Share
Explore
Nalu | Mind the Flow
A simple, supported mindful practice in ten minutes a day.
Visit: to learn more.
Build continuity into any practice
Get support in a global community
Explore your own mind and flow
What happened during Nalu?
1
Nalu’s | Mind the Flow journey begins
Mon, Mar 11, 2:45 PM
Mar 11, 3:15 PM
10 mins
Background: All right, welcome. Today, I thought I'd give a little background on Nalu, our character for our 28 day mindful journey. So thanks for being here and I hope you enjoy. Nalu is the Hawaiian word for wave and also can be taken to mean mindful observation. So I thought it'd be a great name for a character that helps us understand the waves and flows during during our mindfulness journey. So, nalu, they live on a small island. And they live by the shoreline. And one day they're out walking along the shore, and they are looking out at the waves and looking out at the sky, and they start to wonder if perhaps those waves and flow that they're seeing out there are also mirroring the waves and flow that they feel inside. And Nalu has heard about a people on a nearby island that have studied this. And so they set out to find these people and learn from them. And indeed, what they do find out is that these people also believe that the waves that are happening outside the body and outside the mind are also very similar to the waves that are happening inside. And so they've learned a few techniques for listening and watching and sensing these waves. And this is the journey that Nalu takes is to learn these techniques. And this is the journey that Nalu will share with us during the 28 days, Nalu also learns that. It's the habit and the repetition of making these observations and making these kinds of sensing that is really the key to establishing understanding and establishing a practice so. To build their own practice, they commit to taking one or more of the 28 day journey and making it happen so that they can continue to learn and continue to better understand the waves and how they interact with their lives. So I hope you come along for at least one of the days or as many of the days as you want, and I hope you have fun with nalu and our mindful journey. Thank you. And please enjoy.
Here’s what Nalu did.
.....
Welcome, welcome. Welcome. Thank you for being here today. Today is the first day of the 28 day Nalu Mind the Flow journey. For today, Nalu is exploring the essence of their breath. And so nalu. Realizes that the breath is sort of the most consistent wave form that they have experienced in their life, and they start to realize that they want to. Notice the breath and discover the breath and think more deeply about it. So for the first day, Nalu decides to take on one hand on over another and place it on the belly just below the rib cage area where the breath comes in and rises and falls on the abdomen.
So. Nalu is placing one hand over the other on the abdomen area, just above the navel, and noticing how the breath moves the air into and out of the body. And so by placing one hand over another, there's sort of a comforting feeling, and Nala notices that. Their breathing seems to respond naturally to these hands being there. And as they noticed the rise and fall of the breath, it starts to appear to them that this is just a natural process that is happening right inside the body. It's happening, right? Right inside themselves and so. Just placing the hands right there above. Above the navel and below the rib cage is how nalu's going to start their journey and how we'll start our journey today.
You're welcome to have your eyes opened or closed during this time and the objective here is just to notice the breathing as it goes into the body and notice the breathing as it leaves the body. And let the breath occur naturally. So just notice the rising and falling as it happens all by itself. Noticing and observing and watching as that happens. And as you notice, the breath is happening, it might be. The body might the mind might start to try to take control of the breath, and that's totally fine too. If it's a time for you to be doing deep breathing or taking control of the breath that works just as well.
Or another opportunity might be to just let the breath flow naturally all by itself, and let the body decide that cadence and the depth and just observe that with your hand there. Over the abdomen, just observe how that happens as the breath goes in and as the breath goes out. And if the mind is sort of wandering or telling stories, this is totally fine too. This is what the mind is designed to do. Even as that happens, you might like to bring your attention back to your hands on your abdomen there. Notice just how they're feeling. How they're rising and falling. And how the breath seems to be coming in all by itself and going out all by itself. And just noticing and observing that happening as it happens.
And there may also be other times when you notice that sensations, other sensations or feelings on the body start to draw your attention. And this is great too, because the body's there to do that produce sensation. And you can always gently bring the attention back to the rise and fall of your abdomen as the breath goes in and out. And using their hands there on. The belly area is a great way to notice the breathing coming in and the breathing going out. And as we reach the end of our first day of our nalu, mind the flow. Journey.
Your mind starts to come back to the sounds of the room and your surroundings and. Noticing how it feels to be you and feeling energized and relaxed as we move into the rest of the day. So thank you for joining today and I look forward to seeing you on the next day of Nalu mine the flow.
2
Nalu listens to the sound
Tue, Mar 12, 2:48 PM
Mar 12, 3:00 PM
12 mins
Hello everyone and welcome back to Nalu. Mind the flow. Welcome to day two, and thank you for coming by. I so appreciate you being here. On the first day of Nalus journey, they observed the breathing through watching the tummy rise and fall with their hands on their belly, and for today Nalu wanted to explore a little bit more deeply about what their breath was like for them. And so they began to start to think about the sound of the breathing.
Like, how does the breathing sound? As it moves into and out from the body and. They may have left their hands on their bellies because that was a really comforting way to observe the breath. Or they may have had their hands on, you know, relaxed somewhere else around the body. And that's totally awesome. What Nala really wanted to do today was to observe the sound of the breathing. What does it sound like as it comes into the body and moves through all the little vessels within the body and then turns around and leaves again? So sometimes the breathing is coming in through the nose and sometimes it's coming in through the mouth or a little bit of both. And so each time the breath comes into and goes out from the body it can. It can sound a little bit differently. So for today.
The direct experience of the breath is is how the breathing is sounding as it moves into and goes out from the body so. With their eyes opened or their eyes closed, it's very easy to just listen. If there's no sound at all, that's OK too. The breath is still happening naturally and moving into and out of the body. The idea today is to just listen for any sounds that there might be as the as the breath is happening. And observing those sounds as they happen and noticing if they change overtime.
Sometimes when you're observing the sound of the breathing, it can be helpful to. Go ahead and take a deep breath, an intentional breath with a deep inhale. And a deep exhale so that you can hear the sound of your breathing and understand better what it might sound like as it moves into and out from the body. And after a nice deep breath, whether you take it intentionally or the breathing takes it on its own, you can always return back to the normal rhythm and the normal sound of the breeding after that. And even while the sound of the breathing is happening, there may be other sounds in the surroundings that are also being sounds and making noise, and these are not so different from the sound of the breath.
They just happen to be coming from outside the body. So it can be useful to acknowledge those sounds and observe them happening and justice notice that they're going on and then. Return the attention back to the own sound of the breath. That we notice. That's happening right there in front of us. And as our protagonist, Nalu sits with the sound that that's happening in their own. Frame there they start to realize that it changes slightly overtime and this is very natural occurrence as the quality of the breath changes as the mood changes as the environment changes, the sound of the breathing might be different over time and nalu learns to observe and watch and notice as that sound changes. And maybe it means something. Maybe it doesn't, but they learn to watch the sound and observe the sound as it happens. Naturally, as the breath moves into and out of the body. And today, as Nalu mines the flow, they're noticing the sound of the breathing on the body.
And. And. As they come to the end of their practice period, they begin to notice again the sounds around them and the sounds that are coming from the environment and other sounds that might be coming out from their bodies and. They're coming back into the room and noticing pleasant and relaxed sensation as they. And to the second day of minding the flow. So I appreciate everybody coming by today and being here together with Nalu and with me and. Hope to see you again on another day.
3
Nalu feels the touch
Wed, Mar 13, 2:48 PM
Mar 13, 3:00 PM
12 mins
Hello and welcome to day three of Nalu. Mind the flow. Thank you for joining today. In the previous two days of Nalu's journey, Nalu had first started to experience the breath by placing their hands on their abdomen and noticing the breathing go in and out. And on the second day, Nalu was listening to the sound of the breath to hear how it sounded as it moved into the body and. And went out from the body.
So on this third day of the journey, nalu Nalu decides they want to focus in a little bit more on on the breath and noticing the breath and another quality of the breath that they noticed in the previous days was that there there seemed to be a touch of the breath on the body as it entered the nostrils, or entered the mouth. And. Sort of a touch of the breath as it exhaled out through the nostrils, nostrils or out through the mouth. So for the third day of the journey, Nalu decides to notice the touch of the breathing and notice the point where the breathing is entering the body and leaving the body and.
They begin to notice that the the breathing seems to be happening all by itself. And seems to be breathing them, and so noticing as the breath moves them. What does it feel like as it touches the body? And what does it feel like as it leaves the body again on the exhale? And Allah decides just to notice this. They might have their eyes opened or their eyes closed. That's less important, but what's more important is that. As the breathing comes in and as the breathing goes out, they're noticing the breath and justice observing as it happens, and watching how it feels as the breath moves in and out. And sometimes during the process, nalu notices that there might not be a sensation at all of of that breath touching the body. And that's OK too.
What they do is they just stand by and and wait and see and notice if maybe in a little while a sensation will occur. Even as the mind might be thinking about something else or being distracted by an outside information or input. That's totally OK too. And Nalu decides to bring the attention back to just the area there where the breath is coming into the body. And then on the exhale, noticing the area where the breath is leaving the body, whether that's. Through the mouth or through the nose, or a combination of both. And sometimes the the breathing changes its nature. Maybe subtly or maybe greatly, while while the breathing is happening. And this is a very natural process. Sometimes the breath decides to take a nice deep breath and let go of an exhale, or sometimes the breathing might produce a sigh. And all of these.
Occurrences are natural occurrences that Knowler notices as they're watching that that sensation and that feeling of the breath just touching as it moves into the body and touching as it moves out from the body as well. And while we might begin to notice the mine wander out to some other kinds of. Thinking or thought producing? It's a very natural occurrence that happens with the mind and then. As Nalu does we just bring the attention back to noticing the breathing coming in. And going out of the body. And we notice as the time goes on that sometimes the quality of the breathing is changing.
It may be speeding up or slowing down. It may be becoming more deep or more shallow. And as we notice those sensations, watching that change happen as a natural occurrence is is exactly what we're trying to do. We're here. Is to observe and notice and watch. And Nalu realizes now, after sensing their breathing through their abdomen and then sensing the sound of their breathing, and now sensing the touch of their breathing. That all of these ways are natural ways to be observing the breath and watching. And as they come back to UM, back to full awareness and back to the room, they start to begin to get more curious and more energized about about the breadth and what's happening.
4
Nalu observes the touch
Thu, Mar 14, 2:48 PM
Mar 14, 3:00 PM
12 mins
All right. Welcome back, everyone. Welcome to today day four of Nalu. Mind the flow. So appreciate you being here if this is your first time. Welcome. You're welcome to join for any day of the mind the flow journey. Or if you're returning for a repeat time, welcome back.
