feeling its aliveness in its breathing at every inhale and exhale.

Start by bringing attention to how you are holding your head over the top vertebrae of the spine. See if you can align earlobes with centre of the shoulders and check again that the head floating softly over the base of the skull. Move slightly head side to side to make sure that it is centred.

Go to tongue and jaws - drop the lower jaw and place tip of the tongue on ridge of upper teeth

The eyes can be closed or open and chin parallel to floor. If eyes closed set your gaze in the dark parallel to the floor and have the intention to keep eyes held in that position. If eyes are open slightly lower the gaze and choose a spot about 6 ft. in front of you and have the intention to keep the gaze, there.

The shoulders are dropped and gently held by the clavicle and the upper part of the rib cage.

You may want to adjust placing of hands to allow the chest open and feel the openness in frontal torso.

Now feel the breath passing through the nostrils, expanding slightly the rib cage and then dropping all the way to the belly. The belly is soft and expanding on inhale and contracting on exhale.

Feel the movement of the breath a few times.

Now see how your buttocks and feet are rooted to the seat and floor. Visualize yourself rooted to the ground through the seat and your feet. The imagery roots extending from there, connecting with earth. The whole pelvic area is grounded and the is spine rising from pelvis area like a tree trunk.

Once you gain this posture, feel the symmetry and beauty of the body. Feel the dignity and magnanimity of the whole being. Visualize the whole body sitting and calmly breathing in this safe space. There is nothing to do, nothing to worry, nowhere to go. Sitting right here and now and enjoying the breath.

If thoughts appear in the mind space, notice them as clouds they come and go. Just notice the thinking process happening. If you feel hooked by thought notice how the mind went into it and remind yourself of your intention to be with your posture of a breathing body.

Feel expansion and contraction of belly and chest in its natural rhythm. Note the qualities of breath - short, long, slow, fast, deep, shallow. Any impressions it is carrying - worry, anxiousness, or calm and peace. Just notice.

Go back to posture and repeat the attentional cycle to keep the symmetrical and dignified posture of the body to honour the beauty of its design. Feel how body is breathing naturally and stay with this sense of you are being breathed. Remind yourself being part of the Universe and how life is living through you at each in-breath and at each out-breath.

Stay in the state of being as long as you wish.

When the bell rings slowly and gently bring your hands clasped in front of your heart and connect with your sentiments of gratitude and love for life and all that it offers. With intentions to carry these feelings and the calm and centeredness created in this practice with you during the rest of the day.

(Offered by Mukin during July 13, 2021 online session)

Do not try to save the whole world or do anything grandiose

Instead create a clearing in the dense forest of your life

and wait there patiently

until the song that is your life falls in your own cup hands

Martha Postlewait