Tara Brach - Meditation: Opening to Full Aliveness (2021-04-21)

Episode Date: April 22, 2021

Meditation: Opening to Full Aliveness (2021-04-21) - Our tension is a way of defending against the aliveness that is here and now. This meditation guides us in relaxing tension, awakening our senses and discovering the vitality and presence that express our natural being.

The following meditation is led by Tara Brock. To access more of my meditations or join my email list, please visit tarabrock.com. A way of being that brings a sense of safety, of groundedness, you're present and at ease. I often like imagining myself as a tree is that the rootedness in the earth. and you might feel that, sense the weight, pressure where you're contacting the floor and sense the earth beneath and around you. You might sense the hug of gravity that gives that sense of belonging and also sense the sky, the space around you.

And there's really room for what arises for our laughter for our tears for it all. and you might sense behind you, whatever brings up the experience of being supported. For some, the sense of the ancestors, others, those living that we feel trust in love with, for some spiritual figures, part of the natural world. So, a sense of support from behind and sense in front. A Sangha, our community, those gathered to awaken hearts and minds, whether they're here in this moment or that you know they're here in the field. Sensing those four directions and feeling this very body breathing right here and now.

And you might lengthen the breath so that if you count to four or five it's a long, smooth, deep in breath, please breathe in. And that same count to four or five as you exhale slowly, inhaling slowly and deeply, matching the length of the breath with the exhale, paying close attention as you inhale deeply, filling the chest and lungs, opening to receive. And that slow out breath, feeling the release of the air through the nostrils, letting go, letting go. One more time, inhaling deeply.

That's slow, even, smooth out breath, letting go, relaxing outward. Letting the breath be in its natural rhythm and shifting to simply observing and feeling the breath as it is. Notice the quality of presence that's here just from a few moments of intentional attention. We can deepen that presence, an embodied presence, as we let the awareness scan through the body. You might feel the region of the eyes and let the eyes be soft and the brow smooth. You just notice whatever tingling or vibration or aliveness arises. Feeling all the micro-muscles around the eyes and through the face softening.

and you might let there be just a slight smile at the mouth and feel the inside of the mouth. Perhaps the tongue right behind the teeth, the tip of the tongue, letting the jaw relax. And feeling the tongue fill the lower palate and receptive presence to the sensations. The tongue, gums, teeth, lips. again feeling the whole face relaxing scalp and skull receptive to the tingling or sensations there. You might let the shoulders relax back and down a little and then gently bring the awareness inside the shoulders. Notice the experience if there's tightness or tension, sense it might float in awareness and perhaps soften some.

And let the awareness slow down through the arms and into the hands, resting the hands in a very easy, effortless way. And then fill the hands with your awareness so you can feel the aliveness there. Then you might soften a little, receiving the sensations now. tingling or vibrating, warmth or cool, let the chest be open and bring the awareness to fill the chest cavity, feeling the movement of the breath and feeling from the inside out the area of the heart. Again, receiving the aliveness there, relaxing the upper back, softening. Softening and relaxing through the mid-back, loosening through the abdominal cavity.

So this next breath is received in a softening belly, this breath, and now this one. Noticing if you keep the belly soft, how much you can feel from the inside out, relaxing the lower back, letting the awareness fill the pelvic region, receptive and awake, aware of the legs, the length and volume of the legs, aware of the feet, places of pressure, warmth, contact and if you feel from the inside out, the aliveness there. And you might again imagine and sense this whole earth body and the energy of the earth flowing up through the feet, up through the body, through the spine, through the whole torso, filling you with aliveness, wide open attention, feeling this whole field of sensation.

this whole field of sensation, let everything be just as it is, not stopping anything, including the sounds that are around you, you're resting in the awareness that's listening to and feeling, the changing flow of experience. Sounds are known by awareness, sensations are felt by awareness, a receptive presence. And when there's a noticing that the mind has drifted from this living reality into a virtual reality into thoughts. Gently come back to your senses. Listening again to the sounds that are actually right here, let them wash through you. Listening to and feeling the aliveness through the body.

Notice what happens if you let go into this field of sound and sensation. letting go into full aliveness. Tension is a tensing against what's here, against presence. You might scan and sense what wants to let go a little more right now, exploring what it means to let go into the aliveness that's here. In these last moments, resting in what is, resting your heart in presence.