Seeking Connection: A 15 minute Three Point Awareness Practice

This three point meditation practice is a reminder to orient ourselves towards right relationships in various aspects of our being human. 

This practice is inspired by finding and seeking connection in the midst of chaos that seems prevalent in my own life, my community, the country and our larger global community.  So this practice invites you to explore your connection to your own life by paying attention to the sensations of being alive in breath and body.

It also invites you to connect to inspiration through sacred text, scripture, the arts, the natural world and find the beauty in the simple joy of living with attention here.  Lastly, the practice explores the deep connection we have in the very fibers of our being, to the galaxy, the planet and to each other.

All of these connections are relational. We are wired to be connected and we follow a God who guides and invites us to be in connection and loving relationship with God, ourselves, each other and our planet. 

The practice is about 15 minutes. 

You can do this sitting or lying down.

Here is the script in case you want to lead it for others as a teacher.

The First Point: Paying attention to being alive.

We do this through connecting to sensation that is available to us in our body. So come into a comfortable seat or lie down and feel your body in space and time. Note the solid points of contact your body has with the chair and the floor. Pay particular attention to the breath here as it is the indicator of our being alive. So without altering your breath, breathe in and out of the nose if possible, if not, do your best to find a combination of nose and mouth breathing, with focused awareness on the act of breathing. 

Begin to focus your awareness on where you can feel the breath in your body, perhaps in the belly, the rib cage or where the breath enters and exits in the space above your upper lip, or how the nostrils expand and contract.

Note that the first thing you did when you entered this world was to take a breath in. The last thing you will do on this earth is exhale. 

This is your indicator of aliveness. Breath is life. 

As we breathe in that of the world into us, we can invite a sense of expansion and engagement.. As we breathe out that of ourselves into the world, we can let go into the flow of life as it is happening in this very moment. The invitation here is to feel your body on the earth, notice the rise and fall of your breath... your heart beating. Know you have been given the privilege of your life. On this day. Of this breath. As Mary Oliver says, ”What will you do with your one wild and precious life?” Lean into the aliveness this question invites. 

PAUSE Two complete inhalations and exhalations

Second: Commit to the art of staying inspired.

Here you cultivate an awareness of what feeds your soul. This can be cultivated through the niyama, santosha, translated from the Sanskrit as contentment. 

Contentment can be understood as acceptance of our present circumstances. I have found this to also be an observance, paying attention to the small miracles in everyday moments. The smile of a baby in the grocery store, the quiet companionship of my husband as we kayak, the flow of my hands on the strings of my harp, the smell of coffee in the morning, and the sun shining through my orange and turquoise curtains in my yoga space. 

Finding and intentionally engaging in practices of inspiration through sacred text, music, art, nature, and anything that allows you to breathe deeply, open your heart and ground your central nervous system is the idea. 

Laughter is essential here as well. 

When inspiration lands in my body, it feels like tenderness, spaciousness and a yearning in my soul. This arises when I read the poetry of Rumi and Mary Oliver. This arises when I hear the laugh of the Dalai Lama, when I contemplate the embodiment of Love that is Jesus. This state arises when I prepare meals with food from our garden with the smell of spices wafting through my kitchen, or when I create music, especially with singing. This state shows up when I have heart opening, authentic conversations. It always shows up when I dance. 

The thing about committing yourself to the art of staying content and inspired is once you start bringing an awareness of the inspiration that is around you, in your very own life, you will likely spend time in states of awe and deep appreciation for the unfolding moments. 
Invite yourself to explore here:  What inspires me? What opens my heart and nourishes my spirit?

PAUSE (2 complete inhalations and exhalations)

Third: Unpack the illusion of separation.

You are made of stardust (carbon). In your bones, you contain trace minerals from the earth. Your gut contains microbes that are found in the soil. Like our planet, your body is largely made up of water. Like the molten fire that burns at the core of the earth, your metabolic system transforms food into energy and waste.   Just as the planet is encompassed with atmospheric gases, your pulmonary system contains lightness and spaciousness. 

We are created as a reflection of creation.  The spiral is a pattern that is efficient and replicated throughout the natural world. This shape, the spiral, can be seen in our DNA, the carriers of our genetic information. It is the shape we emerge from as an embryo to a fetus to a baby. It is found in our fingerprints, our ear canal and as babies, in the hair whorl at the crown of the head. 

This is also the shape of the galaxy, storm systems, sea shells, sunflowers, pine cones and more. 

We are part of the diversity of species. Not separate but intricately interwoven into the natural world.

We as humans are part of the multiplicity of oneness that make up humanity. We are to celebrate the varieties, shapes and shades of our human family. 

So, breathe into the awareness that everything that has life is breathing in and breathing out as you are. You are part of a whole. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. You are valuable because you exist. You are a reflection and an image of the Divine.  Ask yourself how you might align your thoughts, speech and actions with this awareness of being an essential part of the whole. 

Pause (2 complete inhalations and exhalation).

Breath in and feel the breath enter, breathe out, feel the breath release. Make some small movements, notice the solid points of contact beneath you.  If you are lying down, bend your knees and roll to your side then sit up slowly.  If you are sitting, and your eyes are closed, gently open them, perhaps cup your hands over your eyes.   Rock slowly back and forth bringing your awareness to the room you are in.  Notice your body and any sensations present.

So, as a reminder, 

Pay Attention to being alive, your life is a gift. 

Cultivate the art of staying inspired. 

Unpack the illusion of separation. 

Connect these points and weave them with tenderness into your being. 

You can remind yourself of one or more of the points when you become unmoored and need a sense of grounding.

Om Shanti 

Om Shanti 

Om Shanti 

Peace 

Peace 

Peace

Thank you. I hope you enjoyed this meditation.

You can learn more about Rachel on her website.

Feature image by @ninjason from Unsplash.