February 2012 Meditation of the Month: “Integrating Mind and Body”
PART A: Introduction and Monthly Summary audio
Press the play button or click here (right click + save target as) to download the audio file
PART B: Guided Meditation audio: “Body Scanning”
Press the play button or click here (right click + save target as) to download the audio file
PART A:
Introduction and Monthly Summary
Welcome to our SGM February 2012 “Meditation of the Month.” I’m Kevin Schoeninger. Thank you for participating in our mind-body practice.
Would you like to connect with inner guidance and release your inner limits, so you feel more relaxed, empowered, and alive? Sounds pretty appealing, doesn’t it? In this month’s meditation we’re going to practice interoception, which is the root skill behind all those experiences. We’ll learn what interoception is and how to do it shortly. It’s easier than it might sound.
Before we get to our meditation practice, let’s briefly summarize where we’ve been so far this month. This month’s material centers on the book, “Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation,” by Dr. Daniel Siegel.
In our first Weekly Message, we explored how you can use the three steps of Mindsight to rescue you from mental melt-down and repair any damage done when you’re in a state of high stress.
In Weekly Message Two, we discovered how to find inner peace by activating your “hub of awareness,” the calm center that is always available at your Core.
In Weekly Message Three, we learned how to regain love and inspiration when life has pushed you to shut-down your ability to feel.
If you haven’t yet taken the opportunity to enjoy the insights and the powerful client stories from Dr. Siegel in these messages, they remain available to you.
In this Week’s “Meditation of the Month,” we’ll practice what Siegel calls “interoception.” Interoception is your ability to sense inside your body and pick up on the energy and information that is present there. This skill is the basis of your ability to discern inner guidance and intuitive insight. It also facilitates physical and emotional healing when you apply it to pain and hurt. In addition, interoception enables you to consciously relax your body to reduce stress and tension.
For those of you who are practicing Qigong or Core Energy Meditation, interoception is the foundation of these internal arts. In other words, this is a pretty powerful skill—and I must say, in my experience, it’s quite underdeveloped in most people. However, I’ve also found that anyone can grow this skill through practice.
We’re going to practice interoception by doing what is commonly called a “Body Scan.” This is a fairly simple process of guiding your attention through your body, in this case from the top of your head down to the bottoms of your feet. To prepare you for that, we’ll begin with a few cues to put you in a relaxed positive state.
As you go through this meditation, you may discover that some areas of your body are easy to focus into and relax. Other areas may be difficult to focus on or may even bring up memories of events in your life. For example, old injuries may feel numb or hurt again.
Here’s an important point to understand: Your body stores your life history.
In guiding your attention through your body you may come upon subconscious stores of information. If you come upon areas of pain or tension, I encourage you to ask these areas if they have any message for you. You can simply ask “What do I need to recognize here?” as you focus on that specific area.
You can also “breathe” through these areas to release pain and tension. To do that, simply inhale and imagine that you are breathing into the tension or pain. Imagine and feel as if you are breathing “spacious awareness” into that area. Exhale and imagine that you are releasing the pain or tension out with your breath.
If any challenging feelings or memories arise, see if you can witness them without being caught in or overwhelmed by them. These experiences do not define “who you are” or “who you can become.” See if it’s possible to accept whatever you discover without judging yourself harshly. Be your own best friend and nurture yourself from the inside. Observing and accepting your inner experiences without being swept away by them is a powerful therapeutic action that can lead to healing and resolution.
If, at any point, you find yourself overwhelmed by your feelings, it’s O.K. Feel free to open your eyes and orient yourself to your present environment. Relax yourself by taking a few slow deep breaths and allow your feelings to dissipate. You may want to journal about these experiences to process them further.
All that being said, it’s likely that you’ll find Body Scanning quite relaxing and pleasurable. You’ll likely find yourself feeling more whole and connected to who you are on a deep Core level. Body scanning can be a powerful source of inner guidance, healing, transformation, and relaxation.
Let’s practice this together, now. You can follow the guided meditation in Part B of the recording above.
PART B:
Guided Meditation Script:
“Body Scanning”
To begin, find yourself a quiet private environment and commit the next 25 minutes to uninterrupted practice. Turn off your phone, place it at least several feet away from your body, and tell anyone who needs to know that you are taking a little quiet time. You can practice this meditation sitting or lying down. Either way, take off your shoes and any jewelry, watches, or belt. Make yourself comfortable.
Lightly close your eyes. Relax your shoulders down and rest your hands palms down—on your thighs if you are sitting or at your sides if you are lying down. Can you imagine feeling that your hands and forearms are warm, heavy, and completely relaxed?
Tuck your chin slightly, lengthening the back of your neck. Lightly close your lips and breathe in and out through your nose only.
Smile. Allow the feeling of smiling to relax and soften your face, your eyes, your eyebrows, and your forehead. Is it possible for you to allow the feeling of smiling to wash down through your whole body, softening and relaxing every cell? Can you imagine the feeling of smiling filling your whole body and creating a positive cellular environment?