On previous days, Nalu, our protagonist for minding the flow, has been exploring their breath through placing their hands on their abdomen and noticing the breath rise and fall. They also noticed the sound of the breathing as it moved in and out of the body, and then they started to notice the touch of the. Breath where it entered and left the body on the nose and or in the mouth. And so for today, Nalu decides that they're they really want to zoom in and and notice more about the touch of the breathing as it enters and leaves the body.
Seems that the breadth is inflating them and deflating them naturally by itself and. They're starting to have a hunch that it's this, this attention to this spot where the breathing is coming in and the breathing is going out. That's the interchange between themselves and their environment. So they want to spend a little bit more time digging more deeply into that, that sensation. And so for today. Nalu resolves to sit back and relax, and with eyes opened or closed, they resolved to go ahead and. Notice again the touch of the breathing as it enters the body and leaves the body. And that might be the touch of the breathing on the nose area, or that might be the touch of the breathing on the lips area, or a combination of both.
And Nalu starts to notice that each breath is unique. And slightly different from the breath before. And might be slightly different from the next breath that is to come. So, as Nala observes. One breath after another slowly and naturally moving into and out from the body, they begin to notice the difference in those breaths and. Become fascinated by watching and observing and noticing how those breaths are different as they. Touch the body on the way in. And the way out. And as Nalu continues, they begin to notice that observing this touch of the breath on the body might also. Cause other areas of the body to relax or.
Perhaps. Cause a desire for slight stress. Sure. Movement in the body and and this is totally OK as nalu is starting to settle into noticing the touch of the breath on the body starts to uncover other sensations around the body and and they make adjustments and and movements as are needed, and then return gently to. The touch of the breathing as it moves in and out. And sometimes during the course of the breathing and observing the touch of the breath, move in and out of the body. Now you notices A sigh happen or a deep exhale, or a deep inhale, and these seem to happen naturally all by themselves. And so now they notices how each breath is slightly different from the previous breath, and sometimes the body needs to change, change its cadence, or change its depth and.
This may have some meaning or may have no meaning at all, and either way. Nalu returns back to observing that touch of the sensation as it comes into the body. And as the breath goes out of the body. And as Nalu continues to notice the touch of the breadth. On the body as it enters and exits, they begin again to think about the flow of the waves and. The flow of the wind and the. The changing of the tides and things that they've noticed in their environment around them. And as the breath touches in and as the breath touches out, they begin to wander. About the outside world again as well and notice. How those sensations of the touch on the body might be similar to sensations and other feelings that they're having.
Throughout their daily life and notice and observe and watch those sensations as they happen. And they begin to become a little bit more curious. And a little bit more thoughtful about how these sensations occur and happen naturally. And then noticing. And observing as. Now, who comes back to the current moment and back into the space and their surroundings? Coming back to a little bit more depth and a little bit more reality after observing the breath and maybe moving the body a little bit and noticing how it feels to be them, it feels to be you. As we come to the end of the fourth day of Nalu, mind the flow. Thank you for joining, and I hope to see you again next time.
5
Nalu observes the touch
Fri, Mar 15, 2:48 PM
Mar 15, 3:00 PM
12 mins
All right. Welcome to Nalu. Mind the flow. Day 5. Welcome and welcome back. If you're returning so grateful to have you come back again. And if it's your first day. Welcome, welcome. Thank you for being here.
Today, Nalu has been observing the breath in many different ways. Over the last several days, and the reason they're doing this is they're they're noticed. They noticed earlier on that. There were waves in the world around them. There were waves in the water and waves in the wind and. They wanted to see what the waves might look like inside their body. So. They started noticing and concentrating and observing different sensations of how the breath, the most familiar way they have moves in and out of the body.
And from a very kind of broad spectrum to moving into more of a a tight spectrum, they began to notice the breath as it moved into and moved out of the body and where it touches the body on the inhale and on the exhale. So for today, we'll follow Nalu again as we notice the touch of the breath as it moves in through the nostrils, or in through the mouth, or a combination of both. And we notice the touch of the breath as it exhales, maybe slightly more moist or slightly warmer, out from the body as it exhales naturally. And so we'll stand by when you can have your eyes opened or closed and just observing, as nalu does.
We're observing the breath as it moves into the body, and observing the breath as it moves out of the body, and specifically here. Around the place where the air touches us as it moves in and out. And you might be wondering, what is this touch that nalu is talking about? Where is this touch? I don't feel anything on on the body. And that's totally OK, too. There are times when the breath is soft and the breath is subtle, and there might not be a specific sensation as the breath moves in and. But be assured that the breath is still continuing to move in and out of the body, and justice observe. May be the rise and fall of the chest.
Or maybe the sound or sensation of how the air moves through the nostrils or through the throat. The air can touch the body in many ways, and our job today is just to notice and observe. How the air moves in and out of the body? And as we follow Nalu on this journey, nalu is noticing sometimes, as they're noticing the sensations they're also experiencing other sensations on the body may be some. Some dryness or some moisture or. Maybe some heat or some coolness? Or at times, itchiness or. Other sensation and all of these are OK, perfectly expected and natural to be feeling these.
Nalu realizes that if they just observe those sensations and then return back to. Where the touch of the breath is coming in and out of the body. It's a very simple way to bring the attention back. And if the attention is wandering, the mind has started to tell stories. That's very, totally acceptable. Now who knows now, especially after several days that they can just. Naturally, bring the attention back to. The touch of the breath on the body and justice notice where that breath goes into and goes out from the body and justice returns there.
Attention back to that. And as Nalu continues to notice, the breathing move into and out from the body. They notice that the quality of the breadth might change throughout the process of observation. And they noticed that it might change. From breath to breath or it might change over the period of time and they just stand by and watch and notice and observe as the maybe the touch of the breath changes slightly as that happens, or as they spend more and more time observing the touch. And after some time, Nalu begins to.
Notice the other sensations that are happening on the body and begins to notice some of the sounds and feelings and indicators that are coming from the world around them, and they begin to return to regular daily awareness with a little bit more energy and a little bit more. Curiosity about themselves and about their surroundings. And I want to thank everybody for joining us today for the for Nalu's journey today was day five and I look forward to seeing you again on a future day. Welcome. Thank you. And I hope you've enjoyed.
6
Nalu - observation
Sat, Mar 16, 2:48 PM
Mar 16, 3:00 PM
12 mins
All right. Hello, everyone. Welcome back to nalu. Mind the flow today is day six. If you are joining for the first time, welcome. If you are returning after having joined before, then welcome back. I'm grateful to see you here today and to have you join a this community of practice that we have been. And nurturing for almost a week now. So thank you for being here.
For the past several days, Nalu has been exploring the touch of the breath. As the breath comes into the body in this area, it sort of touches the body, and as it exhales, it sort of touches the body on the way out. And Nala has been noticing the touch of the breath for several days. And becoming more curious about. How that breath works within within the body. Sometimes it's more shallow, sometimes it's more deep, sometimes it's more quick, sometimes it's more slow, sometimes it's very quiet, sometimes it's loud. And so, to deepen their understanding of this wave form of this flow that keeps moving in and out of them, Nalu decides to take notice of. The top of the breath and the bottom of the breath.
So as the breath happens, it inhales into the body and then. There's a slight pause at the top of the breath before the exhale occurs, and at the bottom of the exhale of the breath. There's a slight, slight pause before the inhale occurs. So for today Nalu is just going to notice that just decides to concentrate just on those pauses at the top of the breath, and the bottom of the breath, even if they notice other sensations or feelings. And we're going to follow along.
So you're welcome to have your eyes opened or your eyes closed for this. And again, just bringing the attention to the breath and then specifically noticing the paws at the top and the pause at the bottom of the breath. And as the breath there is moving into the body and moving out from the body, sometimes if we're really noticing something specific, there might be a temptation to take control of the breath, and this is very natural and and you're welcome to do that. If it feels like taking control of the breath and observing how the inhale and exhale happens, that's awesome too. You might also like to just observe the natural breathing as it comes in and as it goes out, noticing the natural rhythm of the body and then paying special attention to the very top part of the breathing as the inhale.
Slows down and turns into an exhale, and the very bottom part of the breathing as the exhale slows down and turns back into an inhale again. And sometimes nalu notices that there might be a more deep breath in between some of the other ones, or there might be a sigh on the exhale. And this happens naturally. Seems to happen naturally many days now, and it might might be happening today and that's that's to be expected. Even so, Nalu resolves to remain curious about the breadth and the differences between each breath. So as the breaths come in and rest at the top of the breath, and as the breaths go out and rest at the bottom of the breath, nalu. Remains curious about it.
And today, Nalu notices that. Thoughts and images and feelings from the daytime. Keep coming into their mind and. And distracting them away from the attention and the breath and. They've had this experience before and then they remember that it's it's OK and that this is part of the job of the mind is to to formulate thoughts and stories and and that's that's what the mind is designed to do and. Just looks aside at the mind and watches that happen, and it acknowledges that it's happening, and then they return their attention back to the inhale. And the apex of the inhale and then the exhale and the through of the exhale. And now, after several days of noticing the breath and paying attention to the breath, null, loose, beginning to feel that some sensation, some feelings and sensations arise that that might be unexpected and. Maybe they felt a little bit surprised by some of them.
This is a natural occurrence as well as as we quiet the mind and begin to pay attention to our natural processes and and as we continue to delve deeper into the current moment, sometimes emotions and and feelings arise and those are perfectly acceptable to observe as well and just notice them as they happen. And take stock of them and then just return. To the sensation of the breeding as it happens. And as Nala then begins to come back to the awareness of the room around them, and some of the sounds that they might be hearing, or the feelings that they might be experiencing, maybe their seat in the chair or the clothing they have on their body.
Ah, and Nalu decides to take a deep breath, and maybe a little bit of a sigh to relax into this new found awareness that they have and returns back to the room with a little bit more curiosity and. Maybe a little bit more outlook on the world around them, a little bit better outlook and ways of seeing. Thank you for joining today. This is day four of nalu. Mind the flow and hope to see you again the next day.
7
Nalu breath waveform
Sun, Mar 17, 2:48 PM
Mar 17, 3:00 PM
12 mins
Welcome back everyone to the 7th day of Nalu. Mind the flow. Thank you for joining, and thank you for being here. If it's your first time, welcome. And if you are returning, then welcome back. I'm grateful to have folks joining today or any day. Each day we'll have a little bit different. Mindfulness and meditation activity and keep bringing just a little bit at a time, so you're welcome to join for one day or many.
For the past six days, Nalu has been exploring their breathing. They've been exploring the sensations of the breathing, the sound of the breathing, the touch of the breath on the body, and they've started to notice what the breath feels like. At the top of the breath and at the bottom. Of. The breath. And so to day, Nalu starts to wonder what happens if I take control of my breathing? Can I? Change my disposition. Can I change my position? Can I change the way I'm perceiving things? If I take a little bit of control of the breadth?
