This is Five and Nine, a podcast newsletter at the intersection of magic, work and economic justice. This is an excerpt from Season 1, Episode 7.
This is a standalone episode that features a guided meditation by Kai Stowers, an integral coach and mindfulness practitioner and our special guest for Season 1, Episode 7. For the full episode and more context on the role of mindfulness in the workplace, be sure to visit thisisfiveandnine.com.
If you’ve been tuning in this season, we’d love to hear from you! You can fill out a 2 minute survey here and help us grow:
Kai: There's many versions of body scan. And this one I like for people who may be newer to meditation or even experienced meditators. If there's a time where the mind is really busy or there's a lot of agitation, this style of meditation can be more accessible.
And so the invitation is to sit in an upright and comfortable position with the feet flat on the floor. And your hands in a comfortable position on your lap and bring a sense of uprightness to the spine along with a sense of ease.
And we'll begin by allowing our awareness to fill the feet from the inside out, really dropping into the sensations where the feet meet the floor, noticing sensations of pressure or temperature, or even the tingling and vibrating of aliveness.
And then allow your awareness to fill the legs from the inside, out, dropping into the sensations where the legs meet the chair, noticing sensations of pressure of temperature, or even the tingling and vibrating of aliveness.
Now take one breath, expanding the chest and belly on the inhale and softening and letting go on the exhale. And then in your own rhythm, begin cycling your awareness from the feet to the seat, and then through one breath before returning the awareness again to where the feet meet the floor, to where your legs meet the seat of the chair, and then taking a full inhale and long exhale before returning your awareness to the feet again.
And this is a practice you can do one cycle of, when you're in a meeting or in a stressful situation, or you can do as a longer formal practice for three or five minutes, or even 15 or 20 minutes.
And the goal of this practice isn't to fix anything or to push away any difficult sensations or emotions, but to allow the mind to rest as much as possible in the sensations of the here and now, sensations of the feet, sensations in the seat and the sensations of just one breath.
And whenever you're ready, you can open your eyes to end the meditation.
We hope you enjoyed this episode! Episode 7 closes out our pilot season, and we’re regrouping while we prepare for Season 2 (in the autumn/vernal cycle). We wish everyone a safe, healthy, and restful summer in the Northern hemisphere and winter in the Southern hemisphere.
These are times of great change and difficulty, and we hope you're able to find rejuvenation, grounding and healing, and that the conversations at Five and Nine have helped bring a spot of clarity in your life. Be well and take good care.
If you’ve been tuning in this season, we’d love to hear from you! You can fill out 2 minute survey here and help us grow and improve:
Five and Nine is a podcast newsletter at the intersection of magic, work and economic justice. We publish “moonthly” — a newsletter every new moon 🌚 and occasional podcasts on full moons 🌝 — , and we provide an ongoing critical discussion through readings, reflections and debate. In this new world, we’re all rethinking the meaning of work and justice in our lives. Our lives and livelihoods are more essential than ever in identifying ways forward for society that can be grounded in care, compassion and sustainability.
During our pilot period, every issue of Five and Nine is free, and after the pilot, we’ll publish more regularly, with paid and free options. Learn more about us here.
Directors of Magic. Dorothy R. Santos and Xiaowei R. Wang
Creative Director. Xiaowei R. Wang
Producer. Ana Mina (aka An Xiao)
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