As I sit and tune into the energy of transition I am aware of how urgently I need to feel my body in space, where I physically am during these changing times. I do this by feeling my center, my breath and my bottom against the cushion I’m sitting on…letting the weight of my body drop in, right here. As I sit and breath I notice a feeling of back-and-forth within me. Like a little stutter step. This feels like the transition of the season…Fall. Moving from long summer days to long winter nights and all the shifts in activities this brings.
As much as I enjoy Fall, I am sad to see Summer go. I find myself evaluating, ‘well, it is still quite warm, I can still play outside… but there is the feeling of an ending. I can feel it in my body. For me this brings up two things, hence the stutter step –’ do I rush to cram in all the things I either didn’t get to this summer or the things I didn’t get enough of?’ Or ‘Do I pull out the sweater box and start getting excited about what to wear as the weather changes?’
Of course, life is multifaceted and I do a little of both…and I like noticing the little stutter step inside.
I like giving my attention to what my body is telling me. I am a mover so I find the open floor in my house and feel myself in space, this body, these feet, this floor in this moment, right here, right now. I let myself breathe and gently move into this. Slowly I find and follow the back and forth feeling. Eyes closed, body jerking, I let this roll through me, noticing both a little sadness and excitement. I ride this as it grows in intensity and erratic, releasing movements. Staying present to the back-and-forth, the breath, the surrender to these movements radiating from core to limbs. I begin to find images of endings and beginnings and feel a lightening in my arms, a new spaciousness in my shoulders, chest and breath. I stay with this, like a leaf falling from the hold of it’s limb, lilting it’s way to the ground. I enjoy the playful easy feeling thing brings, spacious, light and alive. I stay with this until it quiets and settles. I am restful now. I notice a new ease, a new presence, a new spaciousness in me. The back-and-forth feeling has transformed. My eyes see the blue of the sky and the sun on the changing leaves crisply. I am more present, my head feels clear, I am settled differently than where I began.
I am excited for my day and the transition this time offers. I feel richer and more full as I take time for this little embodied awareness break. I am reminded of the nuance and pleasure that comes when I give myself the 15-20 minutes this inside-out dance with life invites every day. Do this in silence or with music you love. Today I take my meditation to the body.
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