So up until this point and always been really interested in what's naturally happening with the breath and today they decide. Let's take a little bit of control of the breath here and there and see how that feels. So for today, you're welcome to have your eyes opened or your eyes closed at your preference. We're just going to be experimenting with a few deep breaths and then letting the breath return to normal, and then I'll come back on the mic and we'll have a couple more deep breaths and then let the breath return to normal. Following along with with knowledge experiment.
So. You're welcome to sit back, get into a comfy position. You might have your eyes opened or closed, and then we're just going to go ahead and we're just going to press all of the air out of the body. So we're going to exhale. Exhale, exhale, maybe through the mouth or the nose or both and just push all of the air out. Out of the body. And then let the inhale happen naturally. So just inhale. Nice deep inhale, as deep as you'd like, and then just go ahead and justice. Let the air flow out naturally out of the body. And then another deep inhale. Breathing the air in nice and deep, take a bigger inhale than you did last time. Let the air come into the body. And. Then just a nice exhale. Let all of the air out. Empty the lungs.
Get the old stale air out from the bottom of the body there. And then inhale. And a couple more times like that on your own. Just go ahead and inhale deeply and exhale deeply. Just a couple more times and then just we'll be letting the we'll be letting the breath return back to normal after a few intentional deep inhales and exhales. And then letting the breath return to normal for a few breaths as we sit quietly together. And just noticing the breath as it goes in noticing the breath as it goes out. And maybe taking stock of how today might be different than other days because we've just had a little bit of breath control. Before that. And nalu notices after they've taken a few deep breaths, that there might be some other things happening with the body.
They might have the urge to sneeze. Or maybe there's a burp or something that comes out of them, and that's totally OK. That's all body natural processes. And that's a natural physiological response to taking a few deep breaths and. And filling the air, filling the lungs with air and oxygen. And Nalu is noticing the very natural breathing that's occurring as the air goes into the body, and the air goes out of the body. They're noticing the sensations that they've been experiencing over the past several days during their practice, and noticing and observing. And they're they're going to decide to take one more set of deep breaths together so we can follow along with a nice big inhale. And a nice long exhale to let all of the air come out of the body, pressing all the air out. Maybe pressing in from the diaphragm or the lungs. And then taking a nice big inhale. And then exhaling again all of the air out of the body, so just maybe causing the body to to experience some a little bit deeper breathing and and maybe. Putting some attention on the breath before we let it go back to the natural breathing and maybe this can help us bring some deeper observation into the breath. And just now noticing.
After a couple of deep inhales and exhales, just noticing how the breath returns back to normal, seemingly on its own accord, and begins to breathe itself and and to breathe. Thus naturally by itself. And I'll lose noticing after taking some deep breaths and then returning the breath to the natural state them they kind of have the desire to maybe take a stretch or or maybe move the body a little bit and adjust their posture. And this is a very natural reaction to kind of taking in that deep oxygen and you might notice that your your frame or your torso is in a different position. And then feels natural. And so you might adjust by. Maybe you know, stretching the neck a little bit, or opening up the chest a little bit, as as that air moves in and out, it kind of inspires the body to to take action, and that's that's totally natural. If you're feeling those urges, now is the time to do it.
Just opening up a little bit and letting letting more space for that oxygen to come into the body. And that carbon dioxide to leave out and taking with it all of our. Toxins and all of the stuff we don't need. And here on day seven of Nala's journey, they realized that they've been kind of really concentrating and observing for about a week and. Trying to maybe start to think about how they might apply some of these techniques into their daily life, like how might they start to use these processes during the day? And so. Now is resolved to maybe take a deep breath here and here and again now and again during the day. And maybe they can use that deep breathing to sort of set the tone and relax themselves a little a little bit before, maybe before a meeting or before a conversation that they might want to have with somebody. So just practicing. Taking in that deep breath.
And letting that breath go out as a natural process and a natural way to sort of relax the body and bring in fresh air and fresh oxygen. So. Thank you for coming to today to Nalu's journey on day seven. We're going to start to talk about how we integrate some of these practices into our daily lives. And we're going to join nalu for several more experiences along the way. Maybe getting into a little bit more of work with the breathing, and then into some sensations and and that sort of thing. So I hope you'll come back for another day. And I look forward to seeing you. Thank you for being here today.
8
Nalu breath waveform
Mon, Mar 18, 2:48 PM
Mar 18, 3:00 PM
12 mins
All right, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome back to. Now we mind the flow. Today is day eight and we've we've accompanied Nalu on their journey through discovery, discovering the breath, noticing the breathing on the body, noticing the the touch of the breath, and now starting to take control of the breathing and noticing how they can maybe change their own Physiology. Or ideology, a little bit just by watching the breath and. In the orientation or the introduction to nalu, we learned that nalu lives on on an island, and they learn these practices from their neighbors on a neighbor island. And as such, they learned.
This counted breathing practice that they want to try out today, and it might be something that they can use to help regulate their their sensations and regulate their feelings and and maybe keep their mind at ease. So you yesterday now they was practicing just taking some deep breaths and letting those breaths. Out and today, Nalu wants to practice a a boxed breathing technique. So. Counting the breaths as they come in and counting the breaths as they go out.
For for this practice, we will use a count of four and we will count the inhale for four breaths and then we will hold the breath for four breaths, and then we'll count the exhale for four breaths, and then we'll hold the breaths empty for the count of four as well. And so we'll do that a few times. Just to get into the practice and what this is designed to do is really regulate the. The bodies circulatory system the holds at the top and the bottom help us sort of let the lungs do a little bit of extra work and and help us regulate our system. So let's give it a shot. We'll do two or three of these and then we'll let the body go back to a normal practice to a normal breathing just after that. So go ahead and take an inhale for the count of four.
So inhaling 1234 and then holding for a count of 4234 and then exhaling for a count of 4123. Four and holding for 4234. Inhaling for four. 234 and holding for 4234 and exhaling for four. 234 and then holding for 4/2. 3. Four and one more time inhaling for four. 234 and holding for four. 234 and exhaling for four. 234 and holding on the exhale for four. 234 and now. Just let the breath go back to normal. If that was difficult for you, it's fine if you if you didn't keep the counts, that's totally awesome. If it's your first time experiencing this, it it can be kind of confusing at first, but just go ahead and let the breath come back to normal.
And notice how it feels. Notice how your body feels. You might be noticing different sensations within the body, or you might notice different sensations in your throat or your face or your neck and just observe those sensations as they happen. And these are probably natural sensations of a different kind of oxygen. Coming into the body in a different kind of exhale, going out. And justice, let the breath return back to normal for a few breaths, and I'm going to go ahead and and mute myself for just a minute and. Just observe the breathing as we have in previous days, maybe bringing the attention to where the breath is entering and leaving the body, maybe bringing attention to the torso where the breath is rising and falling, and just observing the natural breath.
For a few minutes here, natural breath observation. And as you observe the breath, the mind, the mind might want to wander, or the mind might want to start telling stories. And that's a very natural occurrence. That's what the mind is is supposed to do. That's what. That's what it's designed to do to do. It's a storytelling mind, and that's totally great. But just bring the attention back to the breath. Nalu has been practicing this all week as well, bringing the attention back to the breath and just noticing how the breath comes into the body and how the breath moves out of the body and just observing a few more natural breaths here together. And watching the inhales happen and then watching the exhales happen. And then again, if you're comfortable, you're welcome to take a couple more box breaths together. I'll be counting those out as well. And if you're not comfortable with that, it's no worry.
Just keep continuing to observe the breath and watch the breath happen naturally. And that's a that's a totally great way to participate as well. But if you'd like to take a boxed breath one more time together, I'm going to be counting it out. So get ready to go ahead and inhale. On the count of four, inhale 1234 and hold 234 and exhale 2/3. For and hold. 2. 3. For and inhale. 2/3. For and hold. 2. 3-4 and exhale 234 and hold 234 and one more time inhaling. For an holding. Four and exhaling 234 and holding 2. 3. Four. And if you'd like to continue on your own. You're welcome to do that. And exhaling.
And holding. Or you're welcome to return back to your normal breath. Or you could welcome to continue practicing the box, breathing to pay attention to what works for you. And try and enjoy the sensation and feeling of this kind of air moving in and moving out of the body. So to day, Nala has taken control of the breath. We've taken control of our breath and we've practised a box breathing technique with the count of four. This technique can be used before any kind of stressful situation or even after a stressful situation to kind of bring the nerves back into order. Calms the mind. A little bit and helps us deal with deal with any stress or anxiety that we might have.
And I appreciate folks being here today and experiencing this together. There's more information if you need it on the nalu website. And I I super appreciate you having you here. And thank you again for joining. Today was day eight of Nalu. Mind the flow and look forward to seeing you again. If you can join us in the future, and in the meantime. Please enjoy.
9
Nalu box breathing
Tue, Mar 19, 2:48 PM
Mar 19, 3:00 PM
12 mins
Hello everyone and welcome back to Nalu. Mind, the flow today is day nine of our 28 day journey. So if you are joining for the first time, welcome. And if you're returning after one or more days, welcome back. We're following Nalu's fictional character as they practice various mindfulness techniques that they learn from their friends on a neighbor island, and we've been practicing. Observing the breath, watching the breath, listening to the breath, feeling it, and we've started to take control of the breathing to see how that might also.
Have an impact on our on our attitudes and aspect. Yesterday, we. Looked at the box breathing technique and today we're going to repeat box breathing and this is just because it gives us a little bit more practice with it and this is the kind of technique that you can use in a number of situations outside your. Practice mindfulness practice and you can use it outside in life, so it's great to have a little bit of. Practice time with this. Technique. So if you're joining for the first time, what we'll do today is we will follow follow nalu. As they've learned this box breathing technique, and the technique is called a box because it it inhales for a count. It holds the breath for a count. It exhales for a count, and then it holds the breath for account. And today we'll do. Down to 4. So sit back, relax. You're welcome to have your eyes opened or closed, depending on your preference and. We're going to start again with the box breathing.
So first we'll start with an inhale for the count of four. So go ahead and inhale. For one. 234. And hold for two. 3/4. And exhale. To. 3-4 and then whole. 2. 3. 4. So as you can see, you can let the breath return to normal. As you can see it's fairly simple, but if you're not accustomed to doing conscious breathing or control breathing, you might. It might feel a little bit strange to you if this ever happens, you're welcome to just return to your normal breathing at that time. And pick it up again whenever you whenever you feel like it. So we're going to go ahead and take 3 box series together and then allow ourselves to just let the breath flow to our normal, our normal natural breathing. So getting ready to inhale. 1234 and hold. 234 and exhale 2. 3. For and hold. 2. 3. Four and then inhale. 2. 3-4 and then holding the breath. 3. Four and then exhaling. 2. 3. Four and then holding on the exhale. 2. 3-4 and one more time inhaling. 2. 3. Four and then holding. 2. 3. Four and then exhaling. 2. 3. Four and then holding. 2. 3-4 and then going ahead and letting the breath. Just return back to normal. It might be that after.
