In this episode we celebrate the shift in light and season, and honor the Fall Equinox. We start with a balancing alternate nostril breath practice and then contemplate what we are harvesting in our lives right now.
Sit With: New Moon Meditation
Sit With: Ever-Changing Nature of Ourselves
Sit With: Abundant Full Moon Meditation
Sit With: Persistence
In this episode, we ground in simplicity. Meditation is simple, and yet it takes a practice of persistence. Today we focus the attention at the tip of nose and observe thoughts that take us away from the present moment. It is through persistent practice that we build the muscles of our psyche so we can access more awareness and creativity in our daily lives.
Sit With: Inner and Outer Soundscape
Sit With: Paying Attention
In this episode we continue to use Rick Rubin's book The Creative Act: A Way of Being to inquire about our creative life. We start with a simple body scan meditation, followed by a few questions to contemplate.
Sit With X Creativity
Sit With: A Wise and Wild Women's Meditation
“There is a soft and yet FIERCE compassion to the feminine.”
Welcome to another episode of Sit With: A Meditation and Contemplation Podcast. Today's episode has been designed for women, though anyone is invited and encouraged to practice. It's a sneak peak to what will be offered and explored in this year's Wise and Wild Women's Retreat in Sayulita, Mexico. This meditation invites you to connect to and nourish the source of the feminine, the creative, and the intuitive. It's an offering of breathing sweetly, moving freely, and expressing powerfully. We spend some time connecting heart to womb and then rocking the pelvic bowl forward and back and around in circles, churning and stirring the feminine pot. This is a practice of awakening and owning the power of creativity and intuition, and expressing fiercely through dance, painting, writing, speech, or simply being present.
May this practice nourish, heal, and inspire ourselves, families, communities, and societies.
OM NAMASTE
Wise and Wild Women's Meditation Practice
place hand over heart and breathe
gently touch in and slide hand down to womb and breathe
tilt pelvic bowl forward, reach your sitting bones back and allow belly to fall forward
rock pelvic bowl back, reach your sitting bones forward and allow belly to fall back
breathe sweetly and continue to rock forward back for a few minutes, inviting a softness and suppleness through low back
start to churn in circles, stirring the feminine for another few minutes
pause and notice what you feel
Sit With Meditation: On The Abundance In Each Moment
Breathe in and experience the fullness of the lungs, the expansion of the body, and the abundance that exists in each moment. May we think, speak, and act from this place of enough-ness and offer the practice up to the wellness and freedom for all beings.
Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu
Sit With Meditation: Sankalpa, the Heart's Longing
Welcome to another episode of Sit With, A Meditation and Contemplation Podcast. In this practice, we start by calling Ganesh, the Remover of obstacles and the Lord of new beginnings. We come through 108 rounds of the mantra and deep seeded vibration, "OM GAM GANAPATAYE NAMAHA." From this initiation, we remember sankalpa. In yoga sankalpa is the heart's longing of how we want to feel and BE in this life.
Let an emotion, a word, or maybe a phrase arise in the body, around the heart, and in the mind and from this remembrance welcome a devotion. It's from this place that we have the opportunity to align our thoughts, words, and actions to this sankalpa, or heart-filled intention.
Yoga, NOW, is an offering to the well-being, the freedom, and the sweet joy for all beings everywhere. Yoga, NOW, is a living and practical practice to be awake, compassionate, and loving in the world. Yoga, NOW, is a way of being in this new year and in each moment.
Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhanvantu
OM NAMASTE
Sit With Meditation: From the End, It Simply Starts Again
If you need a reminder of the magical land and life we live in and all the nourishment she provides, head to Big Sur, California, stand on the Earth, listen to the waves, and watch the sun rise and set. It will inspire, energize, and connect you to all the good feels and may even help clarify some matters of the mind.
I recently made a big life decision that has had some significant and moving effects. After a year of wishy-washy thoughts, wobbling back and forth trying to make it work, I finally got clear and brave enough to end a relationship that deep down I knew wasn't right for either us. Within a week of that decision, I found a new place to call home and moved in with a sweet friend from college. The timing was incredible. The day before the break up, my friend emailed me asking if she knew of any apartment openings. She got a job in Oakland and was moving back to the Bay Area. I didn't know of any off the top of my head but I threw out the idea of us potentially finding a place together. A quick Craigslist search led me to a fully furnished and recently remodeled flat with a beautiful backyard and yoga deck (pictures and practice videos to come!)! Things were in movement and I met with the owners who were lovely and kind and passionate about life. They were looking for someone to take good care of their home while they took some time off to travel the world.
Done and done. We got the place, signed the lease, and moved in the next week. My friend had already had her flight booked from Korea to SFO, landing on November 20th. The apartment happened to be available November 19th. The process moved swiftly and effortlessly, and I seriously couldn't have crafted a better plan or executed it more efficiently.
