A meditation on meditation. (practical exercise included)

This video has been a long time coming, and it's in no way complete ... but I had to get started on this important topic of refining our mind-body practices, especially meditation. I hope your enjoy it and find some useful insight - please let me know in the comments below.
I've also got some fun effects thrown in from my recent trips to Manilla (the Philippines) and Aruba.
NOTE: The last 8 minutes is a guided neurosensory exercise called Basic Orientation. A perfect way to pause and reset your nervous system anytime, anywhere.
Resources I mention during this Vlog:
► The Podcast episode with Lewis Howes and Andy Puddicombe
lewishowes.com/....
► Headspace Meditation App/Website
www.headspace....
► Anderson Cooper's Interview with Jon Kabat-Zin
• The Power of Mindfulne...
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Thank you for being here!
1. Leave a comment and let me know how this video impacted you. Feel free to leave a question (my team answers them each week!)
2. To get more nervous system health resources, plus learn more about me and my credentials, plus the many ways you can work with me at the practical level, head to my website: irenelyon.com
3. Follow me on social here:
Instagram: / irenelyon
Facebook: / lyonirene
LinkedIn: / irenelyon
SoundCloud: / irenelyon
4. GOT QUESTIONS? Send an email to: [e-mail]
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Please know that…
The statements on this KZbin channel or in videos are simply opinion. Content presented or posted on this channel is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment or a professional therapeutic relationship. Content presented or posted is intended to provide general health information for educational purposes only and you should contact the appropriate healthcare professional before relying on any such information.
My website is a wealth of free resources and information on how to start this work, so here it is one more time: irenelyon.com

[@SavannahE1972]

What I love about this teaching is how you explain that practicing meditation is not about 'sitting still for 10 minutes once a day' and then step back into running through life. But how it is a way of living throughout the day, throughout life. Being aware of yourself and feeling your body whatever you do, wherever you are. I am following your 21 Day Tune-Up course and notice how much more I am aware of my body and sensations throughout the day. Often I need to practice it consciously, but I do notice that there are moments where I spontaneously feel my body, my breath and/or orient. The other thing that I love is the clear way you showed what 'we' are doing or at least want to do: going from rushing through a chaotic and hectic life to sitting 10 minutes (or so) into complete silence and peace. It is so funny and yet so true! Thank you for sharing your view, seen from your knowledge and expertise; trauma and the nervous system. Love, Savannah 😘

[@sonja7halcyon]

I was so relieved to hear this video. Meditation worked for me fine for so long and then in the last 2-3 years stopped working. It made me angry and I felt anger towards it. I started lashing out with addictive behaviours again. I realised an inner child part was refusing to be made to sit still, be quiet and be “controlled” in my emotions. She wanted to be seen and heard. I’m realising now I was in functional freeze all these years!! Meditation was easy cuz I was just completely shut down anyway. Thank you for this video and exercise. I’m looking forward to exploring more of your content.

[@teamlyon3109]

Thanks for sharing this Sonja! The importance of exploring our survival energy (that is refusing to sit still and be quiet and be "controlled")!!! I hope Irene's content continues to bring insight. If you're looking to dive in, I would suggest the Healing Trauma Series - kzbin.info/www/bejne/bnLReZ-uaNaNaZI Enjoy exploring all the content! Nicole - Team Lyon

[@the.kai.eros.experience]

Thank you Irene.

[@fleafly1359]

Standing & walking medication is a great way to bring a calm awareness into your daily life.

[@evelynavanti4201]

I love this orienting exercise! So soothing and calming, unlike traditional meditation, which I usually find increases my anxiety! Orienting outward, while still noticing the breath, rather than solely inward, where all the trauma is held, makes such a difference!

[@IreneLyon]

So glad you enjoyed it Evelyn! Nicole - Team Lyon Moderator

[@MatteoMorozzo]

@@IreneLyon ppp

[@the.kai.eros.experience]

This is helpful. Whats been most painful for me is the awareness that avoiding my body = avoiding life. And then now I see my addictive / safety mechanisms and they just feel awful to do. So it feels like I’m almost being forced to be in my body, otherwise I feel so insane. It’s like being squeezed between a rock and hard place by God. He’s like “come alive!” And egoic defense patterns are like: “Absolutely not!” I have a hard time titrating this.

[@katinahockney9488]

I love this exercise. I have been practising this for a couple of months now. As well as bring me back to the here and now, it really helps me cope with my chronic pain and stress levels associated with CFS/Fibromyalgia.I have been stuck in freeze state for so long. I have struggled with the meditation practises I have tried in the past, I'm certain due to trauma, but this makes me feel safe and relaxed. I also find that during the day I am automatically much more aware of my breathing, so much calmer overall. I highly recommend it as a daily practise.