Activity like that you might want to let out a sigh or take a deep breath or any of those things are perfectly acceptable and very natural for the body to want to be doing. And other than that, just let the breath return back to normal and observe the breathing much like we have in previous days. Just watching the breath come in naturally and watching the breath go out naturally. And I'll stand by here on mute for just a minute and I'll come back on and we'll take one more round of box breathing and then we'll let the breath return to normal during today's practice. And then we're just observing the breathing as it naturally happens. Noticing the breath go in and noticing the breath go out. And then we begin to think about we'll be taking another box breathing here in just a moment. And so getting ready. Then we're going to start with the inhale on inhaling on one. 2. 3. Four and then hold. 2. 3. Four and then exhaling. 2. 3-4 and then holding on the exhale. 2/3. Four. And then another inhale for four. 2. 3-4 and then holding for a count of four. 234 and then exhaling.
So. 2/3. For and then holding for account of four. To. 3. Four and one last time inhaling 1. 234 and then holding. 3-4 and then exhaling. 3-4 and then holding on the exhale. 3. Four. And then just let the breath return back to natural. Maybe take a deep breath if you need one, or let out a sigh that works too, and justice let the breathing go back to natural, and then we'll use the observation of the breath just watching the breath happen for the next few minutes and just observe and watch. As the breathing has returned back to normal. And it seems to appear too breathing be breathing you in and out. Naturally. And now that we've had a few minutes of quiet time together and we've taken a little bit of practice on the box breathing. You might begin to start to hear the sounds of the room again as they naturally occur. Notice your sensations of your seat in the chair, just returning yourself to regular waking awareness full of alertness and and readiness to go. I really appreciate you coming by today's knowledge, mind the flow and I hope that. This practice is something that you can use in your life and throughout your day. And I'll welcome you to return on future days for nalu. Tomorrow we will take the box breath and start to turn it into a circular breath. So something from the yoga tradition. We'll look at how we might access the breathing in in yet another way of being controlled. So. Thank you.
10
Nalu equinox circular breathing
Wed, Mar 20, 2:48 PM
Mar 20, 3:00 PM
12 mins
Welcome, welcome, Welcome and welcome back. If you are returning today is Day 10 of nalu. Mind the flow. And it's kind of a special day today because as we are moving through this process, we happen to be on the spring equinox. So if you are attending in real time and participating in real time, happy equinox to you and if you're listening to our recording, then the equinox can serve as a great metaphor for the practice. That we're learning from Nalu today.
So we've been following nalu as they explore the learnings from their friends on their neighbor island, and we've explored both, sensing the breath through sound and touch and feeling. We've also experienced how Nalu learned about taking control of the breath through deep breathing. And box breathing. And today, Nalu, because it's the equinox. And this is sort of one of the flow patterns or wave patterns that they notice in the world that could be similar to one of the wave patterns or flow patterns that they notice in their body. Nali wants to explore more of a circular breathing so. Previously. They'd practiced box breathing, which consisted of counting, counting in for account, holding for account and exhaling for account, and holding for account. The circular breathing that they learn is very similar to this.
Only the the corners of the box get rounded off in between the various phases of the breath. So we'll we'll experiment with that in a minute following Malley's lead. So for for the beginning here, go ahead and make sure you're in a comfortable position. Make sure that you're seated lying back, or if you're walking that you're finding yourself in a place where you can be safe and comfortable for a few minutes. And then you might like to have your eyes open or closed for this. You're welcome to participate in any way that you see fit. Again with as we take control of the breathing, your body may react in different ways as you take conscious control of the breath. So at any time, if you feel uncomfortable or you're experiencing A sensation that You'd rather not experience.
Just let the breath return back to its normal. In and out, that happens all by itself. So as we notice the waves moving in and the waves moving out on the shoreline, and as we notice the changing of the seasons and the circular patterns that happen within our our universe. We might like to observe those within the body and one way to do that is through circular breathing. It can be a great help as we did on day one to place your hand on your belly at this point so you can feel your belly rising and falling.
That can be a great help or you can also pay attention to the sound of the breath as it comes into and goes out from the body. For the circular breath, we're going to do the same thing we did previously with the box, and we're going to add a little curvature at the top of the count. So as we inhale for a count, just imagine that you're keeping the lungs open then. As you quote, UN quote, hold the breath. And then as you turn to start to exhale, imagine it's turning a corner and it's. Sort of a smooth edge rather than a tough box corner. So OK, let's give it a shot. I'm going to be doing counts of four, and we'll be taking it nice and slow today because we've done this before. So we're going to be inhaling for a count of four. So go ahead and inhale 1. 2. 3. Four. And then just kind of transfer to keeping the lungs open to three. Four. And then notice how it turns around as you exhale 234 and kind of sits at the bottom, keeping the lungs. Empty of air. 234 and then somehow it turns around and starts to inhale again. 2. 3-4 and then it sort of holds at the top. The lungs are open and just kind of hovering with the lungs filled 3-4 and then just kind of exhaling very. Naturally, 234 and then just pausing as if in thought.
While the lungs are empty 2. 3. Four wonderful, wonderful. Letting the breath return back to normal is is fine right now, and just observing how you feel, observing the sensation in your body and noticing how the breath returns back to its normal cadence, its normal breath, might be coming in through the nose and out through the nose. It might be coming in through the mouth and. Going out through the mouth or a combination of both. And that's very natural at this time. So just sitting back and easing into the natural feeling of the breath as it happens, and we'll be back in just a minute to take one more circular breath.
Wonderful. Wonderful. Noticing the breathing as it happens, naturally, the air moves in and the air moves out almost on its own. Just observing that happen for another breath or two here. And then as you become ready, we're going to take one more set of two or three circular breaths. So. Go ahead and begin to inhale on the inhale on the inhale 1234 and then notice how it just sort of holds the breath open. Holding on the inhale 234 and then it just turns around and starts to exhale 234 and then it just holds the lungs empty on the bottom of the exhale for a count of one. 234 and then it begins to exhale again and increase the lung size to 3/4, and it holds open on the top. The lungs are open and just pausing on the inhale 234 and in a very easy way, then beginning to exhale. 234 and then pausing at the bottom of the exhale and justice, holding the lungs empty to three. For wonderful. And they're just letting the breath return back to normal at this point. And justice, observing the breathing as it happens. Our protagonist Nalu likes to use these breathing techniques when they are. In situations where they.
Just want to calm the mind and they want to perceive what's really going on around them in its natural state and so. Even quietly into themselves, even when out in the open, they can use this kind of breathing technique to calm the mind and ease the situations as they happen. But for us, just now, we're just going to be observing the breath and watching the breath happen for a little bit longer. Just settling back into a very natural rhythm of inhales and exhales. And maybe noticing special attention on that shift where where, where does the shift happen between the inhale and the exhale? And then where does the shift happen? Between the exhale. And the inhale. And then as we reach toward the end of Day 10 for Nalu mine, the flow, I will welcome you back to the room. Welcome you back to the sounds and the sensations that are being present. Hopefully you're feeling alert and awake after having practiced this. New technique and this new idea about how we might pay attention to the breath and and notice the wave pattern or the nalu pattern, or the flow pattern that also happens in nature and also happens in our lives. So thank you for being here and hope to see you again.
11
Nalu returns to the touch of the breath
Thu, Mar 21, 2:48 PM
Mar 21, 3:00 PM
12 mins
Hello. Hello. Hello and welcome back to Nalu. Mind the flow today is day 11, so appreciate you being here. If you're joining for the first time, welcome. If you are returning after one or more days, then welcome back. It's so great to have this story to follow as we follow nalu, our imaginary character, who lives on an island and is exploring mindfulness and meditative practices from their friends that they learned from from a neighbor island.
We've been exploring the breath and we've been taking a little bit of control over the breath for the past few days, and today we're going to transition a little bit from the breathing into the sensations of the body, but. So in order to do that, we're going to continue to use that place where the breath is entering and leaving the body, but we're going to be noticing much more about the touch of the breath and noticing where it is that the the breath is creating any kind of sensation on the body so.
Now you learned about this from a very old teaching, and there's a long lineage of people who have been studying this. This kind of sensation, and there are lots of references on that that we can dig back into perhaps some other time. So for today, find yourself in in a comfortable spot. If you're if you're seated, then maybe just make sure you're seated comfortably with someplace where you feel grounded, and if you are out walking, make sure that you're in a safe spot and you won't be interrupted.
You might like to have your eyes opened or your eyes closed. You're welcome to do either. This. Or a combination of both. So as Nalu has explored the breathing and now moves to explore the body, they return to that place where the air is entering and leaving the body. So that might be through the nostrils, or that might be through the mouth, or that might be through a combination of both nostrils and mouth. So just check in for a moment. Where this is happening on your body? And justice notice the sensation of that happening. So it might be the sound of the breathing. As. Breathing comes in. It might be the.
The rise and fall of the chest or the abdomen just take take a few minutes to observe and notice and get into the flow a little bit with your natural breath. Just observe the breath as it happens. And now as we continue to observe the breathing, watching the breath happen, watching the breath come in naturally, and the breath go out of the body naturally. We might want to. Bring our attention more closely to this this little area here, just above the upper lip. Just below the nose, there's an area here where the breath is coming into the body and the breath is going out of the body and you may be able to notice.
A variety of sensation at that. At that entry point might be that the breath is coming in cool and and leaving warm. Or it might be that the the breathing is coming in a little bit dry and and leaving moist or. You may not experience some any direct sensation at all, and that's OK too. In that situation you just continue to observe the breath happen as it comes in, and as it goes out naturally and by itself and just keep noticing. And remaining curious about what might be going on there, where the breath is coming in. And that point where the breath is going up. And as you continue to remain curious about that? Portion of the body where the breath is coming in and the breath is going out. You might notice that the the mind is a telling a story or or or creating some kind of fiction, and that's fantastic.
The mind is actually designed to do that. It's a quite a excellent instrument at doing that. And one way to. To. Work with that is to notice that the mind is doing that and observe and say wow and it's a really amazing story that you're telling there and then use the curiosity that the mind has about that story telling and then bring that curiosity back to that little location that's just below the nostrils there. And so. Hence, bringing your attention back to a natural process that's occurring right here, right now in the current moment, and just watching that. Happen, as it happens, naturally. And as the breath continues to move out from the body and continues to move back into the body and it seems to be happening almost all by it. Itself, just continue to let that happen.
You don't have to take any control of it and then just continue to remain curious and really notice is there any sensation at all that's happening at that point where the breath is coming into and going out from the body? Are you noticing maybe a softness or maybe a firmness? Or might you be noticing dryness or moistness? Any sensation at all? Is OK to notice, and if there's no sensation, that's OK too.
