Oh.

So I might be in that kind of dream space and just with images and sensory Data and, um, whatever might be coming to me.

And then I'll just rest into the body.

So I might be lying down, I might be sitting up and, um, you know, depending on how I'm feeling that day.

But really, my practice is about a sensory presence.

You know, having that embodied awareness of what's happening in my sense spheres, including my thoughts.

And-

Um, tell me a little bit about sort of like how that shifted your relationship with your meditation practice in particular.

Mm

... an immigrant and a Black African immigrant in a very white context growing up, and was kind of s- socially different than a lot of the people around me.

Uh, my interests were different.

I became very interested in spirituality very young, and so that also differentiated me, even from some of the friends who were my chosen family by that point.

So there are a lot of ways that I didn't belong, and I'm...

I, I don't need to kind of outline those because I think that they may be circumstantially different than how other people don't feel they belong.

But what they point to for me is just sort of the post-colonial complexity of our lives now, and for those of us who don't identify with one or a few particular communities and/or come from very strong familial cultural backgrounds, where I have friends who feel maybe they don't belong in the larger society as much but have very strong family structures, which to me is like sci-fi.

Uh-huh.

Mm.

You know, we live in a culture that's telling us that we can stay young forever, that we can live forever, that we, you know, can avoid all sickness, that we can hold on to everything, we can accumulate just massive amounts of stuff, and that's okay for ourselves and the planet, and that there are no consequences to our actions, right? But these teachings are the exact oppositeAnd they're, they're not just bad news.

They're really allowing us to be with things as they are with some measure of happiness.

But over lunch, um, we were talking about whether we would want other people's karma or other people's reality, and almost everyone at the table, I think, said no, you know? I, I wouldn't change my experience even though I've had really rough time of it.

I l- I love my life, and it's that equanimity, it's that practice to recognize, you know, not why me, why not me? There, there's plenty of suffering in the world, but I can also place my attention on the gifts of my life and the gratitude I can have for all the blessings in my life.

So these teachings sound like downers, but they're, they're not.

They're the exact opposite.

How does that sit with you, Seb?

Bringing my attention to my belly as it rises and falls is helpful, but even still, paying attention to all the parts of the breath really makes my breath feel unnatural." Seb, what say you?

So I was thinking about it, and I feel like there's two parts to this because there's sort of the technical part, which really is whatever works.

There's nothing saying that you have to do breath meditation, and if someone's been practicing for decades and it's going well and breath is not a part of it, that's fine, really.

There are a lot of reasons to be more sort of practical, technical about it.

I think a lot of us are not comfortable with being with the breath or observing the breath, and that has to do with the fact that many of us are mouth breathers.

You know, there's a whole systems of well-being in, for example, the yogic tradition, pranayama and breathwork, that help us to really be with our breath in a healthier way.

Most of us are very shallow breathers.

What?

Mm.

And they had asked me if I had sort of a mantra or motto that I live by, and I thought about it, and I, I don't really, but now I've appropriated theirs.

And so [laughs] um, trust life comes from them.

I think it comes from the universe, but ultimately it came to me from them.

[laughing] And it's just been sort of a guiding post.

I mean, I tattooed it onto my arm because of all of the challenges that have been thrown my way for many, many years, maybe since I got to this planet in some ways.

But definitely in the past few years, I've just had a tsunami of challenges, of health challenges, of relationship challenges, and we've spoken about that on this show before.

Seb, can you talk a little bit about how you've been applying the trust life mantra in your own life recently?

Welcome to all my fellow fidgeter

fidgeterWalking meditation can provide us a more active way to cultivate presence.

Let's walk together.

Find a quiet path where you can walk undisturbed.

Begin by standing still, feet hip-width apart, shoulders relaxed, and arms resting naturally at your sides.

Take three deep breaths.

Inhale through your nose, filling your lungs completely, and exhale slowly through your nose.

There are lots of ways to do this.

Some people have this idea that you have to be in full lotus on a cushion or, you know, levitating.To be in meditation, but actually it's called practice for a reason.

We're not practicing to become good meditators.

We're employing this practice of meditation to help us be more aware, present, yet dare I say, free in our lives.

So yes, we can sit, but you don't have to be on a cushion.

You can be in a chair.

We emphasize, you know, sitting up straight or at least having the body open so you're not collapsed, because that can affect your breathing, it can affect your sense of alertness.

Mm-hmm