Giving thanks, thanks, thanks for this cool clear, bright sky – it’s helping me listen up & wake up!   Yesterday was the second Saturday meeting of the12 week meditation series of the Daring Greatly:  60 Day Gratitude Challenge at Two Rivers Yoga.  This week is about listening in.  Now if you read down to the second to the last paragraph you’ll find a treat for your ears!

Okay:

 

Right now:   begin to breathe . . . really breathe & feel your breath bringing new life to every cell of your being . . .
Right now:   begin to breathe into the dream of your life . . . see it, sense it, enliven it with your breath!
Right now:  begin to breathe into your feet, into your hands, into your heart so they can be flexible & quick ever ready to respond to change!                                                               Right now:  Give Thanks!

We practiced a form of Touching Body Awareness to ground our beings and turn our awareness inward.  We began by placing our minds in our hearts and our hearts in our hands.  We traveled the contours of our bodies with curious and grateful hands:  all the while listening in for those areas that called for healing.

We returned to stillness so that our intentions could emerge naturally:  letting our bodies, hearts and minds speak.  We listened to what was being called to heal, and  began breathing into it, feeling it with as many senses as possible.  Allowing these inner truths to surface requires patience – like tracking a beautiful wild animal that you can’t really control.   While we can’t control this beautiful “wild thing” of inner truth,  we can still breathe into our beings to sustain our focus and openness.  Just coming into stillness with this intention, wherever we may be, is a way of letting our hearts know that we are willing to really listen.

We used breath to create that boundless space in which we could feel connected, to family, friends, people we don’t know and to include all living beings . . . even the earth itself.  We let the spirit of gratitude for these connections emerge from deep within:  letting our gratitudes arise in awareness one by one and staying with them for a breath or two.

Kelley led asana practice which included an amazing Bhramari breathing practice – humming energy along each of the energy centers of the body.  The room was full and I felt this incredible harmonic vibration emerging – it was so, so amazing!!!!!  If you have a few minutes and you want to experience a moment of awe.  Listen to the cricket chorus.  It’s a harmonic of thousands, maybe millions, of cricket vibrations creating a magical beauty.  It will give you an idea of what the experience in class was like.

Later,  our time together made me think about who I include in my tribe – what qualities do we share?  What “qualifies” them for membership?  Could these same qualities be the basis for growing connections with those outside “my” tribe?  I’m pondering these questions this week of holiday madness.  I will be thinking of you:  breathing and smiling.

You can find additional resources and home practice suggestions at:

Daring Greatly Gratitude Challenge Home Practice Guidelines Class 2