Embracing Our Neurodiversity: 12 Minute Meditation

This week, Sue Hutton guides us in a singular respiration observe designed to foster consciousness of our senses, honoring our neurodiversity whereas strengthening our mindfulness observe.

We dwell in a neurologically-diverse world. We’re all wired with distinctive minds and our bodies, and every of us has a singular sensory structure. As an illustration, somebody who experiences sensory overwhelm after they take note of direct sensations contained in the physique could discover a physique scan observe overwhelming as an alternative of centering. Equally, somebody who’s blind isn’t going to make use of bodily imaginative and prescient as a meditation instrument. However there are methods to observe mindfulness and embrace our neurodiversity on the similar time.

Breath observe, typically thought of a easy instrument for calming the thoughts, is usually a extra advanced and nuanced expertise for a lot of neurodivergent meditators. For some, paying shut consideration to the rise and fall of the breath can result in emotions of discomfort and even nervousness, as ideas concerning the breath’s function in sustaining life could turn into all-consuming relatively than calming.

This observe is about discovering the correct strategy for you and honoring our neurodiversity. We are going to cowl other ways to have interaction with the breath that accommodate our various sensory wants, providing options that may assist every of us discover a sense of calm and ease. Whether or not it’s specializing in the feeling of air shifting out and in of your nostrils, the sound of your breath, and even the rhythm of your breath as you’re feeling it in numerous elements of your physique, there are a number of pathways to aware respiration.

A Guided Meditation for Embracing Neurodiversity Via Breath Consciousness

1. All of us profit from studying other ways of meditating on the breath. So let’s check out three other ways of feeling the breath within the physique, and you may decide which one works greatest for you. 
2. Bear in mind, you don’t must push your self to expertise something that’s overwhelming. If there’s any sort of sense expertise you may have that’s notably uncomfortable, simply take a break and you may come to a different means of training the breath. 
3. Come right into a posture that’s snug for you. Convey your self to a spirit of alertness and power that will help you focus. On the similar time, give your self permission to chill out and soften. 
4. The primary observe I’d wish to attempt is sound respiration. Some individuals actually discover this extra comforting than specializing in the sentiments of the breath contained in the physique. 
5. To observe sound respiration, maintain a hand up in entrance of your mouth and simply exhale on the palm of your hand. You’ll discover you need to improve the exhalation a little bit bit, so there’s sufficient quantity to listen to the breath and to really feel it on the palm of your hand. As soon as once more, exhale on the palm of your hand and pay attention. Now proceed to breathe out and in, however with the mouth closed. Hold the identical quantity, so there’s sufficient sound to permit the breath itself to be an anchor by way of the sound. Respiratory out and in, concentrate on the sound of your breath by way of your nostril. Chill out the physique on the outbreath in a means that’s snug for you, specializing in the sound. 
6. Subsequent, we’ll attempt a kinesthetic means of experiencing the breath that I name “lotus respiration.” Take one hand or two fingers, no matter’s out there for you, and permit the fingers to come back to a detailed, simply touching one another. Then, open the hand up once more, like a flower opening within the day after which closing once more, with the fingers coming again collectively once more. Inhaling, the fingers open, respiration out, fingers shut. Attempt that for a number of moments and see how carefully you’ll be able to synchronize the rhythm of your breath with that light motion of your hand. 
7. Lastly, let’s attempt a movement-focused breath. Place a hand on the stomach and a hand on the chest. Enable your self to melt. You’ll really feel that good, compassionate heat of the fingers resting on the physique.
8. You possibly can discover this from the surface, if that’s snug—feeling how the fingers stand up while you breathe in. And as you exhale, the fingers relaxation again down with the stomach within the chest. 
9. Alternatively, you’ll be able to select to concentrate to the mechanism contained in the physique of the stomach rising and falling. So inhaling, discover the sensation wherever it’s snug for you, of the rising and the falling on the exhalation. Then, absolutely let go on the outbreath. Give your self permission to launch and soften and chill out each time you breathe out. 
10. Now attempt experiencing the breath with the anchor that works greatest for you. Experiment with which instrument you favor, or mix them in order for you. Bear in mind, you’re the boss of your meditation. So long as you’re bringing your full consciousness to the expertise and you retain guiding your self again to the current second, you may have the liberty to attach with the breath in the best way that it really works for you.
11. Bear in mind, make your breath your personal while you do the practices. Be light. Be compassionate with your self. You’re good as you might be and discovering the instruments that enable you to come back into the current second. One of the best is your personal private journey.