INHABITING THE BODY
When we have released enough of the bodies tension through the Releasing Practice and have cultivated a uniform sense of body awareness, we are ready to start paying attention to the subtle nuances of energy in the body.
About 3 finger widths below the belly button and in the center of the body lies what is referred to in the Taoist tradition as the "Lower Dantien". This is neutral space of rest that we cultivate during the "Releasing" practice. If we move our attention forward from this space toward the front of the belly at the same height, we can start to experience a more feminine and soothing quality in this space. It is the space of the womb for both men and women and allows us to come into a deep somatic space of nurturance. In this space it is possible to feel like we holding ourselves in our own womb, it can feel like a deep refuge from the world. As we cultivate our awareness by resting our attention in this space, the archetypal energies of care and rest start to present themselves and over time we can start to let this place in the body meet the rest of our life.
Practice Instructions
Start this practice with your feet about hip-width distance apart and your feet pointed forwards.
Have your spine straight and upright and relax the rest of your body around it.
Tuck your tailbone in slightly (so that it moves closer to the wall behind you).
Drop your chin slightly to allow the back of your neck to open more.
Allow your body to shake from your pelvis, making sure the rocking movement is starting from your pelvis in a back and forward motion.
Use the shaking to wake up every cell of your body so that the natural awareness in your body can activate.
To begin with, breathe in any way that helps you to release the tension down through your body and into the earth.
Feel free to make any sounds on the exhale that allow the body to release tension. (sighing etc).
As you practice over time, breathe through your nostrils on the inhale, in deep, slow breaths and visualize that you are breathing directing into the center of the belly rather than through your nostrils.
Exhale through your mouth or through your nostrils, whatever is more comfortable.
Scrunch your toes regularly during the practice so you can somatically get in touch with the felt sense of the earth underneath you.
Scan through all the major joints of the body to make sure the energy is flowing through them fluidly. Start with the feet, then the ankles, the knees, the pelvis, the mid-back, the shoulder blades, the shoulders, the arms, the neck and the head. Bring the breath to each place as you scan, opening the tension and allowing it to dissolve downwards.
Return repeatedly to visualizing the tension from your body flowing down into the earth.
For the entire practice, treat any form of thinking as tension and allow it to flow down through your body into the earth.
