Good afternoon. She has participated as a practice leader in last year's EPP. So she was willing to step in so that the group is not orphaned today. And if you do have your name tags, please put them on. If you could try to remember for you. And if you could try to remember to bring them next time. We can also keep them here. That might be easier. And you pick them up, so you don't have to each time remember. You can just collect them at the end in a basket. We made a schedule. The schedule is like a skeleton. And when we made it was a couple of days ago. Today, things may be different. It's a little bit like the bones, and then some bones get flesh on them, and some just don't attract any meat on that given day.

[01:10]

So it's an alive process. It's a dependent colorizing what's happening here. But mainly, we stay key to the skeleton, but there is some changes happening just while we're alive. And the schedule will be on the website. And if you don't have access to it, you can check with Ana. There are a few paper copies, and we'll give you more papers and stuff later in the day. So right now, as much as you can, just be present is what's happening. That's always worked as good as well. Maybe we're going to do some stretching so you can stand up.

[02:23]

And what we might see. If we need to, we might migrate out into the hall. And see how much space we have. People can come up here. We go a little bit over there because we've done it so many times. OK. I want you to go right in. You can come the whole way up. Give us enough space. Is this possible? So what we're going to do with the first half of the afternoon is we're going to do a couple of body practices and then we're going to talk about that aspect of meditation and awareness being centered in the body. So the idea is both to do it and in the process of doing it, how to do it, that way of attending to your physical experience.

[03:28]

So it's not so much about accomplishing some particular form or stretch. It's more about letting the activity of doing that stretch, drawing into the learnings of your physical experience. And we'll have time to talk about all this. So if you could just start by rising up and dying above your feet. Oh, and one other detail. Of course, if you have any particular physical ailment, take care of yourself. And as you can, you can swing your arms. You have room to swing them. And these are just warm-ups. You can do them as vigorously as possible. Without giving your neighbor a And then if you could spread your feet a little wider than your shoulders, and then move your arms in a big sweeping circle, sweeping down to the floor and back up.

[04:47]

As I say, these are to warm your body up. They're not kind of slow and mindful. They kind of generate some heat. Listen up. a little bit more bigger. Bring your knees up your chest.

[05:50]

And then bring your knees to one side. and then bend deep in the knees. Put your hands in the knees and move your knees through as big a circle as possible. on your shoulders, and bring your shoulders up, pull them back, slide your shoulder blades down your back, bring your shoulders the whole way forward, and then just continue that rotation.

[07:26]

Up, back, down, forward. Really opening up your shoulders as much as possible. as you can.

[08:46]

And then as you drop them, exhale out of your arms through your mouth. A couple more times. Really extend that exhale. And then starting with your feet, your feet head flipped apart. sides of your feet parallel, your knees unlocked, lifting up through the front of your body so your chest is slightly elevated, letting your shoulders widen, your arms and hands relaxed, muscles on your face relaxed, reaching up through the crown of your head. Sense of solid contact with the floor.

[09:51]

Knees are unlocked so the whole body is alive, balanced over the feet. Sense of lifting up through the spine, up through the chest, up through the crown of the head. Sense of wideness through the shoulders, chest open. Sense is alive and lurking. arms float up, float out to the sides, off the whole way up over your head, reaching up, opening up through the shoulders, up through the fingertips, and hooking your thumbs together, reaching up through your hands, and then swaying your hips to the left and your hands to the right, stretching out through your left hand, swaying to the other side stretching out of your right hand and then just sway back and forth as much as possible listening to your body feeling that stretch on the side letting your body soften and open into the stretch letting your breathing stay regular and smooth

[11:19]

letting your hands float back down to your side. Finding all those points of posture again. Your feet lengthening the front of your body, knees on lock, shoulders wide. felt enlightening, maybe it made something ache, doesn't matter, whatever it is, just becoming fully aware. And with the knees bent, letting your arms float out the front of your body, if they were lightened in air,