Continued to remain curious and observe. And as we continue to observe the body noticing the sensation. We just begin to return to the sounds of the room and the background and our seat in the chair. Perhaps. Or maybe it's our legs walking on the ground and becoming a little bit more alert and aware of our surroundings and. Rejoining the usual experience of our daily lives. So welcome back to the room. Everybody on this 11th day of Nalu mine. The flow so grateful that you could join us. And I hope that you can come back again for another day. Thank you. And see you soon.
12
Nalu body observation
Fri, Mar 22, 2:48 PM
Mar 22, 3:00 PM
12 mins
Hello and welcome back to Nalu. Mind the flow. So grateful to have you here. If you're joining for the first time, welcome. If you are returning from a previous time, welcome back. Today is Day 12 and we continue to follow Nalu, our fictional character who lives on an island by the sea and has noticed that the wave patterns that are out there in the world, or the flow patterns that are out there in the world, might be similar to the wave and flow patterns in their own lives. Or or maybe in their own breath or in their own. Body.
So we've been studying the breath now for over a week and today we're going to follow Nalu as they start to expand and explore more of the sensations that are happening related to the breath and then also related to the body. So welcome grateful to have you here today. Please sit back and relax. If you'd like to have your eyes open, you're welcome to. If you'd like to have your eyes closed, that's perfectly awesome as well. The best thing to do is to feel comfortable, and however that is for you. Then then that's great. And so as we've done in previous days, let's just zoom in, zoom inside, come inside to the breath and just notice the breath as it goes in and out of the body. We have a lot of practice at this now. We've both let the breath come in and out naturally, and we've taken control of the breath and taken deep breathing, purposeful breathing.
So you're welcome to do either of those that that you need to get you into a zone where you are starting to start, to feel the flow, the natural flow. So whether that's letting the breath move in and out naturally, or taking a couple of intentional breaths, now is the time to do that. And then as you settle into your natural flow and your natural rhythm and you start to notice the breathing that's happening all by itself, as the air comes into the body and the air moves out of the body. You again zoom into that spot just below the nose and you start to notice the sensations that are happening there. One of our Members in a previous day called it. They would know what it would feel like to have a mustache, and so that might be a way to think about it. That's kind of fun. So now who's thinking about what it's like to have a mustache?
But just noticing that sensation there on the upper lip and just observing that sensation as it happens. There's no sensation there. That's totally fine. Just observe the breath going in and out. And if the mind begins to wander out a little bit, that's no worry. Just bring it back, bring it back to the attention on the breath. And our our mindful mustache. Some of the kinds of sensations that you might be feeling as the breath moves in and out as you might be noticing the touch of the. Breath on the nose. You might be noticing the warmth or coolness of the breath as it moves in and out. But the important thing is that it can be any sensation at all. The important thing is that you're just there focusing your curiosity and attention on feeling a sensation. And as we've mentioned before. Previous. Nalu journey experiences. Sometimes the body is producing other sensations at the same time, and so today we're going to start to branch out from the mustache and we're going to start to feel other sensations that are happening so.
At this time, it's OK to start to explore around the nose area. You might want to explore around the nose area or the cheeks area. Or the chin and the mouth area and justice. Move your attention slowly. Very naturally. Almost. You can be guided by the sensations themselves. Just very naturally, observing anything that you might feel. Anything that might be cropping up anywhere in the face area, so just noticing the face area. And observing. And watching. And when Nalu talks about sensation, when they think about sensation, this can represent. Pretty much anything this could be a dryness that you're experiencing or maybe a moisture. There might be an itchiness or scratchiness. Ah, you might be feeling some kind of pressure, perhaps. Or maybe there's some tension where muscles are are holding on to some thought or emotion. And the point now is just to observe those as they happen and notice if they.
Change overtime. Notice if they. Have a wave pattern of their own perhaps? Maybe there's a flow? It's moving as you slowly move your attention around the facial area and justice. Notice any sensations that. You might be having. And it's OK to react to those sensations if you have a little itch. And you need to scratch it. That's fine, too. And it's also OK to just observe the sensation and watch it play itself out and notice how it transpires. And if you want to continue to explore around, if you've moved around the face a little bit and you've explored, you're welcome to move toward other parts of the head. And notice the sensations that might be happening there. Just slowly scanning and moving about. The head area, maybe even a little bit into the neck. But today, we're going to stay centered around near the breath. So we've spent so much time recognizing the breath and observing the breath. We're going to stay near the breath and just move around the head. Face. And neck area and experience.
Any sensation that you might be having. Whatever it is, just experience and notice it happening. And as we move around the face and the head, we've expanded out from noticing sensation around the nasal area to expanding around the face and the head. It might be surprising to you there. You may be surprised that there are sensations there or you may be surprised at their variety or intensity. And that's totally OK at any time. You can. Come back to the room and open your eyes or start experiencing more stronger sensations like sounds or or activities that are happening around you. And now as we reach the end of Day 12 of nalu. You're welcome to come back to the room to full awareness and to being alert. And relaxed and awake and feeling ready for the rest of the day, hopefully. I'm hoping that folks have enjoyed today's nalu journey, and I would look forward to seeing you on another day. Thank you so much for being here.
13
Nalu body scanning
Sat, Mar 23, 2:48 PM
Mar 23, 3:00 PM
12 mins
Hello and welcome again. Welcome back to nalu. Mind. The flow today is the 13th day of our journey together. If you're joining for the first time, I welcome you. Thank you for coming. If you are returning from one or more days, then welcome back. Each day is designed to follow knowledge in their story of discovery during some mindfulness and meditation practices. So even if you're joining only for one of the days, hopefully you will be able to experience some benefit. And if you're exploring more than one of the days we do, we are following a bit of a progression. So. Now, who lives on a on an island near the shore and has discovered some teachings from their friend on a neighbor island and some of those teachings are about how they observe the breath. Some of those have been about how they. Take control and take deep breaths and this now that we're in deep into the second week, we're also exploring the sensations not only of the breath, but also the sensations on the body.
So I invite you to have your eyes opened or have your eyes closed at your preference and to get into a comfy spot where you can be relaxed and be yourself. And just settle in for a moment. So if you want to return to the observation of the breath, just watching the breath happen. Watching the breath go in and out, sensing how it touches the body, or maybe how it changes the shape of the body. That's a great way to settle into the current moment. Or if you need to take a few deep breaths on your own, you're welcome to have a nice deep inhale and a nice deep exhale. Maybe letting out a bit of a sigh just to bring yourself into the current moment and bring your attention. Into focus around the breathing.
And. As we do so. We may start to notice a little a little difference in our posture. We may notice that. The muscles in our face might relax. This should be a natural occurrence that might occur if you are focusing in on the breadth. And as you notice, the breath moving into the body and as you notice the breath flowing out from the body, you might start to to see that there are some sensations that happen along with that. So that might be the breath touching you somewhere along the nose or the mouth as it moves in. Might be sensation of movement or moisture. As the air moves out of the body. Could be any sensation. Whatever sensation it is. It's perfectly natural and. And. Great to just experience that for whatever it is. And then as we bring our focus into the breath, we start to notice that that point just above the upper lip where the breath is moving into and out from the body and we start to notice sensations in that area. And yesterday, Nalu was exploring the head area.
They were noticing sensations throughout the face, and the head and the neck. So now's a good time to start exploring again. Maybe moving around the mouth and nose area to start and just noticing if there happens to be any kind of sensation or feeling that you are sensing in that area. And if there is no sensation, that's totally fine too. Just then continue to observe the breath. Continue to observe the breath. And as you move around the around the head scanning around and noticing if there are any sensations in and around. The neck and the head area. You're welcome to. Randomly approach how you sense or you're welcome also to sort of follow a flow or a wave as it moves around. Through the head and then maybe now descending down to the neck. And what's happening to Nalu is as they experience more and more sensations and a greater variety of sensations and sensations that last for different periods of time than. It's kind of piqued their curiosity to continue to explore on the body, and so they begin to. Noticed sensations that are happening in the upper chest area, or maybe they begin to notice sensations that are happening in the shoulders or the back of the neck. And justice, observing as those sensations happen and scanning slowly from place to place. On watching and noticing.
And again, if you don't happen to be noticing sensations, and maybe you're wondering what Nalu’s is experiencing, that's OK too. If the mind is wandering or worried about something, it's no no problem to just return to that breathing, because that breathing is always there. It's always going to be there and it's always going to be naturally moving into and flowing out from the body so. If there is an absence of sensation, one opportunity is to just keep moving until you might find something. Or another opportunity is to just observe the breath as it happens. And for today, if you continue scanning and you happen to be moving into the chest area, the upper torso, the upper arms and the upper back. This is great, too. You're welcome to continue to scan around the body. The idea here is to move slowly. Give proper attention to each location and just observe. If there happens to be anything going on there. And then gently move on to the next location. Just continue to observe any sensation, any feeling. That are just naturally happening on the body. And as you as you move slowly around the body, you may notice that. There are sensations cropping up in other places. Acknowledge those and then just move back to your gentle scanning. You may notice the mind is having thoughts. Acknowledge those, observe those, and then just move back to your gentle scanning.
That's. And then as we. As we sort of reach the end now of this day of Nalu, mind the flow. You begin to return to the sounds of the room. The feelings of maybe your seat in the chair or the clothing on your skin, or any of those more obvious sensations that are happening around. And. You come back to sort of full awareness and full consciousness. You might take a deep breath or let out a sigh. You might even want to stretch a little bit, or or have a neck roll or something like that. After experiencing sensations can be a kind of interesting time to explore how it feels to be you and. Thank you so much for joining again today on Nalu. Mind the flow, I super appreciate you being here. And if you're, if you can make it back to another day, I welcome you and look forward to it. So thank you and please enjoy.
14
Nalu body scanning
Sun, Mar 24, 2:48 PM
Mar 24, 3:00 PM
12 mins
Hello, everyone. Welcome back to nalu. Mind the flow today is day 14. So grateful if you can join us today. If you're joining for the first time, welcome. And if you are returning, then welcome back. I'm grateful to have you here today. We're about halfway through our 28 day journey with nalu. Nalu is the Hawaiian word for wave and can also mean mindful observation. So we're using nalu as the name for our main character as they explore various mindfulness and meditation techniques that help them discover more about their own waves and the flows and the. INS and outs that happen in their body and in their life. So thank you again for being here today. We have spent the last couple of weeks. First, observing the breath and then taking some control of the breath. And then we began to explore the sensations that are happening on the body. And so for today, we will continue to do that. So now's a good time to make sure that you're in a comfy spot and you won't be interrupted and you might like to maybe take a quick stretch or a neck roll just to get into a nice comfy position in a place where you can relax and be yourself. And as you begin to settle in, you might like to have your eyes closed or open. You might like to just have them gently looking forward or downward.
