Day 6: Inspired by Mystery

Welcome back to Day 6. Today we're going to develop our relationship a bit more with our inner landscape and hone our skills of pratyahara and perhaps begin to fall in love and be inspired by the mystery. Lie yourself down on your back. You might have a blanket under your head for support or a bolster underneath your legs and just allow yourself to get comfortable. From your back begin to notice what has your attention. It might be a thought, a feeling, a sensation or an emotion. And as you identify what might have your attention in this specific moment, begin to draw your awareness or your attention towards your lungs. Let your mind, let your attention rest on your two beautiful magnificent lungs. With your attention here, can you feel the breath in your ribcage? Feeling the breath gently or the lungs gently expand or grow in all directions into your intercostals, the back body, the front body. And just holding your attention here for a few moments. And begin to draw your attention to your left lung and hold your attention in your left lung. You might visualize the circumference of the lung, the back of your lung, front, sides become more intimate and interested in your left lung. Again becoming aware of any thoughts, feelings, sensations or emotions pulling you out of the lung and gently draw your attention back in. Hold your attention here tenderly, gently, lovingly. Now from your left lung begin to draw your awareness up towards your left nostril. You might begin to feel the movement of the breath moving up through your left nostril. Let your attention rest in your left nostril. Notice any sensations here, temperature. Is your nostril feel open, spacious? Is this easy or does it feel kind of stuffy or clogged and strained? And noticing if your mind or the thoughts pull you out and come back and holding your attention here in the left nostril. I want to sing there's a whole world inside your left nostril waiting for you.

Just gently relax the effort of your diligent focused attention in your left nostril and then draw your awareness into your right lung. We'll start with the lungs, holding your awareness in your right lung. You might feel or sense the shape of your right lung, the front of the lung, the back of the right lung, sides. Notice that as you draw your attention towards your right lung it naturally begins to kind of expand. You might feel the breath, the life force, through the rib cage, the intercostals, even through your right arm and shoulder. Together we'll travel from the right lung up towards the right nostril. As you draw your attention into your right nostril and notice the sensation of the breath in the right nostril and notice the temperature and does this side feel stuffy, clogged, open, free, spacious, gathering information. I'm noticing if the mind wants to wander off and gently draw it back in for a few more moments, becoming a bit more fascinated with your right nostril. Perhaps the the movement or streams, currents moving in and out. And then gradually, if and when it feels time and safe, gradually relax the effort of your attention in your right nostril. And then gently draw your attention back into your left nostril.

So allowing your attention to fully arrive in your left nostril. Continuing to notice layers of sensation. You begin to let your mind, your attention, go towards the back of your nostril. Gently holding your attention towards the back of your left nostril. Becoming aware of any sensations through your mouth, your eyes. Giving yourself time to explore and notice. And from the back of your nostril, drawing your awareness gently towards the front of your left nostril. Notice if your attention wants to shift back. If it feels okay, holding your attention here, noticing perhaps the subtle sensations through the front of the left nostril. So gently relax the effort of your attention in your left nostril. Draw attention towards our right nostril. Allowing yourself your attention to fully arrive there. And then begin to tune towards the back of your right nostril. Noticing any sensations through there. And then if and when you feel ready, so gently draw your attention towards the front of your right nostril. A few more moments holding your attention towards the front of your right nostril. Gradually begin to soften or relax your effort through the right nostril. And then gently allow your awareness to rest in both nostrils. As you draw your awareness into both nostrils, begin to tune the outer nostrils, the outer right, outer left nostrils. Can you feel or sense the movement of the breath, just the outer part of the nostrils?

Noticing details, sensations. And then gently begin to draw your attention towards the inner part of the nostrils, both on the left and the right. And hold your attention, become more interested in the sensations through the inner part of the nostrils, towards the center. And from the innermost part of the nostrils, let your awareness shift towards the center of the nostrils. Center of the left nostril, center of the right nostril. Gently holding your awareness here in the center of both nostrils. And then slowly and gradually relax the effort of your attention in both nostrils. And allow your awareness to be wide open, fast, spacious. You feel the back of the eyes soften. We'll be here for about another half a minute or so. Allowing yourself to savor this quality of deep rest. And then gradually, when you feel ready, begin to draw your awareness back into your, towards your breath. As you begin to feel the movement of the breath in the body, when you're ready, gradually invite movement back into your fingers, your toes might draw your knees into your chest and just allow yourself to rock over to your side and pause there. You might stay here a bit longer. If and when you feel ready to transition, press your hands into the earth and allow yourself to arrive in a comfortable seated shape.

And then join your hands together at the center of your heart. Thank you for your sincere, wholehearted attention in this practice. Look forward to being together tomorrow in day seven of our challenge. Namaste.