Tara Brach - Meditation: Opening to the Flow

Episode Date: September 21, 2023

Meditation: Opening to the Flow - This meditation begins with gathering awareness of the breath. We then reflect on our deepest intention, sensing what most matters. With a listening attention, becoming aware of sounds that arise and pass away. We scan through the body, sensing the changing experience of energy and aliveness. Letting everything happen… not opposing anything… not controlling… moment to moment. Listening to and feeling this moment as an ever-changing river of experience. Opening to this changing flow and letting life flow through us.

The following meditation is led by Tara Brock. To access more of my meditations or join my email list, please visit tarabrock.com. I'd like to invite you to start in a simple way. Be aware of your breathing, and let's take together a nice, full in breath. So filling the chest and filling the lungs, breathing in, and then breathing out slowly, slow enough so you can feel the sensations of the out breath.

There's a sense of letting go, letting go. Then again, inhaling deeply, very intentional in-breath. And then a slow out-breath, a surrendering, releasing the breath, relaxing outward. And one more time, inhale deeply, and exhale, slow out-breath, releasing, relaxing. and just allow the breath to be in its natural rhythm, relaxing with the flow of the breath. You just notice the quality of presence it's here right now, bringing a presence and a listening attention to the heart area.

It will take some moments to reflect on intention, just sensing what is the deepest intention you have in being here for this class, sensing what most matters to, with a listening attention, just be aware of the sounds that arise and pass away, listening into the space of this room, the soft sounds close in, the sounds and appearances of these words, and the disappearing of sound, aware of the spaces between sound, noticing the more distant sounds, aware that in listening we don't focus on sound as much as receive sound, listening not just with your ears but with your whole awareness, just letting

sounds wash through. With the same receptivity and openness that we listen to sounds, we can listen to and feel the aliveness in the body. and with a receptive attention, you might bring the awareness to the area of the eyes. Let the eyes be soft and just feel the vibrating, the aliveness in that region. Relaxing the jaw, relaxing down to the root of the tongue. Feeling, receiving the sensations and aliveness in the mouth. You might feel the throat area from the inside out.

Let the throat fill the neck. You receive the play of sensations there. Placing the awareness inside the shoulders. You might sense if there's some natural loosening, releasing. It's receiving the aliveness there. Aware of the length and volume of your arms, the sensations inside the arms,

letting the hands rest in a... very easy, effortless way. And feel the hands from the inside out. Again, as if you're listening to and feeling the aliveness, the tingling, the vibrating. You might sense in openness in the chest area, placing the awareness in the region of the heart. Again, receptive, intimate presence,

feeling the life, the sensations and energy and aliveness in the heart area, scanning down the torso, feeling the abdominal area and letting this next breath be received in a softening belly. This breath and now this one and again, when the awareness fill the belly, this feeling from the inside out receptive to the sensations that are there, letting the awareness fill the whole pelvic region, hips, buttocks, genitals. With that same receptivity, listening to and feeling the aliveness that's right here, scanning down through the legs, sensing the length, the volume of the legs,

feeling the life, the energy from the inside out, and letting the awareness fill the feet. so you're aware of the places of contact or pressure, warmth, and feeling the interior, the aliveness and energy that's there, and then widening the lens of attention so that you can feel simultaneously this whole energy body, this whole dance of sensation.

Just let everything happen, not opposing anything, not controlling, letting this life live through you, listening to and feeling this whole play of aliveness, again including the symphony of sound, so that you're listening to and feeling this entire moment, this ever-changing flow of experience,

sensing the changing appearance of sensations, feelings, sounds, this river of experience in the foreground, completely allowing this life to live through you. And also aware of this alert, inner stillness, this awake space that it's happening in, opening to the changing flow moment to moment, senses wide, open and aware of the openness, the space of awareness that everything arises and passes through. The mind will naturally drift into thought forms. When you notice, just let that be an opportunity to arrive again in your senses, listening to the sounds that are actually here,

Feeling this whole play of sensation, relaxing with what's happening. You can start fresh in any moment, simply listening, letting sounds wash through. With that same receptivity, feeling the aliveness and sensations in the body, perhaps softening and relaxing the shoulders a little, softening the hands, softening the belly, and feeling the aliveness. the energy of this body from the inside out, listening to and feeling the whole moment. See how possible it is in these last moments of practice. To let go into this changing flow,

to let this life live through you.