My Favorite Meditation by Jason Crandell…P.S… He’s BACK!

We are so excited to host Jason Crandell this weekend at the Yoga Loft! Jason resides in sunny California and this is his second time visiting us in Bethlehem, PA. I was lucky enough to take one of his workshops the last time he was here and enjoyed the meditation he shared with us so much that I continue to practice and teach it to this day! I am sharing it here with you today, and I hope it will inspire you to pop into the Loft this weekend to experience his teachings in person!

*Note: I recommend having someone else read this meditation to you instead of reading it step-by-step to yourself. Or, you could record yourself reading the meditation and then play it back whenever you want to do it!

1. Use this first minute to shift around, adjust, fidget, just like you would sitting in a chair or on a couch. Get as comfortable as you can manage.
2. As you start to settle in, just begin the process of bearing witness to your thoughts. You might be thinking about what we just did or wondering what we’ll be doing next, or maybe your mind is on something outside of this room. Take a minute to watch your thoughts and whatever is going on in your life will certainly come up.
3. And now start to take notice of light touch. What are your hands touching? Each other? The inner thighs? The knees? You don’t need to move them. Just notice how they are resting and the weight of your hands on your legs. Notice what you are sitting on— nothing to it, just acknowledge what’s beneath you and your body’s points of contact with your support. Observe where the legs and feet make contact with the floor.
4. Shift your attention to any noticeable sensations in the body. There are likely 2 or 3 or 4 areas in your body right now that are more noticeable to you. Avoid labeling the sensation or putting an opinion behind the sensation. Take it for what it is— just elevated sensation. And let your attention rest on these areas for a few moments.
5. Now, without changing anything, observe the breath. Try not to move into a specific way of breathing. The body’s reflex is to change breathing a little bit whenever we bring our attention to it, so that’s OK, but just try to notice how you are breathing, and how the breath subtly moves the body.
6. Now, beyond observation of thoughts, touch, sensation and breath, notice your entire body as a whole. Not as separate parts, but the entirety of your body in space, from the head to the toes.
7. As we sit in quiet for the remainder of this Meditation, don’t try to DO anything or NOT DO anything. Just bare witness to the thoughts as they come and go. Noticing any space or silence between the thoughts. Remember, in this moment you are the witness, NOT the reactor. Not the judge. Just the observer.
8. When the timer goes off (or when you decide you are finished), thank yourself for creating time and space to nurturer yourself and your meditation practice. This work is so easy to NOT do but so important to do.

Thank you for reading! ~ Megan