Emerge Mindfully by Michel E. Spruance

Author:Michel E. Spruance [Spruance, Michel E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781982277987
Publisher: Balboa Press
Published: 2022-01-20T05:00:00+00:00

DAILY MEDITATION

BREATH AND BODY SCAN

Daily meditation is the place you come to to get still. In that stillness you develop two key factors for strength. First, the stillness connects you to your inner world and your experience of life. Second, discomfort often arises in the stillness, and you discover just how strong you already are.

Let’s look at that first part: stillness as a connection to yourself. By practicing forms of stillness intentionally each day, you give yourself a pause to feel your body, your emotions, and your mind. In this process you discover the very triggers that will take you out while you move through daily life, and you will gain tools to build your strength and stamina to stay powerful in the face of stress.

In this stillness you also cultivate your moment-by-moment awareness. This awareness shows you what you truly feel and need in your life. It can heighten experiences of joy and delight when they occur. On the flip side, when difficulty arises in that stillness, you can make other important discoveries.

When discomfort and struggle arise in your meditation, two magical things happen. First, there is a high likelihood that you’ll discover you are already quite strong. You may find you can be with very difficult emotions, thoughts, or body sensations and be okay—maybe not great, but often okay.

Second, you expand your capacity to hold the hard stuff with more ease. Little by little you stay longer with painful emotions or body sensations, noticing them, being kind and curious with them, and always choosing when you are ready to be done.

This is another important component of a regular mindfulness practice—you practice making non-reactive choices each time you become still. When something feels too difficult, you have the choice. Do I want to stay with this longer? Do I feel like I can sit here another minute, and is it healthy? And if you choose, to stop, that is a powerful, valid choice. That act alone develops your ability to make empowered, responsive choices in your daily life. Across cultures and time, focusing on breath and body awareness are contemplative practices that have been taught to help ground people into the present moment. The practices increase focus, a form of strength. This kind of focus is useful everywhere, from helping you complete simple tasks to leading your life from the things you actively choose.

Below, I offer a five-minute breath and body awareness meditation. Beyond the heightened capacity for focus, you may also find this meditation helps you tune into your body’s sensations. You may find sensing your body’s subtle sensations quite difficult. This meditation gently expands your ability to feel your body. And of course, there are times you feel nothing, and you need not be stressed by that.

If you found the so-hum practice anchored you, you are welcome to stick with it. If you are finding it difficult, this meditation may be more useful to you.

What do I mean by “useful?” Any meditation practice is useful. Sometimes your

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