The following is a meditation for the second fundamental motivation of existential analysis.
Helping us answer the question of, do I like being with an affirmative yes?
The speaker and creator is Graham Nelson-Zutter.
Please take a moment to find a seated position where there's support for your back and an ability to place your feet flat on the ground.
It may also be helpful to have a posture where your back is fairly vertical and there's little strain on your neck, perhaps where your head is centered above your spinal column.
If this isn't possible, a variation includes support behind your neck and head, perhaps with a pillow, inviting you to find a posture where there's very little strain on your body.
If it feels comfortable, I invite you to close your eyes and if for any reason it doesn't feel safe or comfortable to keep your eyes closed, go ahead and open them and perhaps you can find a place to rest your gaze without too much distraction.
Perhaps there's a pattern on the wall.
If possible, I do invite you to try eyes closed first and see what happens.
Please send your awareness and focus to the bottoms of your feet,
taking a moment to come into contact with the floor,
noticing the stability of the floor, noticing the differences in pressure on the bottoms of your feet.
There may be shoes, footwear, socks, carpet between you and the floor.
Just taking a moment to feel the mixture of firmness and softness between the bottoms of your feet and the floor.
You may choose to sit in lotus position,
which is fine,
taking a moment to notice the contact between your feet and ankles and where you're sitting.
As you tune into the sensation, I invite you to use your imagination to expand your awareness out to the entire floor of the building that you're in.
If you're in a home, noticing how the floor extends out to all the rooms on this floor.
If you're in a building, noticing the floor expanding beyond the room you're in or office or suite that you're in to the entire floor of this building.
Taking a moment to notice just how stable and supportive this floor is, imagining all of the other people and objects that this floor supports.
And then see if your imagination can expand to the awareness that this floor is part of a building or a structure.
And this structure has multiple floors
and a foundation.
And the structure of this building and the foundation that it rests upon are embedded in the earth.
Just as you are sitting in this chair or couch, this building is also sitting upon the earth,
receiving the support from underneath.
And see if you can notice that the support that this building, this structure is receiving through its foundation is traveling from the earth up through the foundation into the structure of this building.
And that the support is being shared up into the very floor where you are, the very place where your feet are in contact with the floor.
Perhaps you can notice as well that the chair or couch that you're sitting in is also supported by the floor.
Taking a moment to notice the contact between your body and your chair or couch.
Is it possible to notice that the support that you're feeling in your body from below is actually coming all the way from the earth, transmitted through the foundation of the building to the structure of the building, up through the structure to the floor,
from the floor to your feet,
and from the floor to the couch or chair,
and from the couch or chair to your torso, holding you.
Just taking a moment to notice that the support that you have from below, from under you, is coming from the earth.
And perhaps it's possible to notice that you also have structure within your body, much like this building has structure, you too have structure with it.
Taking a moment to notice your skeletal structure, these bones, noticing as well that you have tendons connecting your bones to your muscles, and that these bones and tendons and muscles all work together to provide the structure to your body.
Just noticing how the structure of your body is in contact with the external structure shared from the earth,
how you sit, the support for your torso and legs is
transmitted from the earth to the bottoms of your feet, your legs, your glutes and your hips, and this support is shared with this internal structure of your body.
One of these very special structures in your body is your spinal column.
Perhaps you notice that there is support from your chair or couch from behind your spine, becoming aware of that support from your lower back and middle back and upper back and shoulders,
noticing these supports from the outside,
and also shifting your awareness to the internal support of your spine, noticing this column of vertebrae, starting at your hips, going all the way up to your neck, providing the structure and support within.
Maybe you notice at the very top of your spinal column is where your head is attached,
and much like your body is sitting in this chair or couch, your head is supported by your spinal column.
Just taking a moment to notice that the support that you feel for your head to your spinal column and your body
also arrives from outside of your body, from behind with your back support and also below through the chair or couch, supported by the floor,
noticing again that the floor receives this support through the structure of the building, the foundation of this building, and from the earth.
At this moment, at this time, the support that you're receiving is shared with the earth.
Maybe taking a moment to see if it's possible to
receive even more of that support.
There may even be a sensation of appreciation for having the structure,
this intact body with its bones and tendons and muscles,
and the awareness that the support that we're receiving at this moment is shared to us from the earth.
