Breath Massage to Your Pelvis

This practice is best performed in a reclined or semi-reclined position
with support of a blanket under the low back and pelvis.
Begin by observing your breath, however you are breathing now.
Shift your attention to your navel and feel how the navel falls and rises as
breath moves out and in. For a few breath cycles, let breath be as it is.

Drop your attention now to the lower half of your torso to locate your pelvis. The right and left halves of your pelvis are joined via the triangular bone of the sacrum, the foundation on which the lowest spinal bone sits. Picture your pelvis like a tall bowl with a boney front (pubis), back (sacrum) and sides, but a muscular bottom. FEEL breath empty and fill the bowl of the pelvis. Inch by inch, let your breath move your attention deeper into the bowl, from the front of the bowl toward the back of the bowl. Gradually let your attention land just in front of your sacrum and hold it there for a few slow breath cycles. Notice how your breath rocks the sacrum gently.
From the center of the bowl, now let breath move attention one at a time to the sides of the bowl, then to the muscular bottom. FEEL if your breath can make its way into/ through each of these areas? As breath flows though the bowl, it massages the joints of the pelvis, all of the organs within the bowl and assists lymphatic circulation.
While your attention is here, consider thanking the bones of the pelvis for cradling your organs within its bowl and thank our breath for reaching the bottom of the bowl, keeping the muscular bottom strong and pliable!

Compassion Meditation

These times cry out for compassion. Take 5 minutes to generate self-compassion, in a spirit of service of all.

1. Pause from whatever you are doing and feel your feet firmly on the ground. Turn your palms up and focus your gaze upon your hands while you take five, slow breaths: COUNT exhale one, inhale one, exhale two, inhale two, exhale three, inhale three, exhale four, inhale four, exhale five, inhale five.
2. Now place your hands upon your heart. Note whatever you are feeling right now. Label it by giving it a name, allowing whatever you name to just be there for now. If a few things are present, label each feeling.
3. Keeping your hands on your heart, call forth a memory of someone you hold dear, someone whose presence is of great comfort to you. Use all of five of your senses to remember their comfort again right now. Notice the expression on your face as your feel this comfort, then gently let your arms go into a position of rest.
4. Using your feeling senses more than thinking, investigate the felt sense of this comfort as it extends throughout your body, nurturing you with just what you needed most in this moment. From your heart’s wisdom, now give this felt sense of comfort a name.
5. Offer this _____ comfort in return now, using these phrases: May you know ______, May I know _______ May we know ____, May all beings know ____

Minding Your Mind

Sometimes we feel the urge to take our minds off of our challenges. Neuroscientists have discovered distracted minds can make us feel unhappy, yet knowingly allowing the mind to wander is instrumental in generating creativity. Learning to recognize which state of mind you are in can be a useful practice.

Each time you recognize you are thinking about something you would rather not be thinking about in the moment, make it a practice to observe what happens to your attention, without judging yourself for whatever it may be. Whatever you do with your attention, notice the degree to which it is held there. Full absorption of your attention anchors your mind in the body and generates a comforting flow state that truly takes your mind off of the challenge you want a break from thinking about.

If instead your mind insists on wandering, you are distracted, so stop what you are doing, get in a comfortable position and change the practice to one of attentively watching your mind as it wanders. The mind is typically quite mobile. It may be helpful to hold your attention to the observation by locating its direction of wandering as future, past, present. Enjoy!

What’s Happening?

Consider yourself a happening as your body-mind really is changing from moment to moment with each new breath and heart-beat.
To experience your happening, start with stopping!

In whatever position you are in, pause and notice any sensations
from your body that may signal need for rest, support, nourishment or activity. No need to change a thing, just notice what is happening as it is happening.
Bear witness to the pace of your thoughts to notice if they are relative
to the present, past or future. Notice if breath feels free or constrained.
Check in with your general mood and presence of any specific emotions.
No need to change a thing, just notice what is happening as it is happening.

Sense into any feelings of resistance to what is happening.
Resisting happens whenever you want what is happening now to be different.
Often, tension somewhere in the body or the breath flow is a clue
signaling resistance is happening.
No need to change a thing, just notice what is happening as it is happening.

Nice practice. Now you know what’s happening.

Anchor & Count Breaths

Sit or stand with the spine straight, but not rigidly held
and become still. In this posture, embody a feeling of dignity.

Feel your breath at each of these areas, then pick one and anchor your attention there while you count your breaths.

• Bring your attention to your nostrils and feel your breath pass in and out.
• Shift your attention to your navel and feel it rise and fall as you breathe.

Count your exhaled breaths in bouts of 10 with attention on each of the above areas.
1-10, 10-1, 1-10, repeat