The idea here is to zoom inward. Yeah, maybe turn away from the outside stimulations that are happening and just turn inward. A little bit. And as we have done in previous days, a one way to do that that might be helpful is to start to notice your breathing. Observing the breath happen all by itself, just noticing how the breath goes in and the breath goes out is a great way to. Bring yourself into the current moment with a natural process that's happening all by itself, right here within our own bodies. So as Nalu has learned in previous days, and we've learned together, just observe the breath for a few breaths and notice it go in and out and just take some time to. Observe the breath. Nalu has noticed in the past as they continue to observe the breathing and the concentration begins to take place. They might start to notice sensation and feeling at the place where. Breath is entering and leaving the body, and so you may begin to notice some sensations on the upper lip or around the nose area. And these are just the natural sensations of your body adapting to its environment. As the breath comes in and the. Breath. Goes out of the body, so just observing those sensations.
For just a minute or two as we relax here together. And as you continue to notice the sensation that's happening there around the upper lip or around the nose. You might start to move your attention slowly around the facial area and justice notice and and see if there are any other sensations or feelings that are happening around the face area. So begin to slowly move your attention, perhaps following if a sensation. Is is displaying itself, observing that this could be anything, it could be a warmth or coolness or. Could be a dryness or a moistness. Whatever sensation you're having, or even an absence of sensation, just keep scanning and moving throughout the facial area. And as you continue to scan throughout the body, you may. Wish to start to cover larger areas? Maybe the. Parts of the back of the head or the neck. Maybe working down into the shoulders as we started yesterday. And as we continue on today, just gently scanning at your own pace, we're going to work our way throughout the upper area of the body. So at any pace that you'd like to take it, perhaps observing the sensation and observing any feelings that you're having throughout the. Upper shoulders area, perhaps the chest area? Maybe the upper back and then beginning to work down into the arms. And the mid back. And the lower chest area just keep a nice slow motion going.
Any direction is fine. Any cadence is fine, just keep slowly moving and maybe stopping from time to time and noticing if there's any sensation in that spot or another. As you move throughout the. Upper area of your body. Pretty much anywhere above the waist, just moving slowly. And observing. Very curiously, watching. And noticing if there are any sensations there. And again, continuing perhaps further down the torso into the waist area or further down the arms out into the extremities, maybe out into the hands, noticing sensation at any point along the way, just observing and watching and just keeping the minds eye moving throughout the body. Slowly. Pretty much focusing anywhere on the upper area of the body and slowly moving from part to part and from place to place.
And then as the. As you continue to move around the body, bringing back some attention back to the room and maybe some of the more obvious feelings that are happening around the body, this might be your seat in the chair or the clothing on your skin. And coming back to the room and just feeling a little bit more in the moment here and. Perhaps a little bit more observant of what's going on in your surroundings, maybe a little bit more resilient as we come back to the room together and. And this concludes the 14th day of Nalu. Mind the flow and we're back in our default world. So thank you very much for joining. So appreciate having you here and I'll look forward to maybe seeing you on another day. Please enjoy.
15
Nalu body scanning
Mon, Mar 25, 2:48 PM
Mar 25, 3:00 PM
12 mins
Hello everyone and welcome or welcome back if you are returning today is Day 15 of Nalu mine the flow and I so appreciate everybody coming by. Whether it's just for one day or several days, it's grateful. I'm grateful to have you here and to be practicing together. As we follow Nalu, our main character, through their exploration of some mindful and meditative practices. Throughout this 28 day journey. So up until now, we've explored the the touch of the breath on the upper lip, and we've started to explore the sensations that move that move around the body and that we've noticed around the body. And so for today, we'll continue to be observing sensations on the body. But first, just get into a comfy spot and see that you won't be interrupted, and then maybe you're welcome to have your eyes open or closed and just turning the gaze inward and relaxing, relaxing into a comfy spot where you won't be interrupted. And doing what we've practiced so far, just observing the breath as the breath goes in and out, and noticing how that feels and taking a few minutes to just TuneIn. And tune out. Noticing the breadth and observing the breadth. And in a minute or two here, we'll follow Nalo again on another part of their journey.
So as you tune into the breathing, you start to notice the rise and fall of the breath. Seems to naturally be happening as the breath moves into the body and as the breath moves out of the body. And justice notice that happen, and as you do, you may start to realize that there is some slight sensation that occurs at the place where the breath is entering and the breath is leaving. And so just observe that sensation and notice how that happens. Whether the breath is coming in through the nose or coming in through the mouth, or maybe a combination of both. And whether the breath is leaving through the nose or leaving through the mouth, or maybe a combination of both. Just observe that happen and see if you begin to notice any sensation or feeling around. The activity of breathing. And then as you do start to experience some sensations. You may notice that it's changed slightly from the day before, or it changes slightly as time goes on. During your observation, this is to be expected. Part of this practice that we're learning from nalu is that. The flow is always happening.
The wave is always moving in and always moving out. And we're here together learning how to observe those waves as they happen. So as you continue to experience the sensation today, we're going to be moving down the body farther down the body, and we're just going to be slowly moving throughout the body and observing any sensations that we feel might be happening there. So from the location at the entrance of the air to the body near the nose or mouth. Just begin to move your attention down. To another part of the breathing where it's making the belly rise and fall. Where the chest rise and fall and just take a moment or two here to observe. How the breath changes the shape of the torso as the breath comes in and as the breath goes out. Well, yesterday we were observing the torso area of the body. Today we're going to take our attention and slowly move it down into the bottom of the tummy area. So the nice. Nice soft area just above the hips and justice below the rib cage and justice. Take your minds eye and scan around the lower. Torso area and notice if there are any sensations or feelings that are occurring naturally there. This could be the clothing as it sits on the body.
This could be sensations on the skin. It might be some warm or cool feeling, or moistness or dryness. Whatever the sensation is, just observe that sensation and then move on to the next spot on the body and just keep observing and watching as you slowly scan around the lower area of the body. Lower torso and then begin to move down into the buttocks and the hips and into the pelvic area and justice observe the sensations. Around those regions of the body. And keep moving slowly. Perhaps even letting the sensations guide you. As you move your attention slowly. Around the hip area. And then maybe down into. The right lake area observing the sensation in the hip. In the upper leg. And slowly scanning down. In your own time. Down the right leg of the body. And depending on your. Rate of scanning you might be reaching the bottom of the right leg. And at that time, you can bring your attention to the top of the left leg and then slowly scan. Down the left leg, moving from place to place. Maybe methodically. Maybe randomly. Along the left leg, slowly down. Around the thigh area. Maybe reaching the lower thigh and the upper knee? And then scanning slowly down the left leg.
And as you reach the, perhaps you're reaching the bottom of the left leg area if you're not there, that's fine. It's less about exactly what we're doing and more about keeping the attention moving throughout the body and noticing and observing and looking for and being curious about any sensation or any feeling that's happening. As we slowly scan and move throughout the body. And then as you begin to. Come back to your awareness of the room. You might bring the scan the observations back up to the torso. You might bring the observation back up to your belly and notice how the air is moving in and moving out of the body. And you might like to welcome yourself back to the room, as we are reaching almost the end of today's. Now you mind the flow. And you might notice that you are experiencing other sensations on the body, and that's a very natural occurrence. You may have noticed that the breathing has changed slightly since we started, or that when you found certain parts of the body, it it changed the way you felt.
And that's very natural occurrence. You might have let out a sigh or taken a deep inhale. It's a very natural thing to have happen. The real objective here is that we just keep moving and we remain curious and we observe what's happening in the moment right now within our bodies and we can use this practice anywhere we like throughout the day. And it's always there with us and so. For this reason, we explore this with nalu, and we'll continue to explore this, probably for another day or two. So thank you for joining today, and I so appreciate you being here. And I hope you can join again on another day and wishing you the best.
16
Nalu body scanning
Tue, Mar 26, 2:48 PM
Mar 26, 3:00 PM
15 mins
Hello, everyone. Welcome back to nalu. Mind the flow. Grateful to have you here today. If you're joining for the first time, then welcome. If you are returning after having joined before, then welcome back. Grateful to have you here as we follow knowledge, our main character exploring mindfulness and meditation practices throughout our 28 day journey. So thank you again for joining. In previous days, we've explored the breathing. We've taken control of the breathing, and then we've explored body sensation. And for the last couple of days we've been moving slowly throughout the body and exploring any sensations that we may find there. And we've been kind of piercing it together in part. So for today, we will follow Nalu as they then learn how to take a full body scan from the top of the body to the. Bottom and from the bottom of the body back up, much like a full wave breaking along the shore.
Or like you might see the wind moving the trees back and forth, where we're noticing as now it has noticed how these waves and these flows and these forms. Also work within our bodies the same way that they work in the world outside. So again, thank you for joining. Please find a way to sit back and relax. You might like to have your eyes opened or closed or part way open for this and for the very beginning. Here we'll just notice the quality of our breath as we come into the current moment. Leaving behind any of those things that have happened to us previously today or this week or this month or this year, just letting those fall away as the attention comes in to. The attention right there on the breath as the breath comes into the body. And right there on the attention. On the breath. As the breath leaves the body and just notice those sensations there. Of how it feels to have the breath moving in. And the breath moving out from. The body. And justice observe.
And you may find as you start to observe the breath that you are already starting to experience sensations around the body. This is great as we zoom our attention in and and we begin to focus our attention on what's currently happening in the current moment by using the breath, we also start to feel some of the current moment sensation. Maybe that's just the way our hair is falling or our clothing is falling on the body. Or maybe there's a breeze or a change in temperature in the air. Just observe those sensations as they happen, and then in just about a minute we'll start from the top of the head and we'll kind of. Swiftly move through a body scan, so just. Allow your attention to relax. Allow yourself to relax into the moment. Just being observant and being curious right here, right now, just noticing what's happening. And then for today, bringing the attention right there to the top of the head.
So just noticing what any sensation, what sensations, if any, are happening our on the top of the head. And we're just going to take a nice spiral pattern down the body. And so just. Take your minde eye and scan around the body and justice notice sensations or notice the absence of sensation and just keep slowly moving and spiraling down. Maybe across the forehead. Maybe across the face and then spiraling down around the back of the neck. And down around the chin area in front of the neck and justice. Keep moving your attention in a slow spiral down the body. Passing by the neck area. Observing the shoulder area. Maybe the upper back? As we slowly circle down the body. Maybe the front of the chest area? Moving over the shoulders. Nice even flow throughout the body and justice noticing sensation wherever it may occur. We're moving a little bit quickly, but that's OK that the idea here is just for us to. Practice this technique and. Feel what it's like to keep the attention moving as we then circle around the upper arm. Onto the upper back. And then the other arm and continue to circle, maybe the solar plexus area, the upper rib cage.
