On Tuesday August 30th, Jonah and I were blessed with the opportunity to guide a partner practice based on the seven-state alchemical process in the pyramid of our camp, PlayAlchemist. This was one of the highlights of our time at Burning Man. Not only was this one of our gifts to offer, it quickly became one of the best gifts we were given. It was an opportunity to share our work in the world and a gift to work in cohesion as a union, gathering our tools together in one offering. Such a treat.
The practice began at 9:30am and we had around 50 people in attendance— including some familiar faces. The theme of our practice and second stage of alchemy was dissolution. We thought of it as dissolving the parts of ourselves that no longer serve us as well as dissolving away bits and pieces of our selves to really connect with our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual bodies.
Everyone received an essential oil roller of our Presence blend as we worked through and shared each experiment or practice to drop into a different aspect. We had live musicians offering meditative, heart-centered music. It was a beautiful collaboration.
At the end, we had people come to us with tears in their eyes. That’s when we knew it was extra special. Any opportunity we have to help people into a deeper connection with themselves is a huge win. Everyone who joined was given a book with our partner practice as well as those from the rest of the week. What a gift.
Special thanks to Satya for organizing our morning programming and creating the PlayAlchemist Practice Book!
Dissolution Alchemy
Experiment 1: Ground into your physical body.
Begin seated in a comfortable position.
Utilizing your favorite essential oil or playa gift blend: Roll or drop in palm of your hand.
Cup hands over nose and mouth.
Take 3 deep Breaths. Deep inhales through your nose and sighing out the mouth.
Place one hand on your heart and one hand on your belly. Continue to breathe.
Notice your body.
Bring your hands to your face and massage your jaw, temples, forehead, scalp, back of neck and shoulders. Continue to soften the body.
Taking the tips of your fingers, begin to tap on your chest at your heart center and repeat aloud or within your minds eye 3x:
“I am healthy.”
“I am strong.”
“I am grounded.”
“I feel good in my body.”
Bringing the soles of your feet together in butterfly shape, and massage your feet with your hands.
Begin to forward fold with your legs in butterfly and round into the spine. Allow the head to hang loose and breathe here for 10 rounds of breath.
Roll up slowly, extend your feet out and wiggle your legs/windshield wiper your feet from side to side.
Notice the sensations in your body.
Forward fold with your legs extended (knees can bend slightly or more if desired). Allow your head to hang and breathe here for 10 rounds of breath.
Roll up one vertebrae at a time, reach hands behind you on the ground and take a gentle backbend to open the heart.
Notice your body.
Coming to hands and knees, begin to undulate your spine into cat and cow shapes.
Take your time and notice your body. Where feels tight? What feels good? Feel free to make sounds here.
Tick tock the hips from side to side.
Slowly sit the hips back, bring the knees wide with your arms stretched out front for child’s pose.
Take 5 deep, audible, sighing breaths here.
Walk the hands off to the right for a left side body stretch and take 5 breaths.
Walk hands off to the left to stretch the right side body. Take 5 breaths.
Come back to center and roll your forehead on your mat for a 3rd eye massage.
Shift the weight back into tabletop position.
Notice your body.
Curl the toes under, lift the hips for downward facing dog. Hands are shoulder width apart, feet are hip width apart. Press the chest back toward the thighs and bend your knees as much as you need to. Pedal out the feet lowering one heel down to the ground at a time. Take 3 rounds of breath here. Shake the head no, nod the head yes. Relax the neck.
Walk the hands to meet the feet, feet to meet the hands for a forward fold.
Keep a micro bend in your knees. Grab opposite elbows and sway from side to side. Take 5 sighing breaths.
Roll up one vertebrae at a time up to standing.
Notice your body while standing in mountain pose.
Wiggle & shake. Shake and wiggle some more.
Pause. Notice.
Reach the arms up toward the sky and swan dive back down into a forward fold and back into a comfortable seated position.
Experiment 2: Emotional body.
Gain awareness of the emotion you’re experiencing now.
EMOTION RECIPE:
Emotions are simply a vibration our nervous system creates in our bodies, and they fuel every action we take in this human experience. However, noticing and giving your attention to what you are feeling is not something most people do on a regular basis. Many people have never learned to feel their emotions. In Western societies, social conditioning has taught us to avoid or escape from our emotions without giving the space or opportunity to process. Our experience of emotion is largely based on culture and our beliefs about it. If you want to impact your life in a profound way, you must become aware of what you’re feeling in this present moment.
In a journal, on a piece of paper, or in a voice memo, answer the following questions:
1. What emotion am I feeling now?
2. Where am I feeling this in my body?
3. What color is this emotion?
4. Does this emotion feel fast or slow?
5. What texture does this emotion feel like?
6. What actions does this emotion make me want to take?
7. Why am I feeling this emotion?
Whatever emotion you’re experiencing, you’re being called to allow it. Breathe into it. Move toward it and open yourself up to this feeling.
Allow it without reaction, without suffering. Observe it, describe it, soften into it.
Remember, emotions are just vibrations in your body created by your nervous system.
No feeling is final.
BECOME A BZEN INSIDER!
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