Greg Louganis: Meditation In Motion

Mindful beginnings: Observation vs. Judgement and Assessment vs. Criticism. 

I am often asked what this means to me. Observation and Assessment provide "information," a rather non-judgmental view for a possible cause and effect. What is vital in communication is the "interpretation" of the feedback. One story that was shared with me was a young female Gymnast who was given some "feedback," or I would classify it more as "criticism" that "she looked like the "Pillsbury Dough Boy" in her start and finish of her floor tumbling run. In the coach's mind, from what I understand was simply attempting to point out her posture, a bit swaybacked, while the young Gymnast interpreted this exchange as she was fat. This lead to the Gymnast's path to an eating disorder, which she eventually died from. This is extreme, I know, but this breakdown in communication happens quite frequently. 

It is vitally important to open the door for "safe" communication, so your words are not misunderstood, or actually cause harm. The interpretation of "feedback" is crucial for healthy and productive dialogue. Also, keeping in mind, especially when we communicate with young people, their thought processes are not fully developed, and this feedback is vital to their health, wellness, and ultimately the success, whatever that might look like. 

First, we need to start with ourselves, we can't give away what we don't have. So I want to start at a preschool level to make this accessible to all and at any age. 

1. Get in tune with your body.

For your first week, set aside 5 to 10 minutes three times a day. I recommend you set your alarm 2 to 4 minutes earlier to give yourself time to "arrive" and provide a focused, concentrated effort for maximum success. Focus on your breath, laying on your back, maybe after a morning stretch, just reaching your limbs out with a big yawn or sigh. Now tap into your breath. Start from your toes, feet, lower legs, and moving all the way up to the top of your head. On an inhale tense or flex each part of your body, becoming aware of that part of your body. Exhale, relax that part of your body. How does it feel? The sensations will be different at times, be aware. If there is particular tension you are hanging onto, just acknowledge it, don't judge it, let it be, give it an "oh, well that is interesting." The point is not to judge. We are tuning into our bodies thru our breath. Some areas may take more than one cycle of breathing, depending on where we might have a tendency to hold tension. Stay with it, we are just making an introduction to awareness. 

This is an important step so enjoy the process, experience the sensations, there is no "good" or "bad," "right" or "wrong"... it is just you, and I want you to embrace every inch of your being, accepting itself and finding joy in who you are. 

You are taking the first step to learning how to do a "Body Scan," which will be the foundation of "Mindful Meditation." We first need to get in touch with ourselves, our physical being. This should be a joyful energizing practice. 

Take time to do this sometime during your day, lunch perhaps, maybe before eating. I like to do it just before eating so I can then be very present and mindful about the taste of my food, and the texture, and bring greater pleasure to the experience of eating. So, inhalations discover tensions, exhalations releasing of those binds that could be blocking an energetic flow. 

Before sleep, take the time for yourself, no TV, no distractions, no phone, computer, just you! Good sleep hygiene would actually be a hot bath with Epsom salts, no electronics at least an hour before bedtime. Practice your "Body Scan." If things pop up that are “must-do", because our minds have a tendency to wander, have a note pad and paper ready. After you're 5 to 10 minutes if those thoughts are still present, write it or them down. While you are in the 5 to 10-minute space, when your mind wanders, come back to the breath, come back to your body, embrace yourself with love, forgiveness, and compassion.

We get good at what we practice, we also become much more efficient with practice. Be gentle with yourself. You might even find there may be moments in your day when you might catch yourself, maybe reflexively about to say or do something hurtful or out of malice, STOP! Do a quick body scan, perhaps it won't be necessary to do a toe to head body scan, but locate where this sensation is coming from. Can you breathe love, joy, and compassion into that area? Is it a physical discomfort, is it a tightness, a sharp stabbing, or dull aching pain. Maybe you took a bit too long to fuel your body, perhaps you might be dehydrated, something totally unrelated to the situation. Awareness and a body scan are essential! Then you can have clear communication with yourself to understanding and use reasoned logic if you feel the need to "share." The connection has inspired and encouraged trust, but the opposite can also be true. I often, when faced with ideology differing from my values, ask myself, "Is this worth the energy of my attention?". If it is someone important to me, maybe it is worth my time and energy, but most often I find it is not. Rather than getting upset, which is giving away my power to something or someone I don't want or who don't deserve my energy or power, I give them my blessing and go peacefully on my way. Understand, everyone comes with "stuff," whether it is from childhood beliefs, parents, religion, school, experiences, violence, bullying, and fear. I believe if I had the exact experiences they had, I would most likely act or behave the same way they might have and have values different from my own. So why would I allow someone to disturb my peace, it isn't really logical, and the price is too high. 

And keep in mind sometimes the best way to support communication is by listening. But, don’t assume my silence means I am in agreement with your thinking. I may just be allowing you to express yourself. I find trying to do other people’s thinking for them is a dangerous practice for clear communication.

2. Breath

Reset:

Expelling all the air from your lungs. Inhale for a count of 8 (filling your lungs to there maximum capacity), hold for a count of 4, then expel all the air out of your lungs on a count of 8 (with lungs empty), hold for a count of 4. Inhale on a count of 8, hold for 4, exhale 8, hold 4, going 6 or more rounds, then relax and breath normally. How do you feel? A bit light-headed, body tingling? Allow this feeling and bring awareness to that feeling. This is your "reset" to allow creativity to move forward in a stress-filled environment, whether real or imagined. A count of 8-4-8-4-8... is an excellent place to start, if you are more relaxed, you may be able to achieve a 10-5-10-5-10... count or challenge yourself with a hold half the count of a controlled breath in and out. This should be challenging but not stressful.

