Making Friends with Your Body with Guided Meditation
I am going to be teaching you Prithivi Mudra which means gesture of earth for Annamaya Kosha - the physical body. By bringing the breath into the base of the body and lengthening the exhalation there is a very grounding relaxing effect and will hopefully take you to a place of deep calm. This meditation opens and balances the first chakra; our seat of security and safety. Prithivi means earth and supports us in moving forward in life with security, ease and harmony. Think of this as a little coming home to your body.
Let’s Begin:
Prithivi mudra - gesture of the earth for the Annamaya Kosha - coming home to the physical body
1. Take a comfortable seat
2. Touch the tips of the thumbs to the tips of the ring fingers of each hand while extending the
other fingers straight out.
3. Rest the backs of the hands on the knees or thighs.
4. Relax the shoulders up, back and down with the spine naturally aligned.
5. Take a deep breath in - inner body bright, release deep breath out - outer body soft.
As you hold this hand gesture, first take some natural breaths to attune to all the feelings and sensations evoked by this gesture.
Take a moment to notice how your breath is being gently directed toward the base of the spine, cultivating a sense of stability and grounding.
As you take a deep breath in and a deep breath out, notice how the exhalation is lengthened naturally. All is moving towards a feeling of calm and tranquility that allows you to rest more comfortably in your physical body.
Let’s begin to explore your physical body part by part. Begin to naturally enhance your sensitivity to the contours, shape, volume and density of each area of your physical dimension. Bring your awareness into your toes, feet and ankles; take some time to send your breath with loving kindness to each of these areas.
Now, focus your awareness into your calves and knees and thighs. Sense the contours becoming present to all the sensations and feelings, allowing you to come home to this area of your being.
For your next few breaths, bring your awareness into your hips, pelvis and buttocks, experiencing greater and greater stability as you sense the contact of the earth beneath.
Here in this firmly grounded state, direct your awareness to your abdomen, waist and lower back becoming more and more present within these areas of your being as you attune to the movement in synchrony with your rhythmic breathing continuing to take deep inhalations and releasing fully with each exhalation.
For the next several breaths, direct your awareness into your solar plexus at the navel center, and mid back sensing every contour and allow yourself to fully inhabit the middle region of your body.
Now bring your awareness into your chest, side ribs and upper back, taking several breaths to experience all the sensations and feeling allowing you to naturally come home to this area of your physical being.
Your awareness now spreads to your shoulders, arms elbows and down to your hands; take several moments to become fully present in your upper extremities.
Now, allow awareness to inhabit your neck, throat and head. Take several deep breaths in and deep breaths out as your breath allows them to soften and relax completely.
Complete your coming home to your body journey by inhabiting all the areas of your physical being.
Repeat the following three times aloud or in your mind’s eye…
Fully present in my physical being, I experience complete ease and harmony.
Slowly, release the gesture taking several breaths to experience the complete embodiment of this meditation.
When you are ready, butterfly open your eyes, returning to the present slowly and gently grounded and fully present in your physical body, the Annamaya Kosha.
How do you feel my friend? It is my heart's deepest desire for you to experience the oneness and unity that arises through meditations work. I know the transformational journey isn’t always an easy path.
Today we experienced a firm foundation of balancing all five elements and instilling a sense of integration and harmony at all levels of our being as a foundation of health and healing. If you missed my meditations on the five elements - earth, water, fire, air and space- I invite you to go back to podcast episodes 27, 28, 31, 34 and 36. As these five elements come into balance within you, I hope you will experience an overall feeling of harmony and unity. It’s my heart's deepest desire that you have an overall sense of integration and wholeness so that you can align more easily with your truest being and connect to Love and Light.