Now, focus into your abdomen and become aware of your breathing there. Take several slow, deep breaths, in and out through your nose only. As you inhale, can you imagine feeling that your breath first fills your lower abdomen, then your upper abdomen, and finally your chest all the way up to your collar bones? As you exhale, can you imagine feeling that same space emptying out from top to bottom?
Count ten slow breaths, beginning from ten and counting down to one. Count each time you inhale. As you exhale, smile, and imagine and feel that you are relaxing deeper and deeper. . .
Now, bring your attention to the top of your head and notice any sensations there. Simply observe whatever sensations are present, without judging them as “good” or “bad” or trying to change them in any way.
Imagine and feel as if your breath is flowing to the top of your head. As you inhale, allow your breath to bring spacious awareness there. As you exhale, allow any tension to release, so the top of your head relaxes and lets go even more. Continue breathing in this way.
Bring your attention down to your face, your eyes, and ears. Notice any sensations present there, without judging them as “good” or “bad” or trying to change them in any way.
Imagine and feel as if your breath is flowing to your face, eyes, and ears. As you inhale, allow your breath to bring spacious awareness there. As you exhale, allow any tension to release, so your face, your eyes and ears relax and let go even more.
Bring your attention to the back of your head and neck. Notice any sensations present there.
Imagine and feel as if your breath is flowing to the back of your head and neck. As you inhale, allow your breath to bring spacious awareness there. As you exhale, allow any tension to release, so the back of your head and neck relaxes and lets go even more.
Bring your attention to your shoulders and arms. Notice any sensations present there.
Imagine and feel as if your breath is flowing to your shoulders and arms. As you inhale, allow your breath to bring spacious awareness there. As you exhale, allow any tension to release, so your shoulders and arms relax and let go even more.
Bring your attention to your chest. Notice any sensations present there.
Imagine and feel as if your breath is flowing to your chest. As you inhale, allow your breath to bring spacious awareness there. As you exhale, allow any tension to release, so your chest relaxes and lets go even more.
Bring your attention to your abdomen. Notice any sensations present there.
Imagine and feel as if your breath is flowing to your abdomen. As you inhale, allow your breath to bring spacious awareness there. As you exhale, allow any tension to release, so your abdomen relaxes and lets go even more.
Bring your attention to your upper back. Notice any sensations present there.
Imagine and feel as if your breath is flowing to your upper back. As you inhale, allow your breath to bring spacious awareness there. As you exhale, allow any tension to release, so your upper back relaxes and lets go even more.
Bring your attention to your lower back. Notice any sensations present there.
Imagine and feel as if your breath is flowing to your lower back. As you inhale, allow your breath to bring spacious awareness there. As you exhale, allow any tension to release, so your lower back relaxes and lets go even more.
Bring your attention to the front of your legs down to the tops of your feet. Notice any sensations present there.
Imagine and feel as if your breath is flowing to the front of your legs and the tops of your feet. As you inhale, allow your breath to bring spacious awareness there. As you exhale, allow any tension to release, so the front of your legs down to the tops of your feet relaxes and lets go even more.
Bring your attention to the back of your legs down to your heels. Notice any sensations present there.
Imagine and feel as if your breath is flowing to the back of your legs down to your heels. As you inhale, allow your breath to bring spacious awareness there. As you exhale, allow any tension to release, so the back of your legs down to your heels relaxes and lets go even more.
Bring your attention to the soles of your feet. Notice any sensations present there.
Imagine and feel as if your breath is flowing to the soles of your feet. As you inhale, allow your breath to bring spacious awareness there. As you exhale, allow any tension to release, so the soles of your feet relax and let go even more.
Now feel your body as a whole from the inside. Ask your body: “Does any area desire my attention?” Without trying to have an answer, simply notice if your attention is drawn to any place in your body. If nowhere calls to you, simply be present in your whole body. If a certain area draws you to it, allow your awareness to settle in that area. Ask that area or your whole body: “What is important for me to recognize right now?”
Look, listen, and feel inside without trying to have an answer. Keep the question open and see if any thought, feeling, sensation, or inspiration arises. Something specific may come up or not. Either way is fine. You may discover something later after doing this exercise.
The most important thing is that you are taking this time to connect to your Core and inner guidance, by listening and feeling inside your body. Relax and enjoy this moment of connection. Look, listen, and feel inside. . .
Now, take a few slow deep breaths into your whole body at once. As you inhale, imagine and feel as if your whole body fills up. As you exhale, imagine and feel as if your whole body empties out. Smile into your whole body. Record the feeling of relaxation, smiling, and awareness in every cell of your body, so you can remember and return to that feeling at will, at any time.
Slowly open your eyes and take in the feeling of the space around you. Feel your body as a whole from the inside with your eyes open. Take your relaxed positive awareness with you wherever you go.
Take a few moments to write down anything that is important for you to remember from this meditation.
— — —
I look forward to joining you again next month, as we discover the ultimate secrets to confidence that comes from your Core.
Until next time,
Listen for the guidance that is always available inside your body,
Kevin