Centering Meditation

(waves crashing) So I thought we could do a little inquiry meditation. What is the gravity line and such? So find yourself in a comfortable place and a comfortable seat with as much support as you need and if at any time during this little bit of time we're doing this you start to notice you're uncomfortable, remember your assignment is to change your activities so that you're not in pain. I'd like to start with a sense of right now, the physical gravity line of sitting. Whether you're sitting on a chair, perhaps you're standing.

You could even be doing slow walking meditation. But what is the center right now in my posture? And it might help to just rock a little bit gently to one side and stay there for a few moments, and then comes back. During this time of staying here off-center noticing what parts of the body are preventing you from falling all the way over, something's working now a little differently than when you were in your center. So I feel as I come back where might center be?

Now I feel less effort. So we could do that again, we could lean forward a little bit and notice the places that we start having, and you know sometimes it's subtle, because the body wants to go along with whatever we're asking it to do. So now slowly come back to a place. I'm not gonna call it center, I'm just gonna suggest, come back to a place, where do I feel, ah! I just felt that sigh come because I'm no longer overworking my body, I'm just here. Okay, so that's one way to work with the physical aspect of the gravity line.

And the Buddha mentioned the awareness factor that we learn through the Buddhist meditation practices that there are four suitable quote unquote positions, or activities in which to do these. And one of them is sitting, one of them is standing, then there's walking and even lying down. So awareness practices, sensitivity practices, are available and encouraged in each of these positions. And I find standing is one of the most challenging. Especially standing in front of another person or a group of people.

I can feel myself sometimes sort of spiraling down into a slightly protected, now it feels very exaggerated protective shape. When I get into that protective shape, my heart, and my soul aflexes my gut which I rely on, we all rely on our gut feelings. My heart which I want to be open, is not. And so now that's become a pain that I'm sensitized to. And I decide to come back up to where my heart can be open.

And it's a play because now I feel a bit vulnerable. Do I like feeling vulnerable? I'm okay with it usually but not always. Which is better, which is worse? So there's this inquiry, moving away from the uncomfortable feeling, coming back into it.

And inquiry is so powerful because if there's judgement or fear involved, like fear of judgement, I might go into this. I might go into this because I'm judging myself and I fear my own judgement. And I might ask myself, I've begun to cultivate asking this question. What if I decided not to judge myself. What if I could just let go of this negative feeling about myself just for a few moments.

What would happen? And sometimes right away a little voice comes up and it says no, I can't (laughs). And then I say, well, what if? Just for now. And I, if you can be with me on this and doing it for yourself, just drop into the silence after that question.

Ask the question maybe again. Experience the silence after the question however you want to phrase it. And sometimes the feeling begins to change pretty quickly. And other times it's a little more, it wants to hang on a little bit longer. It feels like it has a job to do or whatever.

But this process of inquiry over time. Not over five or ten minutes like we're spending now but over time. Making a habit of asking what if I could, what if I could? What would that be like? What would it feel like?

What would it taste like? What would it feel like in my body? And one of the answers that has been, I've been fortunate to feel is, when I allow myself to feel into judgement or fear or anger, the rise, the heat that comes with some of these things and stay with it, then afterwards I feel incredible peace and sometimes even all my body pain goes away. And that to me is pretty miraculous. So even though that's only temporary, it tells me a lot.

And it encourages me on. It encourages me on. So let's just sit quietly right now with the breath, with the posture, with becoming sensitive to the posture that you're in right now. And as we sit here for a couple of minutes breathing, let your breath come all the way down into the bottom of your belly. Feel the grounding that comes with that and if something rises that you wish to come into inquiry about do so.

If you just wish to be in silence after the inquiry we've done, that's fine too. (exhaling slowly) Just be here. Stay with the breath. Sensitive to your body and your heart and your mind. Sensitive to your gravity line.

Sensitive to how this allows the deep well of love within us wants to come forth to be felt and shared. And then if you can, let your eyes open. But you can finish with your eyes closed just by simply bringing your palms together in front of your heart or on your heart. Sometimes heart and belly, it's very helpful to connect those. Thank you for your practice.

Thank you for practicing with us. And namaste.