[@IreneLyon]

Katina -- thanks for taking the time to comment and be here. Glad this is helping bring you more self-awareness and safety!

[@emiliapalczynska9096]

Very interesting! When I started doing this exercise I felt pain in my chest (anxiety), when finishing - the pain was gone, wow!

[@ctirving]

That was lovely. I initially found that, possibly because I am tired, my eyes wanted to close, so I let them. When you mentioned the breathing, I changed from shallow breathing to diaphragm breathing, which I was glad to do as I haven't done any deep breathing today and it made a aware of that. I then noticed the amount of tension in my face, which is immense. At the end of the exercise, I massaged my face to break up the tension. In writing this, the back of my neck is tingling. I hope that this helps.

[@IreneLyon]

Great to hear that just by watching this you were able to get more into the biology of your body and feel some of its energy moving!

[@jdp-nc]

Great practice. I’ve been an off and on meditator for many years as well as yoga practitioner. I have much trouble being present in those practices. I have fleeting moments at best. I felt so calm during and after practicing orienting.

[@helensid6670]

12:02 Basic Orientation

[@stec3942]

i liked this a lot!!! i have very difficulty to concentrate but this helped me to pay attention and check with myslef ❤ i am curre tly binging on your videos 😂😘

[@donnaandrews3342]

Hi ,, I have taken loads of courses in mind body soul however I dissociate procrastinate and categorise, I get brain fog too

[@teamlyon3109]

Hi Donna Andrews, Jen here from Team Lyon. What you describe about dissociating and procrastinating happy to many of us with trauma. I will say that many people who come to this work have explored many approaches - sometimes over decades - and find that this work can often reach places and foster healing in ways that other approaches haven't.

[@teresavalenza9609]

Today I did this exercise, and another 15 min one of yours while on a walk. While I was walking, a headache that had been bugging me off and on came back, and I got sleepy. Is this normal/common, or some sort of signal I need to pay attention to?

[@teamlyon3109]

Hi Teresa Valenza, Jen here from Team Lyon. It can be both common in this work and something to pay attention to. Sometimes when we get more energy moving than the system has the capacity to handle, it can show up in things like headaches and getting very sleepy. Sometimes we may simply be tired, and other times it can be a sign that the nervous system is shifting into conservation (freeze) physiology. I'll link to one of Irene's vlogs that might be of interest to you.

[@teresavalenza9609]

@@teamlyon3109 Wow thank you for replying Jen! I would love to check out the other video you mentioned.

[@user-vd5vu8lx3d]

I wished you would actually talk about it. I think it is very important. I lived the past three years in a "spiritual" community, where meditation send to be the drivers license to your Spirituality. And all newbees feel the urge to do meditation and pretend to being good at it, no matter what they really feel. I'm a yoga teacher with two trainings and two years of teaching. I still can't meditat.

[@IreneLyon]

Hi D, Jen here from Team Lyon. Irene has a few related videos. I'll share a few links and hopefully you'll hear her discuss the areas you're interested in hearing more about. Why Mindfulness Practices Don't Always Work - irenelyon.com/2014/04/18/mindfulness-practices-dont-always-work-learning-groundwork-meditation/ Meditation and Mindfulness 101 - kzbin.info/www/bejne/pHOrZKhohLV4iK8

[@jpage99999]

I had a comment on this process. Starting out the exercise my anxiety level was about a 6 on a scale of 1-10. While doing the exercise my anxiety immediately went up to like a 9 almost a 10. Why is that happening? I attempt to gently look at my surroundings and soft focus/gaze, and my internal anxiety is just screaming at me to pay attention to it and not the surroundings. Almost like it's saying, " You can't be soft focusing looking around right now, we're in danger, are you nuts focusing on your breath, feeling your body". That's what I experienced. And now typing this, the anxiety has gone back down to a 6 or so. Please help Irene. Your work is phenomenal and I want to benefit from doing this orienting activity. Thanks

[@teamlyon3109]

Thanks for sharing your experience. You're not alone in this. As you mentioned, your system found orienting to be too overwhelming. And chances are it's because that's how it perceives it! We find ways to move through the world not really connecting to our surroundings because we perceive the world to be a dangerous place. So, when we start paying attention as Irene guided the alarm bells go off. What's important is that you now have that awareness and you can start exploring bit by bit, supporting the system to move through the activation that arises. Key is to only do a little bit of orienting at a time. And then letting the system settle a little again. It's great that your anxiety went back down again afterwards as this could be helpful for when you explore little bits at a time. Hope that helps! Nicole - Team Lyon

[@jingshuzhu3018]

@@teamlyon3109 I had similar experience, and glad to see your reply here. Thank you team Lyon for your amazing work!