[12:49]

and just arching back in a way that's comfortable for your body. It needs well bent. Coming back up and stretching out in front. Use your back horizontally. stretching out through your arms and your hands and then just letting your body fold over letting your whole body relax letting the weight of your upper body pull you over your knees slightly bend the pose should be soft and relaxed just feeling the weight of your upper body gently tugging over and let your lower back release into the stretch maybe you want to shake your head a little bit to help loosen your back and then slowly with your knees bent and slowly uncurling yourself

[14:18]

Your body is constantly rearranging themselves as you come up. And then placing your hands on your abdomen between your groin and your navel. And standing upright, inviting abdomen to soften and then to breathe in, deliberately breathing in your abdomen and letting your abdomen swell with the inhale and receding with the exhale. of bringing awareness to that activity.

[15:36]

and slowly let your hands return by your side and see can you sustain awareness in your abdomen come back to that abdominal breathing. And maybe even see can you sustain it as you go through the exercise. So you can lower down on your hands and knees. Your hands underneath your shoulder joints, your knees underneath your hip joints. in, you arch your back down, raise your head and as you breathe out, you arch your back up.

[17:17]

So rhythmic moving with each breath. As you breathe in, arch your back down, your stomach moves towards the floor of your head, is arched up. As you breathe out, you arch your back up. The anchors are so in front of where they are now.

[18:27]

And pull back with your hips into your back. You move your hips back, keep your elbows off the floor so your back and your arms are in a straight line. But if you can't, your thighs are still perpendicular. Because then the next part is that you lower your chest towards the floor. Your thighs are perpendicular. You're stretching from your hands to your hips, and then you lower your chest. For those who are familiar with downward dog, it's like a kneeling downward dog. And see, can you breathe from your abdomen? And then coming up into the union position.

[19:37]

Place your right foot out. Bring your hands down either side. Your ankle should be under your knee. And then you want to open up the angle between your legs. thighs and lower your hips towards the floor. And then if that stretches 20, stay right there, or if you want to extend the stretch, which may or may not be appropriate for you, if your hands on the floor feel like sufficient stretch, just stay right there and just feel the stretch. Bring awareness to it, let your body soften into it. If you're more used to this, Come up and raise your arms. You can notice your breathing.

[20:52]

And release. Hands back on the floor. Bring your leg back. Switch sides. Left leg, left foot forward. And by your foot. Lower your hips towards the floor. Just stay down there if that feels sufficient stretch. But if you're used to this pose, you can bring your arms up and raise your arms up over your head. your knees up in the air and your feet flat on the floor.

[22:00]

Your knees up in the air and your feet flat on the floor. And then reach over with both hands Take a hold of your right knee and gently bring it up towards your chest. Don't force it. Notice, can you release into the stretch? Can you just let your hip joint open? And then straighten out your left leg, extending out to your left heel, bringing the back of your left thigh down to the towards the floor or touching the floor. And release. Both knees up in the air. Take hold of your other knee.

[23:13]

Bring it up towards your chest. Straighten out the other leg. Bring both knees back up. And then place your right ankle on your left knee. And then raise your left knee again up towards your chest. And you can use your hands, you can reach in, take hold of your left shin. Using your breathing, it helped your body soften into the stretch. So your ankle is on your knee.

[24:16]

whole body with your breath. Any residual strain is released. Then place your left ankle on your right knee and bring your right knee up towards your chest. Reaching in using your hands. your hands to help bring your knee up. and roll them over to the right and try to keep your left shoulder on the floor so your shoulders stay on the floor but your knees roll over so your torso is twisting and again see can you use the breath to soften into the twist

[26:52]

This twist is something you can do easily. You can kick out the lower leg and cross it over the upper leg. That's it. And again, see, can you bring that? See, bring that knee back. Using the breath to soften your position. And roll your knees to the other side, and keep your shoulders on the floor. Raise your hand.