But that's how life is sometimes, especially when you make a decision based on some solid intuition. I'm certainly still digesting and processing all that has happened and all that is still evolving but one thing is for sure- the universe is full of energy. There are flows, tides, and rhythms that are strong and fierce and awe-inspiring. As humans we are a PART of nature and have the potential to be swept up by the flow. I made a choice that I knew was going to put me in a period of transition; however, the experience has been nothing but gentle and graceful and that is something I am utterly thankful for. I felt like I was in a strong current getting pulled tenderly through the vast and mysterious ocean, all wide-eyed and curious as to what the present moment had to offer.
Which brings me to this week's mediation and contemplation...
In this mediation I guide you to the bottom of the exhale and encourage you to linger in the emptiness, only to observe and experience the new and life-giving inhale. The teachings of yoga suggest a life-death-life again cycle and the breath teaches us that everything exists in one breath. It's from the bottom or the death of the exhale that we begin again and feel into the fullness and richness of this life. Yoga teaches us that everything arises, unfolds, and then passes away. This body, our work, and our relationships are all impermanent and ever-changing and evolving. It's when we live in the illusion of permanence that we tend to get stuck or experience suffering in some way. It's when we cling or grip too tightly to an idea that we often lose sight of what is actually happening in this moment. In yoga, this is avidya, or the inability to see things or be with things as they are. It arises from the notion of wanting this moment to be different in some way. We think if only this relationship was like... or if only I had that job... or if only I had more experience... THEN I would be more satisfied, happier, or more content. This is a dangerous illusion and only causes dukkha, or suffering, pain, or dissatisfaction.
Yoga is a way of being and meditation is a practice of returning, over and over again, to the present moment. Everything exists in this moment. All the love, magic, and life we long for exists in THIS moment because all we really have is the present. Even when the shit hits the fan and we lose a job, end a relationship, or watch a loved one pass away, we still have this moment and this life. And even though we can't control very much, we can control where and how we place our attention. Meditation is the art of attention, a gathering back to and a remembrance of all that we do have in this moment. This moment is the home of great potential, serendipitous interactions, and beautiful relationships with the world.
So whether you are going through your own transition or you simply want to hone your sense of attention, this practice is for you. I hope you find it as rich and life-giving as I do.
Lots of Love,
M
Episode 1 of Sit With: Breathe and Be AWAKE in the World
HELLO!
I am so excited to share the very first episode of Sit With: A Meditation and Contemplation Podcast. In this week's episode, I take some time guiding you to a comfortable and sustainable seat. It certainly takes some effort to sit nice and tall but the key is finding the EASE within the effort or the SOFTNESS within the structure. This is true for the yoga practice and the life practice, as well- right? If you need a visual or some extra support in finding a seat, please watch this beautiful video . I share some different sitting options as well as some general meditation tips. Once we are settled, I guide you through a 4-part breathing technique used to lengthen the breath, strengthen the lungs, and activate prana or life-force in the body.
The parts are:
- The Inhalation
- A Moment of Retention
- The Exhalation
- Another Moment of Retention (with breath held out)
I follow up with a simple, focal point meditation. In today's practice, the focal point is the tip of nose and specifically feeling each breath come in and through the nostrils. If you are newer to this practice, the mind will wander almost immediately. I talk a bit about the habits of the mind and where it tends to go. The important thing to remember is that meditation is a PRACTICE and mindfulness is knowing where the attention is. It might be a while until you even notice that the mind has wandered, but when you do... AHA! This is the moment to PRACTICE letting go of whatever has arisen and to practice shifting the attention back to the focal point. The cycle of drifting and returning will happen again and again so be patient, kind, and gentle with yourself. Over time, you will be able to rest the attention on the focal point longer- experiencing space, calm, and clarity.
For me, this is the HEART of yoga. This practice of sitting and noticing where my mind, attention, and energy is has been life-changing and life-giving. It has given me the ability to know when thoughts, emotions, and sensations arise and it has given me the tools to pause, connect to my wisdom and THEN respond and engage in life. You might notice yourself reacting less and responding with more intention and direction. This is a powerful, empowering, and really gentle and kind practice and I hope you find it as energizing as I do.
As always, please comment or email me with any questions, experiences, or insights. I love hearing from you!
Lots of Love,
Meredith
Introducing Sit With: A Meditation and Contemplation Podcast
I am so excited to share my newest project, Sit With: A Meditation and Contemplation podcast! This will be a weekly invitation to start your week with clarity, calm, and intention. I will be sharing simple and accessible meditation practices that I have found life-changing and life-giving. I love yoga and the movement practice but for me, meditation is the HEART of yoga. It is through this practice that I have learned to know where my attention is and to more consciously and kindly CHOOSE where and how to place it. Meditation has given me the tools and skills to be awake in the world. It is through this practice of sitting that I am more able to walk through my days and life with rich energy, vitality, and passion.
So mark your calendars, subscribe below, and join me Monday, November 13th for our very first episode!
Lots of Love,
Meredith