“This is a meditation that you can do to enhance your meditative connection to the energy of the sun, which is the source of all life in the solar system. It also helps you move more rapidly and easily into a thoughtless state, which is a basic competency we are trying to build as meditators.”
Dear Integral Meditators,
The article below looks at how to cultivate the wisdom of non-thinking using environmental awareness, and in particular awareness of the sun. It relates to both meditation events this week:
The Wisdom of Awakening series: Meditations for ‘instant awakening’ and playful wisdom, and the Environmental meditation masterclass & mini-retreat – Working consciously with the forces of nature.
If your curious about how to accelerate your meditation through connection to nature, then either of these are a great session to come along to!
In the spirit of the sun-in-your-head,
Toby
‘Head in the Sun’ meditation
This is a simple meditation that combines cultivating a thought-free state with environmental awareness. Specifically, we use brain-relaxation in combination with awareness of the suns light to create the desired experience.
Finding the sun – This first stage is nice to do, and enhances the experience, but is not essential. Glance outside and locate the sun, physically in the sky. Get a sense of where it is in your current landscape. If the sun has gone down already, get a sense of where it is beneath the horizon.
Sitting in landscape – Then take a seat (this can also be done standing or lying and, when your used to it, walking) Send your awareness out to the horizon line in the landscape around you. Get a feel for the curve of the earth’s surface extending around you from your feet, the sun in the sky above, and the living planet beneath you. Breath and relax with this for a short while.
Relaxing your brain – Now become aware of your brain. Scan from front to back releasing tension as you go, from the area behind the temples and forehead (prefrontal cortex), to the brain stem connecting the back of the brain with your spine. Then go from back to front, doing the same; releasing tension as you go.
Visualizing the sun – Now visualize a miniature sun where your third eye would be, midway between and slightly above your eyebrows. See it shining brightly and dissolving away the clouds of your distracting thoughts and mental tension. See and feel your brain and head becoming light, bright, spacious and thought free. You feel like you have the sky with a bright shining sun in the space where your brain is/was. Meditate on this state, relaxing deeply into it. You can/should also feel that as you are doing this, the sun in your head is connected to the energy of the outer, physical sun in the landscape around you.
Being the sun and sky – If you like you can let yourself absorb more deeply into the experience, letting of awareness of the body, and feeling like you become the sun and sky.
When you are ready come back to your body and relax your concentration.
The benefits – This is a meditation that you can do to enhance your meditative connection to the energy of the sun, which is the source of all life in the solar system. It also helps you move more rapidly and easily into a thoughtless state, which is a basic competency we are trying to build as meditators. Using our imagination in this way can be surprisingly powerful, and in general the more we can engage our imagination in our meditation, the more powerful our meditation becomes.
Related article: The meditators secret weapon (the wisdom of non-thinking)
Article & content © Toby Ouvry 2021, you are welcome to use or share this article, but please cite Toby as the source and include reference to his website www.tobyouvry.com
Starts Tuesday 16/Wednesday 17th November – The Wisdom of Awakening series: Meditations for ‘instant awakening’ and playful wisdom
In a sentence: Learn the art of ‘instant awakening’ and playful wisdom through integrative meditation
Overview: The Wisdom of Awakening series is an ongoing series that looks at different ways to ‘wake up’ and live your life fully and playfully through meditation. The premise of the sessions is that inner wholeness and wisdom are not something that are far away, rather they are something that we can awaken to ‘instantly’ through certain types of mindful attention. In this four class series we take instant awakening, miraculous-ness, independence and sensitivity as our doorways to awakening….read full details
Saturday 20th & 27th November – Environmental meditation masterclass & mini-retreat – Working consciously with the forces of nature
In a sentence: Learn to work consciously with the forces of nature and your environment as well develop powerful meditation states.
There is much concern and talk today about the state of the environment and the relationship of humankind to nature. These sessions cover methods to:
- Attune to the energies of our immediate and larger environment
- Build a living relationship to the landscape around us
- Access meditation states based upon our environment that provide deep powerful peace, as well as increasing our energy in an harmonious manner
- Increase our sense of being a participant in the miracle of nature
- Inspire us to live an embodied life in tune with the living Earth and Universe around, above and below us
Are you looking a coach who can help you to:
- Meet the challenges, stress and changes that you face in a more effective and mindful way
- Become happier within yourself, in your relationships and at work
- Be actively accountable for finding a sense of balance/well-being in your life and fulfilling your personal potential?
- Guide you to find and operate from a deeper sense of meaning, motivation and connectivity in your life?
All upcoming classes and workshops at IMA:
Ongoing – Weekly Tuesday, Wednesday Online class schedule
Ongoing on Wednesday’s, 7.30-8.30pm – Wednesday Meditation for stress transformation and positive energy with Toby (Bukit Timah)
Ongoing on Tuesday evenings, 7.30-8.30pm – Tuesday Meditation for stress transformation and positive energy with Toby (East Coast)
Starts Tuesday 16/Wednesday 17th November – The Wisdom of Awakening series: Meditations for ‘instant awakening’ and playful wisdom
Saturday 20th & 27th November – Environmental meditation masterclass & mini-retreat – Working consciously with the forces of nature
Integral Meditation Asia
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