Next, I invite you to shift your attention to your breathing.
When you inhale,
maybe you can feel a sensation of expansion within.
When you exhale, a sensation of relaxation and release.
When you inhale, perhaps you can imagine this nourishing oxygen coming into your body,
maybe becoming aware of your lungs, sharing this oxygen with the nourishing blood in your body,
this oxygen spreading throughout your tissues for your cells to absorb.
Each of your cells going about their work, their individual functions, all supported by every in -breath.
Also noticing that as your cells work, as they take in that oxygen, they also release carbon dioxide.
And as the blood circulates in your body, sharing the oxygen, it also picks up and carries away the unneeded carbon dioxide.
This carbon dioxide travels to your lungs.
And as the in -breath brings in oxygen, the out -breath the exhale releases carbon dioxide.
Every exhale allows us to release what the body no longer needs.
And as we exhale, we breathe out into the air.
And this air is shared with other living beings.
Some of these living beings are plants.
Some of them are trees.
Just taking a moment to see if you can imagine a tree,
if you can imagine that when you exhale, the carbon dioxide that your body releases travels through the air and eventually makes its way to a tree.
Whether this tree has leaves or needles, it probably has green.
Just noticing the parts of your tree that have this color.
And this green color is special because it comes from the chlorophyll within the cells of this tree, within the tree's leaves or needles.
And what's so special about this chlorophyll is that it's able to absorb that carbon dioxide that you exhaled.
And as this tree stands tall under sunlight,
the photons from the sun arrive into the chlorophyll, combining with the carbon dioxide from your breath.
And when the photons hit the carbon dioxide within the chlorophyll of these leaves or needles, something pretty miraculous happens.
The photon knocks the oxygen free, leaving the carbon for the tree to grow.
At the same time,
the tree releases this oxygen that it doesn't need,
the very oxygen that's so nourishing for your body.
Just as you inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide, trees inhale carbon dioxide and combine it with light.
And through this combination
of carbon dioxide and light, the tree grows and releases oxygen, taking in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen and sharing that oxygen in the very same air that you breathe. At
this very moment, as you inhale,
some of that nourishing oxygen that's coming in your body is from this very tree that you're imagining.
And as you exhale, some of the carbon dioxide that you're releasing into the air is the same carbon dioxide absorbed by this tree.
Just taking a moment to notice the support and reciprocity of this relationship.
As we breathe, so do the trees.
You absorb their oxygen, nourishing your body, and release carbon dioxide.
This carbon dioxide is absorbed by the tree, combined with light from the sun, and is transformed into the very same oxygen that is so nourishing for your body.
I invite you for a moment to notice this tree that has come to mind,
noticing whether it has leaves or needles,
maybe noticing if it has bark.
Is the bark smooth?
Is it bumpy?
Does it have ridges?
Maybe noticing if your tree is tall. Is it wide?
Taking a moment to notice if your tree has bows or bows and branches.
Noticing the shape of the trunk.
I invite you to just take a moment to see if it would be okay to come and sit under this tree.
Perhaps there's a spot where you can even rest your back against the trunk.
Just taking a moment to sit here and rest.
Perhaps you can feel the roots of the tree under you as they reach into the earth.
Maybe these roots even provide a structure for you to sit on or around.
And also taking a moment to feel the strength and the stability of the trunk of this tree as
you rest against it.
Looking up, perhaps you notice the canopy of this tree reaching over you,
providing shade and protection from the weather.
Maybe you feel like taking a nap here,
or maybe you have a book with you or music to listen to.
Just inviting you to
really rest and enjoy this time with your tree.
There's nothing required for you to do.
Whatever you choose to do is just for you. Something you enjoy or like doing.
Just taking some time to enjoy this moment with yourself
and noticing the relationship between you and this tree.
Maybe giving yourself some appreciation and acknowledgement for taking a moment to relax, to do something that pleases you.
And if it feels okay with you, maybe even imagine saying thank you to this tree.
Maybe offering the tree a smile.
Maybe even placing your hand on the trunk of this tree.
And when it feels right,
just inviting you to imagine just waving goodbye,
knowing you'll see this tree again.
Taking a moment now to notice that you're in a room.
Perhaps your therapist is here with you.
Just gently inviting you to open your eyes.
Gently return to the shared space.
