Timeless, and Timely Body Wisdom: A Practice of Protection and Blessing to Offer Ourselves and Others
A practice for our times: Protection and Blessing. Photo credit: Rie Algeo Gilsdorf, all rights reserved
I am writing to you from Minneapolis, where these are tense times. There is a constant flow of stories on the news, from our neighbors, or through our own eyes. Each is outrageous and inhumane by itself (using a 5-year old as bait to bring his parents out of their home; dragging an elder outside in his underwear in subzero weather in a warrantless search; refusing to allow medical care or even privacy for people in hospitals, to name a few). Together they are overwhelming.
This in turn makes it hard to stay focused. I and many people I talk with here are finding ourselves distractable, forgetful, not sleeping well. From a physiological standpoint, this says that even while our conscious brains are attending to the tasks of the day, the subconscious parts are continually working to process what we see and sense around us. We’re using up bandwidth that would normally be accessible to recall where we put our phone, or why we walked into this room, or allow us to fall into restful sleep.
We can’t control this hijacking of our nervous system. It’s the physiological process of fight or flight/freeze or fawn. What we can do is become aware of it and consciously take steps to re-ground ourselves. And, because being around unsettled, anxious people sends out an alert to our own bodies to scan for danger, we owe it to each other to do what we can to center ourselves. Likewise, being around grounded people sends a signal of safety that settles everyone else. Think of anyone in your life who has ever been your “rock,” radiating that un-anxious presence, and how it calmed you down. Truly, self-care is not selfishness.
So, in the spirit of caring for each of our bodies as care for the community or social body, I am offering you a simple grounding practice (text and audio below), ideal for times of conflict. Many of my clients find that once they know it, simply assuming the posture can settle their nervous systems.
Vishnu statuette protecting and blessing, from Vaikundanathar Perumal, India. Photo: Jayarts.com
This practice is based on a set of gestures practiced across time, culture and religion. They are the gesture of fearless protection (In Sanskrit, Abhaya) and the gesture of compassionate blessing (In Sanskrit, Varada). Right palm up as a boundary, left palm extended as a gift. In eastern culture, we see the Buddha, Vishnu, and other deities and holy people taking either or both of these postures. In western culture Jesus and the saints are depicted in them, though we don’t have a name for them.
Jesus protecting and blessing Mary, sister of Lazarus, Stained Glass at St. John the Baptist Church, Minneapolis, USA. Photo: Rie Algeo Gilsdorf
The fact that they appear across such different cultures points to a human truth carried in the body: seeing these gestures can make us feel protected and blessed. In tense and frightening times, practicing them can afford us the confidence to move forward and offer our gifts while maintaining necessary boundaries.
The Grand Buddha offering protection and blessings, Ling Shan, Wuxi, China. Photo by Jonathan Lampel on Unsplash
The Practice:
Find your comfortable seat and take a deep breath.
Feel connection to the earth, the density and firmness of your support there. Breathe as though you are drawing the earth up through your legs as you inhale. Feel your legs rising out of the earth to support your open will. Breathe here.
Now let your attention come up your spine to the crown of your head.
Feel connection to the open sky of possibility that is flowing through you. Allow your left hand to extend out from the elbow with the palm up. It’s OK to rest the back of your hand on your thigh if that’s most comfortable. Feel what is pouring in through your crown is pouring out from your palm. It is the helping hand lended, it is the gift given. Breathe here.
Feel connection to your heart, supported by the earth and sky. Feel your heart of compassion, and feel the left shoulder connected to your heart. Allow your palm to raise or lower to fit this image.
Now bring your right palm to your heart. Seat your right shoulder blade into your strong back and allow it to feel protective of your soft, giving heart. Now slowly lower your elbow and bring your right hand up to shoulder height with the palm facing out. Allow your palm to find its comfortable distance from your shoulder - wherever feels natural to you today. It is the fearless protector, the keeper of boundaries, the strong and alert back body.
Now breathe into the full posture, resting in your giving and protection.