[29:12]

So bring your attention to your legs, particularly to where Plumb mat or the floor? And just feel, where are the touching? Where are the heels touching? Are they touching the middle or on the outside? Do both heels touch the same way? Or is there a difference? And if there is a difference, you don't have to make it same. Just notice how it is. in the ground.

[30:34]

Go back and forth between left calf, right calf. If you draw a picture of the compact space, would it be the same to the left? Or is one laying down much more fully than the other? Does one feel heavier than the other? And again, it's just about noticing what is. It doesn't have to be a particular weight. If in the course of sensing through your body, scanning through your body, you feel like you need to move or change something a little, feel free to do that. Then go up and feel your bottom.

[31:39]

How is that on the ground? And your thighs. Can your thighs touch the ground? Or is there space? There, is there space under your knees? How much space? Sometimes you can feel there a physical underneath, or a flat hand, or something in between, or a hard back of your knees touching. And how is your pelvis laying on the ground? Can you feel the weight of it? Does one side feel higher or lower than the other?

[32:41]

Does it feel equal? Or you may discover that you can feel one part or one area. That's OK, too. Just know what's there right now. Pay attention to your lower back. And again, see how is that? Is that touching the ground? Or is there a hollow? And if there's a hollow, can you feel how high up? Where does your spine start touching the ground? Is it shortly after the pelvic bone? Is it way out between the shoulder blades? Just see if you can sense that.

[33:42]

Glory to the mystery. And then wander further up your back and feel your shoulder blades. How are they touching the ground? Which part of them? Do they feel tight? Do they feel really relaxed? arms, your upper arms and shoulders.

[34:49]

Are your shoulders touching the ground or does it start further down in your upper arms? Which way are your arms laying on both sides the same way, like maybe it comes up, maybe it comes down, maybe very on the side, very different left and right. And just notice, there's no need to make it the same. And do both arms, touch in similar areas if they have the same position. Feeling through your hands and fingers.

[36:00]

Can you feel how they're hitting into gravity, how they're relaxed and just in that position? sense of warmth or wavy feeling or pulsating feeling or bubbly feeling like carbonated water or no sense of that. And then feel into your chest. and belly, and just see how does it feel. Is my belly relaxed? Chest relaxed?

[37:02]

So is there movement there in my belly or in my chest just by the breath coming in and the breath going out? Sun shining on you through the window. to your neck and shirt.

[38:40]

It's a little bit like visiting with the question, how is it right now? Oh, it's like this. like going to your garden to see what's happening there today. Where is your head supported by Or is there still some holding somewhere?

[40:00]

And if you're not sure, you can do little movements. Sign up. Where's your front? Let's get it around there. Attention. And you let your eyes just sink.

[41:21]

And then feel along the bridge of your nose and your nostrils. of the nostrils down to the corner of the mouth. Just see your nostrils, your lips, around your lips. Inside your mouth, your tongue. Where is your tongue? So if you're lying in that position, you feel not so comfortable, change it.

[42:43]

It's not. You don't have to stay in the whole body. Just while you change it, just feel how it affects your whole body, even if you only move your toes or turn your head, but rather feel it. And then go to your jaw. So is your chin and your lower jaw allowed to just sink back as five people access it held forward for your key clenching? of your whole body at once, as it is right now.

[43:48]

Just how does it feel? How is it to feel in this body right now? And does this body, the way it feels right now, in terms of tension, relaxation, aliveness, and your feeling tone, does that have an age? Does that feel like Oh, it feels like I'm exactly the age I am now.

[44:51]

Or does it feel like, oh, it feels like seven years old, or a baby, or an old, old person. And then of this very slowly dive, moving your toes, moving your teeth, moving your fingers and hands. And do it in a way that comes from your body. Just see what does your body want to do. And if you want to stretch, stretch. Just stretch slowly so you can kind of stop or push gently against another body. Come back, turn on your side.

[45:52]

Don't sit up forward. Turn, roll over, and roll it down to the ceiling.

[45:59]

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