Meditation Series Activity 1
About the Series
This meditation series is inspired by meditation prompts written by Oriah in her book, The Dance: Moving to the Deep Rhythms of Your Life. This book combines story-telling and meditation prompts to guide the reader on an investigation of personal and spiritual development.
About the Activity
This activity may be approached in stillness or with movement. As I guide this activity, I encourage participants who are moving their bodies to acutely listen and mindfully respond to all impulses as they arise throughout this meditative improvisational exercise. Please be aware of your surroundings and only practice what is safe and reasonable for your body at this time.
Here I have included a quote from Oriah's poem, "The Dance" as it pertains specifically to this activity:
I have sent you my invitation,
the note inscribed on the palm of my hand by the fire of living.
Don’t jump up and shout, “Yes, this is what I want! Let’s do it!”
Just stand up quietly and dance with me.
The full poem can be found at this link.
Activity 1
Throughout this activity I will denote direct quotes from Oriah's "Meditation on Your Essential Nature," from chapter 1 of The Dance: Moving to the Deep Rhythms of Your Life with quotation marks. All quotes are directly from this text published by HarperSanFrancisco, A Division of HarperCollinsPublishers.
Decide to approach this meditation either in stillness or with movement. If you will meditate in stillness, I recommend finding a comfortable position seated or lying down. If you will treat this activity as a guided movement improvisation, please take the first few moments to settle into a position that is safe, comfortable and will allow you to move freely in the space you are in.
Relax the muscles of your face, neck and shoulders. Align your vertebrae and lengthen the muscles of your spine. Allow the shoulders to fall away from the ears, opening the collarbone, plugging the shoulder blades down and back and opening the heart. Relax the hip flexors and allow the bones in your legs to feel weighted and heavy. Pause to notice any other adjustments necessary in your alignment and make accommodations as needed.
Inhale through the nose, filling the belly with air and pause at the top of your inhalation. Exhale all of the air and pause at the end of your exhalation. Repeat three times.
Oriah writes, "extend to yourself the same compassionate understanding you extend to those you love."
"Allow someone you know and love to come to mind...someone you have seen at their best and their worst, someone you love deeply...imagine this person in your mind's eye, feeling the love you have for them."
"Remember how this person behaves when they are not at their best." I now invite you to ask yourself, how does this person react in trying circumstances? What personality traits come out during times of challenge? How do they respond to fear?
Oriah writes, "See them as they are...feel how what they do does not change your love for them." I invite you to understand that their behavior in this moment of fear could be reactive instead of reflective of their essential nature.
Oriah writes, "Imagine how they would look in one of their worst moments to someone who does not know them...tell this new person what it is you see and love in the one you know, who they are in their essential nature...(tell them) how you do not confuse their behavior with the essence of who they are."
Now, "let them go." Feel that person drift away from your mind and notice any residue of sensations in the mind or in the body. Welcome any sensations that have come about by allowing this person to be at the front of your consciousness.
Oriah writes, "Now turn your attention to yourself, seeing yourself in your mind's eye as you did the other...see yourself behaving badly, and imagine someone who does not know you also seeing you." I invite you to ask yourself, how would this stranger see you reacting to fear? What course of action do you take when faced with a challenge?
Oriah writes, "Explain to the stranger...how this man, this woman they are seeing is behaving badly because they are deeply frightened or tired or lost in this moment. Tell them who this man or woman is in his or her essential nature."
"See yourself at your best, in a moment when your actions are consistent with this (essential) nature. Ask, "What if this is who I really am? What if all I need to do is allow the unfolding of my essential nature? What if all I need to do is to become who I really am? What if this is enough?"
Now I invite you to take the next 10-15 minutes to continue this exploration. If at any point during this meditative experience you are inclined to stop, I encourage you to pause, take a breath, and return to the meditation for the duration of this activity.
Follow Up
I want to thank Oriah for permitting me to quote parts of her "Meditation on Your Essential Nature" for this activity. If you would like, please comment on this blog post or the Instagram post on my profile here. Thank you for participating!!