Lying Down Meditation

Welcome back. This is a 20-minute practice which includes a lying down meditation into a traditional shamatha sitting practice. So you'll need two blankets, one to lie on and one for underneath your head as well as whatever cushion you use to sit on. Let's begin. So roll onto your back and place the blanket underneath your head. Your knees are going to be knocked together and your feet are wider than your hips. You're going to place your hands on your lower belly and close your eyes. I'm going to sit up and guide you while you remain lying down. Feel your entire body making contact with the earth. Your feet, the right foot, the left foot, your sitz bones, the shoulder blades and the back of the head all dropping into the earth. Take three grounding breaths at the low abdomen arching the spine, inhale, exhale, coming back to neutral. Arching the spine, inhale, exhale, neutral. Inhale, arch and exhale, neutral. Bring your attention to your right foot, the sole of your right foot making contact with the ground. Feeling the sole of the foot, the heel, the pad of the foot, all five toes making contact with the earth, releasing any tension, any holding in the right foot. Now bring your attention to the right knee, feel it resting against the left knee. Its weight is supported. Feel the right shin connecting to the right ankle and to the right foot and the weight of the lower leg into the foot, into the earth. Bring your attention to the right sit bone, releasing any tension that has accumulated there, particularly from sitting, from driving. You can accumulate a lot of tension in our sacrum. So fully releasing the right side of the sacrum into the earth, allowing the earth to support the weight of your body. Now bring your attention into the right hand, feel the subtle sensation of breath underneath your right hand, rising and falling like the waves. And now feel your right elbow making contact with the earth, releasing any tension held in the arm through the elbow into the earth. And now bring your attention into the right shoulder blade. Feel any tension in the right side of the back and the upper back and the shoulders. And now feel that tension melting and releasing into the earth, no longer needing to hold ourselves up. The earth is holding all points of your body. And now bring your attention to the back of your head, releasing any tension in the skull, in the face, in the ears, in throat, into the back of the heart, softening the chest. Now bring your awareness to the left shoulder blade, releasing the tension of the left shoulder into the earth, softening with each breath. Feel the left elbow making contact with the ground, supporting your arm. And now your left hand on your belly, rising and falling with the breath. Bring your mind to your left, the left side of your sacrum, releasing any holding in the glutes and the hips and the low back, dropping it deeper into the earth. Deep inhale into the belly, slide arch, exhale, back to neutral. Two more times. Inhale, arch the back and exhale, neutral. Inhale, arch, exhale, neutral. Feel the left knee knocking into the right, being supported down the front of the leg into the left ankle, the left heel, and ultimately the left foot, relaxing all of the small bones in the foot, the metatarsals, the toes, the heel, the sole of the foot, all dropping energetically into the earth. Now feel all points of your body dropping into the earth, the left foot, the right foot, the left sit bone, the right sit bone, the left elbow, the right elbow, the left shoulder blade, the right shoulder blade, and the back of the head, all dropping and releasing into the earth. Feel the rise and fall of your breath underneath your hands as your whole body is supported by the earth. Deep inhale and exhale. Gently bring movement into your hands and feet, wiggling the fingers and toes, coming back into the room. Open the eyes very softly and you're welcome to continue lying down for the remainder of the meditation or you can roll to your right side. And in your own time, come back to sitting. Find your cushion, place it on your blanket and resume your seat.

Close your eyes, drop back into the sensation of your body. Feel any qualitative difference present after lying down. Do you feel more grounded in your seat? Do you feel more softening throughout your back body? More relaxation throughout your upper body? Bring that quality of relaxation and grounding into your awareness of the breath, finding the breath at the low level. Inhaling, arch the back, exhale, neutral. Inhale, arch, exhale, neutral. Inhale, arch, exhale, neutral. Feel your entire body dropping into the earth, supported, stable, soft. Open the eyes, soft gaze. Merging your awareness with the out breath as your mind mixes with space. Raise your gaze slightly, taking in more of the room. Mind like the sky, thoughts are like clouds that float past and dissipate. Bring your gaze up a little higher, softening your gaze. Mouth is slightly open, widening your awareness. Bring your eyes up a little higher, taking in the entirety of the room, sounds, sensations. Thank you.