Circling around, we may pass over the elbow area of the arm as we move down. Into the mid back. Scanning the second arm. And as we move circularly down the body scanning the lower ARM area as we reach the hips. Moving across the pelvic area and the stomach moving across the low back and the buttocks. And slowly scanning down the body. Rotating slowly and moving. And now we're going to start just with the right leg. Keep that circular motion going as you move around the hip area. Notice the joint where the hip meets the body. And justice keep rotating slowly around. In. The upper thigh. Rotating down. Past the knee. Into the calf area, slowly rotating and circulating. Just observing those sensations and the calf and the ankle. Down into the right foot, maybe even the right toes. Observing the soul of the foot. And then just very gently, drawing your attention back up that leg and then moving over to the left leg in the hip area. Noticing the upper hip where it meets the body, noticing the inner thigh and then just rotating again around down through the left leg. Slowly and gently rotating. Maybe around the knee down through the calf area. And rotating down. To the bottom.
Of the left foot. And the tips of the left toes. And now gently working your way back up the left leg. Scanning and rotating up the left leg of the body and again one more tiny bit of attention on the right leg down there on the foot and scanning back up the right leg of the body. Both legs meet in the hip area and now you're slowly rotating back up the body. Across the abdomen. Across the low back, your seat in the chair rotating around. Moving your attention in Nice, slow, easy fashion and justice. Noticing any sensation that crops up along the way. Maybe at this point. Looking at the left fingertips and the left hand and then scanning up through the hand through the wrist. And the left arm. Moving. Up the body. Into the upper arm, past the elbow, up into the left shoulder. And then swiftly moving your attention down. To the right fingertips in the right hand. And then just scanning up the right side of the body. Right side of the arm. Right arm. Scanning up past the elbow. Pass the upper arm and into the shoulders. And now taking that rotation. And rotating around the midsection of the body with the upper arms. Rotating back up into the shoulders. Around into the neck and back up into the head.
As we return the attention on sensation, the curiosity about sensation to the head area. Rotating around the head area and maybe ending up here at the top of the head again. And just observing sensation and then just taking a minute to relax. That was quite a whirlwind there. Pretty quick to do it in 10 minutes, but. We gave it our best shot, as Nalu has done. So just relaxing into a nice comfy spot. Maybe taking a deep breath, maybe letting out a little bit of a sigh. And thanking you for coming out today for knowledge. Mind the flow. So appreciate you having you here and really appreciate you joining along in that whirlwind journey that we had through sensations on the body. I'm hoping that this brings you back to a very comfortable seated or lying. Back position and some new awareness about your surroundings and. Noticing and observing and being observant and hopefully enjoying a little bit more as we return to the thoughts of the day. Thank you again for joining and I hope to see you next time.
17
Nalu returns to breath
Wed, Mar 27, 2:48 PM
Mar 27, 3:00 PM
15 mins
All right. Hello, everybody and welcome back to Nalu. Mind the flow. To day, we are on day seventeen of our journey together with nalu as we explore mindfulness and meditation practices that hopefully can help us understand the flows and the waves and the changes in our lives as we as we experience them. In real time and in the present moment. So I really appreciate you joining if you are returning, welcome back. Yesterday we followed Nalu in a complete body scan from top to bottom and bottom to top in in just under 10 minutes and might have been a little fast for some folks so. Today we're going to return to the very basics. We're going to be observing the breath again as it comes into the body.
And as it goes out from the body and that will be the only observation we'll be making today. If you begin to feel some sensations around the breath. You're welcome to zoom in on those and experience those. If your mind might begin to wander or tell stories, just gently bring it back to attention on the breathing and observing the breath. And justice, watching the breath go in and watching the breath go out and perhaps noticing how that touches the body as this natural breathing sort of breathes, breathes you and moves itself into you and then moves itself out of you. So just sitting back and relaxing. For now, we'll just be observing the. Moving in. And observing the breath, watching the breath. As it moves out. And you may notice as you are watching, these breaths happen as you're watching this sort of inhalation and then turns around and exhalation, and then that turns back around and it's an inhalation.
You may observe, you may notice you may feel that they're slightly different between the breathings. This is to be expected, especially as we send our attention on to something. It might change slightly. This may cause you to let out a sigh. Or. You might take a random deep breath, and that's really cool when that happens, that's your your body reacting naturally to settling in to a sense of relaxation. And as we've followed nalu throughout this journey, we've noticed that. These sensations and feelings oftentimes imitate or reflect. Some of the waveforms or flow patterns that we see in the world around us and so. By checking in. We're also checking out and. Paying attention to the breath and observing the breath. Is an instantaneous and trustworthy way to check into the present moment. So we'll just continue to be observing the breath. As it moves in and out. Seemingly of its own. Volition.
And it may happen as it's also happened for nalu from time to time. When we are. Noticing the breathing and we're zoomed in and we're. In a relaxed condition that. Sensations or feelings or emotions can rise to the surface and. Even if they're surprising to us, or if they're comfortable to us, or if they're uncomfortable to us. The objective is to notice them happen and then let them pass away. The same way that the breath happens and then the breath passes away on the exhale. So even as. Feelings or thoughts or stories arise. Just notice them, observe them, and then watch them pass away as the attention comes back to the breathing. And as you notice, the breath going in and out. May have. Brought up a story or something in your mind, and that's great. That's totally awesome. If that happens, no worry, just bring tension back to the breathing. Noticing how the breath is coming in. Where it's coming into the body and noticing how it's going out. And as we return to observing the breath. We can also be reminded that. We can use this observation, this strategy, this technique anytime during our lives. The breath is always there with us. Inflating US and then deflating us.
And inflating us again. Because of that, because of its consistency and repetition. Returning our attention to it is a great way to check in with. What's really going on? And so for the last couple of minutes that we have here together, just observing the current breathing, noticing the current breathing with an understanding that. We're contributing to a practice that we can then use just as if we were to exercise to build muscle or. Practice the piano to build our musical skill. This practice of observing the breadth. Actually becomes a tool that we can use during the regular. Our regular time in the world. And as we continue to notice the breadth and we begin to. Come to the end of our 17th day here together.
I just want to pause to be grateful for everyone who has supported each other on this journey so far, and whether you're joining just for the day for several days or for all 28. We're so grateful to be here together and to have you here, whether you're joining in real time or. On the recording. Just taking a few minutes out each day to work on the breath and understand the breath and understand our situation can help help us in so many ways. So thank you for showing up. So appreciate having you here and hope that you're returning to the room with some renewed vitality and energy and. Ready for the rest of the day. Thank you again and hope you enjoyed.
18
Nalu observing other
Thu, Mar 28, 2:48 PM
Mar 28, 3:00 PM
15 mins
All right, everyone. Welcome and welcome back to Nalu. Mind the flow today is day 18. So I so appreciate folks who have joined for one or more days. And if it's your first time joining, we're happy to have you here today. It's going to be an interesting one, so. Nalu has been working on understanding the breath by observing the breath. They've been understanding the body by observing sensation on the body. They've taken control of the breathing to see how it how it affects the body and to day. Nalu is looking out over the ocean and is noticing through the through the water they can see some of the fish under the sea and. Occasionally they see a turtle. Bob, it's head up for its rhythmic. Long held breath in between its long held breath under the water. Nalu starts to wonder what would happen if, as they observe the world around them, they're simultaneously keeping the attention on their breathing.
So for today's practice. Rather than have the eyes closed. We'll keep our eyes open. Maybe soften the gaze so that it's relaxed. But the idea here will be to be observing the breath, but also be observing our surroundings at the same time. So as we begin here together, if you need to take your eyes closed for a couple of breaths to center yourself and bring your attention back to the breath, that's a great way to do it. You're welcome to do that or keep your eyes open. And then no matter where you are, as your attention on the breath deepens. You've been practicing noticing the breathing for many days now. So it could be very simple for you to just come into the attention on the breath, noticing the breath move into the body, noticing the breath, move out from the body. And even as you notice the breath coming in and out. Your eyes are opened softly and. Perhaps looking around your surroundings, maybe listening around your surroundings. And just observing the world.
The room, the space, the screen around you. Just as it is. As you also simultaneously observe the breath come into the body. And the breath go out of the body. Just watching and observing naturally. As things exist. As they are. And as you are continuing to watch the breath and notice the breath and feel the breath rise and fall as you are also observing the world around you. You may notice that there's. An emotion that comes with. An object or. A feeling that comes with. A sound or a smell that you're experiencing. And So what? Nala is learning to do as they stand by the shoreline and watch these natural occurrences happen is just observe them as they are. Maybe that's just a shape in the water.
That's moving. Maybe there's a flash of light. Underneath the water. That's catching their eye. If there are emotions or feelings attached to to the things that are being observed and just observe those emotions as well. And then again, bring the attention back to the breathing. And notice how the breathing is happening. Maybe it's changed when you set eyes on on one thing over another, or maybe. It's more relaxed as you are. Noticing it along with your outside surroundings. And justice continue to observe and see if you can bring your attention both to your breath. Even as. You're watching the world around you. Exist. And you might notice. Your eyes start to close by themselves and your relaxing and you're returning to the to the sensations on the body. It's very natural response. We've been practicing this now for some time and so if that happens, that's great too. Continuing to observe the breath. Continuing to observe the body and if the eyes happen to be closed. Maybe observing the sounds that are coming into the body? Or maybe noticing a smell. There happened to be any smells.
And then observing how that. Impacts or changes or affects the breath as the breath goes in. And the breath comes out. And their minds are very, very powerful. Powerful organisms. They're also able to. Visualize and conceptualize. Other surroundings and if your mind is there. And you happen to be. Observing another surrounding or another place or time. You can also use the breath to bring it back. To the current place and time. And observe your current surroundings. For what they are. And as we come. To the conclusion of our time here together. Even though we might have had our eyes open and been observing, our surroundings were still in sort of a mindful and meditative state.
After observing the brew. So checking in with maybe taking a deep breath or. Wiggling around a bit to get back into the body and noticing that we may be feeling a little bit differently than we started, we may have a new consideration of our surroundings based on observing them from a. From a more relaxed place, perhaps it's different. Perhaps if emotions have come up, just observe those emotions and and let them happen. They're very natural to to occur when we're in a situation like this. And thank you again for joining today. So appreciate having you here and giving us a chance to explore this story together. And I do hope to see you again on another nalu journey. So welcome and thanks and please enjoy.