Calm:

Focus on your breath, inhale for a count of 4 or 5, then control your exhale twice as long as your inhale. So inhale for a count of 4 and exhale for a count of 8 or inhale for a count of 5 and exhale for a count of 10. Continue for 6 to 8 rounds. This is just for calming, the other exercise is for more of an intense "Reset." 

3. Visualization

Blue Sky Beginning:

Once you go thru your relaxation process, imagine yourself floating on a cloud, sinking into that cloud. Imagine the blue sky, and all you see is that blue sky. Making it bright and vivid brings awareness to the brilliance of that blue. Is it a light blue or deeper hue of blue, or darker? Don't judge, just be an observer and not force the process. Sit in that for 10 rounds of calm breathing. (link to calm breathing)

Now imagine that blue being washed away by a brilliant white light, a warm white light. What does it make you feel like? Is it a feeling of lightness? Is it a ticklish feeling from the inside? What are the sensations you feel being bathed in that white light? Enjoy that feeling, and return to awareness to your breath, no judgment, just "be" at that moment, no rush, no good, no bad, just be! 

I start with the blue light, blue being very calming and then moving to a white light, which is healing and light of intuition. These suggestions aren't random, and I put them there for a reason, but invite you to explore to find what works for you. There is no right or wrong. Practicing the state of being in the moment takes practice. And the more you practice the quality of your practice, the better you get at what you practice. 

White Crystal Orb:

Visualize a white crystal orb in front of your face, on your inhalation take in that brilliant white light, bring awareness to how that light makes you feel, warm? Happy? Serene? Joyful? Whatever it is be with it. On the exhalation, fill the orb with your breath with what you don't need, what color is it? Just bring awareness to that color without judgment, let it go, then fill the orb with a white light on the “hold" of the breath and continue the cycle with as many rounds of breath as it takes until the orb remains white for both the inhalation and the exhalation. 

Apple:

Visualize an apple, bring awareness to the apple. How big is the apple? Bring awareness to the details of that apple. Be aware that in this work you bring the objects to you, you don't chase them, you subtly will them to you. If your mind wanders, it is ok, just come back to your breath in those moments. What is the weight of the apple, the color, all the imperfections, know that apple as your apple, take notice of it, this is your apple! Explore your senses. What does it smell like? What does it sound like when you bite into that apple? What is the texture of that apple? What does it taste like? Use all of your senses and experience that apple. How does this apple make you feel, what emotions does this apple awaken in you? Allow those feelings and sit with those feelings and sensations, enjoy this experience and allow, coming back to the breath and allowing this experience. 

When you do your visualization work, notice that you bring things to yourself; you don't go to the object. 

Hummingbird:

Now, after a round of relaxation, breathing, and visualization to get in a calm state, let's have some fun! Imagine a Hummingbird, make it as vivid as possible, the beak, the shape of the body, the wings, the tail, the eyes, the tongue, its feet, the toes, the nails extending from the toes, every detail! Now consider the texture and hue of the feathers of the body. Bring awareness to the colors and how they blend into each other, how the light plays, and dances off the shimmering body. The contrast of beak and feet, and then to the wings, feel how the air is pushed around as you get closer. Invite that Hummingbird to rest in your palm. Experience the Hummingbird fully! Once you feel a sense of knowing that Hummingbird touches its right shoulder, and as you do, the Hummingbird lifts off and rolls over, making a turn in mid-air, and as it does, YOU become the Hummingbird! Take a moment to experience that, what do you feel, what do you see? Do you see your beak? Can you stick your tongue out and see that, what color is it? Can you see your body, what does that look like? Bring attention to your wings, what do they look like? Notice the wings flapping in a blur, but you sense NO effort! 

You are a Hummingbird, in being a Hummingbird, there is no effort, just be in your Hummingbird-ness. No effort, just be, now go explore, around the room get comfortable in your new body, now the door or window opens, go to it, and you fly out of the room, what is out there? Explore what you see, what is the temperature like? Is there a breeze? Is the sun out? What does it look like? What does it sound like? What does it feel like? What does it taste like? Take in the colors, the smells, use all your senses to explore the world from a new perspective! Fly as high as you can, what is that like? How high can you go, can you touch a cloud? Can you reach the moon, can you contact a star?! What does that look like? Feel like? Taste like? Experience it as fully as you can, the joy of the game!

Additional Visualizations

Roller Coaster: tapping into an adrenaline response. 

Baking Cookies: tapping into feelings, emotion, sense of texture, smell, etc.

Horse Back Ride: Again, another way to tap into an adrenaline rush, heart rate, breath rate, body temperature.

4. Next Steps

Energy Healing: various very advanced modalities of healing. 

Meditation: an experience of nothing, yet everything is true meditation.

EFT: Emotional Freedom Techniques or Tapping

This program is designed to create a starting point of getting into our bodies. Becoming acutely aware of what our bodies might be saying to us in what we might need. Also, to explore sensations and emotions thru visualization games. By implementing these exercises and playing the games, it can help sharpen your visualization practices to have fuller, more compelling progress to many of our goals. 

Think of the Breathing exercises like your warm-up reps at the start of each practice. The body scan as a place to "arrive" to begin your workout. Then you are ready to explore your imagination, creativity in whatever activity you want to explore, whether it is physical, mental, emotional, or whatever challenge you care to set your intention and attention to.