19
Nalu observing other
Fri, Mar 29, 2:48 PM
Mar 29, 3:00 PM
15 mins
Hello, everyone. Welcome back to Nalu's mind the flow. Grateful to have you here today. Whether you're joining for the first time or returning after having shared time with us before, welcome. Today is day nineteen of our journey with Nalu as they explore and experiment with various mindfulness and meditation techniques. During our 28 day journey together. So maybe find a comfy spot and relax a little bit. As we join NALU as they walk along the shoreline today, so nalu is back along their favorite piece of shoreline. After having practiced for many days and many minutes, doing different kinds of work inside themselves with their breath noticing sensation. And then maybe. Observing the world around them.
And as they begin to learn more about the world around them and the flows and the waves that are happening. They're walking along the shoreline and they're looking down down in the distance and they can see other figures there along the shoreline with them. They can't quite make out who those figures are or or what their attributes are, but they notice that there are other people out there in the world with them. And now, as Nalu tunes into the breath and tunes into the breathing and starts noticing they're breathing, going in and out. And at the same time, whether with their eyes opened or with their eyes closed, they are seeing those people at the distance. Along the shoreline with them.
And they're paying attention to the feeling of their breath. The texture of their breath. And justice, noticing how the breath moves in and moves out of their bodies. And so we can do the same. You're welcome to have your eyes opened or your eyes closed at this time. Relax into the seat, relax into your standing or walking pose. If you happen to be walking. And justice, observing the breath coming into the body and the breath flowing out from the body for a minute here. And then noticing if there are any sensations or feelings that are associated with the breath. Or noticing any practice that you've had from previous days of our journey together. Any sensations or feelings that are happening along with the breath. You're welcome to acknowledge those now and experience those sensations as they come about. And for today, as Nalu is becoming aware of the the people around them.
We can let ourselves become aware of a person or people in our lives for today. This could be somebody recent or somebody from a long time ago. Or maybe somebody that you'd like to meet in the future, but. Any any person or personality that you have in your life. That you want to. Visualize as if they were one of those people down there along the shoreline. A little bit at a distance. But maybe thinking about. That person or that personality? And at the same time. Noticing the sensations that are happening on the body. Or noticing the quality or sensations that are happening with the breath. As we simultaneously lend our attention to both the internal sensation. And the external observation that we have. Of this person or personality. In our lives. And justice observing that.
Observing that interaction and observing that observation as as it happens. Just spending a couple of minutes with that. Along with the breath. And as the breath comes into the body and the breath moves out from the body and you continue to use your storytelling mind to refer to that person or personality that might be in your life. Maybe notice if there are qualities changing in the breath. And maybe take notice of. What are those things that you observe? And notice to be true about that person or personality. And what are the things or aspects that? Your mind tells us stories. And embellishments about that person or personality. And take stock and notice which ones flow. With the breathing and flow with the sensations in the body and how they flow together. And just notice and observe and watch. And maybe remain curious. For the next minute or two together here. And as you continue to observe and notice perhaps feelings or sensations arise in the body. Acknowledge those sensations.
Observe those sensations and continue to maybe use the. The quality of the breath moving in and going out, or maybe use the sensations on the body as they're naturally occurring as an anchor point for you as you continue to consider this person or personality that's there with you and your thoughts right now. And as we. Get near the end of our time here together today, perhaps. Take any final thoughts or considerations that you have for that person. Maybe thank the person or personality for being there with you for that moment and then send them back down along the shoreline back into the distance. Back to the rest of the people there along the shore, as you return your awareness back to the room, the current scenario and situation, and maybe taking stock of any emotions or changes in your breathing or changes in sensation sensation that might have happened.
During the time that you were. And contemplating the folks that were there with us. And as you come back to the room and you start to notice the sounds and the senses of the room around you. Maybe feeling a little bit more relaxed or a little bit more at ease, or perhaps more curious about things that are going on. I welcome you back to the room and to the top of the hour and I thank you so much for joining today. And now remind the flow.
20
Nalu understanding other
Sat, Mar 30, 2:48 PM
Mar 30, 3:00 PM
15 mins
Hello. Hello. Hello and welcome back to Nalu's. Mind the flow. Grateful to have you join us today. If you're joining for the first time, welcome. If you're returning, then welcome back. Today is day twenty of our 28 day journey together. While we follow Nalu on their experiences with mindfulness. Meditation and some practices in the world. So previously we had. Observe the breath together with nalu, and we have observed body sensation together, and this week we've been observing interior and exterior sensations together. At the same time. Yesterday we were with Nalu as they were walking along their favorite part of the shoreline and noticing the people in the distance. And spending some time with the person or personality. And because they became more curious about that, Nalu decides to walk down the shore, down to where the people are congregating together, and they're they're doing their shoreline things.
Who knows? Maybe they're looking out over the waves, looking out over the flow. Or maybe they're enjoying the wind or the weather. But what Nalu seeks to do today is to. Walk through the people. And observe and notice the different people and different. Lives and different lifestyles that they see around them. While at the same time. Maintaining an inner focus on their breath or the sensation on the body as they do so. So as we follow along, now is a great time to sit back and relax, get into a comfy spot. And as we've done many times before, and if you're joining for the first time, then it's very simple practice to. Bring the attention in on to the breath, so to start. You're welcome to have your eyes opened or closed. Just bringing the attention to the breadth. And to the quality of the air and the quality of the. Breathing as the air comes into the body and the air flows out of the body. And so just taking a minute or so for us to. Hone in key in, zoom in. On that very natural process of the breath coming in. And the breath going out. Seemingly of its own. Effort. Coming in.
And going out. And we just observe it. And watch it. And notice it. And as we notice the breathing coming in and the breathing going out, we just observe that happening. We may start to notice sensations around the body as especially where the breath is is happening. Or maybe in other places on the body we notice sensations happening. It's a great time to observe those. This is our practice of. Keying in on the current moment, what's currently going on by observing natural processes as they occur in their own time. So may be observing some of those sensations as they occur on the body. And then we may. Take our minds eye. And begin to. Move toward the group of people that are there down the shoreline. From us. And as we approach the people, we might start to notice their.
Their details. We might be familiar with some strangers to others. We're just going to slowly move through. The the various people that we see ahead of us naturally and slowly, well at the same time maintaining an internal focus. On the breath coming in. And the breath going out. Or on any sensation or feeling that we're having. On the body. As we slowly move through. Various people that we encounter along the shoreline. And we begin to wonder as we encounter these different folks. Different lifestyles and different situations and. Maybe different composure or? View or image than us? We start to wonder. Perhaps they have their own flows and their own waves and their own. Inhales and exhales happening. Right there within their own lives. Maybe perhaps very similar to our own. As we continue to observe our own breathing and our own bodily sensations. And move slowly through. Seeing and perhaps. Knowing and perhaps greeting some of these people. Who are there along the shoreline with us? And observing and watching and moving slowly. And observing. And watching and moving slowly. And if the mind is wandering, or if maybe. You don't feel like? Visualizing today or creating a story? That's OK too. You're definitely welcome to continue the breath observation, noticing the breath happen or noticing sensations on the body in any scenario.
And if you so choose, continue to. Move through the various people that you. Maybe come into contact with. Maybe you're walking by them without them noticing you. Just observing the sensation inside as we watch and notice various other people on the outside. And it may be that. During this time, the breathing has changed slightly. Maybe you notice particular sensations on the body or within the body. Upon encountering certain people, or. Certain characteristic of people of other people. So now is the time to take stock of those and notice those and. Remember what happened as you moved through the crowd along the shore.
And maybe just observing any changes that happen to the breathing or any changes that happen to your sensation as you. Made that mental journey through through the various people. And as we come now to the close of our. Day here, together with the few minutes that we have meeting nalu and and sharing the experience and practice that. Journey that they've been on, I welcome you to return to. The common room where we are back to the top of the hour and perhaps feeling a little bit more alert and awake. And maybe a little bit more curious about the day. And I thank you for joining us for today's nalu. Mind the flow and hope to see you again.
21
Nalu intentions other
Sun, Mar 31, 2:48 PM
Mar 31, 3:30 PM
15 mins
Nalu is moved by seeing so many others in so many experiences in their lives. They know there is little they can do to change the waveform for others, but have experienced so much already in experiencing the flow and waves directly in their own life. During today’s meandering in the town’s center, Nalu resolves themselves to keeping at least a little attention whenever possible on their inner flow, their inner vibration, the quality of their breathing. Even while interacting with all the others. Today they again take into their minds eye, a particularly challenging moment in their life and watch and listen to the body as they turn that moment over briefly in their minds. They notice what kinds of sensations occur in the body and watch that happen, then with a sense of relaxation, let those sensations go, even as they let the memory go for now.
22
Nalu sets intentions
Mon, Apr 1, 2:48 PM
Apr 1, 3:00 PM
15 mins
With this direct experience of the breath in the body, the flow in the body, and a variety of sensation that appear to rise and fall of their own accord, Nalu sets an intention for the remaining days of their journey and maybe even beyond. Nalu intends whenever possible to keep a small and growing part of their attention on their inner sensations, even while interacting in the outside world. By doing so they imagine they might perceive more truthfully and react when necessary with more clarity.
23
Nalu sets intentions
Tue, Apr 2, 2:48 PM
Apr 2, 3:00 PM
15 mins
Noticing the inner sensations as they occur even while immersed in the outside world of interactions, Nalu begins to see how easy it is to become aware of people and situations that help create insight, understanding, and growth. Today while Nalu sits away from the town’s crowds along the shore, they are in awe and wonder at the vast intention that moves the waves and flows in constant motion. Although they don’t know how this might happen, Nalu sets an intention to be more observant and look for those situations, people, and thoughts that are calm and well-intentioned. Crafting their life so that they may come into contact with more and more people on similar paths of understanding.
24
Nalu returns to breath
Wed, Apr 3, 2:48 PM
Apr 3, 3:00 PM
15 mins
Returning to their old friend and consistent confidant, Nalu again rests their attention on the breath. They observe nature’s air moving in and out of their body. Whether by placing their hands on their abdomen, observing the touch of the breath as it enters and leaves the body, or by noticing the sounds and sensations the breath makes as it inhales and exhales, Nalu uses today to check back in with an old friend.
25
Nalu gratitude
Thu, Apr 4, 2:48 PM
Apr 4, 3:00 PM
15 mins
Nalu sees they’re beginning to come to the returning point of their minding the flow journey and takes the next few days to remember their learning with gratitude.
26
Nalu gratitude
Fri, Apr 5, 2:48 PM
Apr 5, 3:00 PM
15 mins
Gratitude for nature
27
Nalu gratitude
Sat, Apr 6, 2:48 PM
Apr 6, 3:00 PM
15 mins
Gratitude for Humanity
28
Nalu | Mind the Flow - journey returns
Sun, Apr 7, 2:45 PM
Apr 7, 3:30 PM
45 mins
Reflecting on our journey. Taking ten minutes of full silence.
Want to print your doc?
This is not the way.
This is not the way.
Try clicking the ⋯ next to your doc name or using a keyboard shortcut (
CtrlP
) instead.