We’ve now become that much closer to space itself.
We started our journey from the volcanic area of Kouuntei Station at 295 meters above sea level to arrive at Sancho Summit Station, the realm of the gods and where wishes come true, at 612 meters.
Now we’ll guide your mind and body to connect with nature, starting from the Seto Inland Sea, moving up to Kankakei, and eventually to the universe.
Find a comfortable place to sit down and get into a relaxed position. We’re about to escape the outside world and surrender ourselves to the land of Kankakei.
First, close your eyes and adjust to the darkness as you listen to our story about the relationship between the stars and humanity.
We begin our story 13.8 billion years ago when the universe was created from space. It kept expanding, creating stars and the solar system along the way. Our planet Earth is a marvelous place where life was born from the four elements -- fire, water, air, and earth.
Once upon a time, humans lived in harmony with nature. They lived their days alongside the sun, waking up at sunrise and returning home at sunset. They harvested seasonal crops, adjusted their clothing according to the weather, and lived in peace with the ebb and flow of the natural world.
Astronomical charts, the precursor to horoscopes, are drawn on the murals of the Kitora Tumulus in Nara Prefecture. The murals date back to the Asuka Period, a time when the Buddhist sect Sukuyōdō was popular and magic and prophecy specialists called “Onmyōji” were making calendars, telling fortunes, and holding star festivals. The Japanese have established a deep connection with the stars through worship since ancient times.
These days we take it for granted to have enough food to eat, clothes to wear, and shelter from the elements. Even with all these comforts, our human body is still in rhythm with nature, following the cycles of the stars and the moon.
Now, maintain your relaxed posture and open your eyes -- they should have adjusted to the darkness so you can see more around you.
Gradually, you’ll see the starry sky start to intensify. The light of celestial bodies such as stars are the light of the distant past. This area was lit up by the same starry sky 13 million years ago when it was still a volcanic zone, long before humans walked the earth.
Can you find the North Star? It’s said to be likened to a god as it sits at the center of the world. Once you find the North Star you can easily find the Big Dipper nearby, which has been likened to humans. The seven stars making up the Big Dipper act as guardians for the rest of the zodiac signs of the year a person is born. Each and every one of us has our own guardian star.
People have been pondering the inner workings of the universe throughout history. People looked up at the night sky just as we do today when we’re feeling lost or stuck at a crossroads. We crave understanding because it gives us a sense of control over our life and an indication of what might happen next.
Posture affects your mood, so the next time you’re feeling down, why don’t you try stargazing? It’s physically impossible to hunch over while looking at the sky and who knows? You might have a revelation about something that’s been troubling you. Today you have your own guardian star and we hope you can learn what it means to “wish upon a star.”
We’d like to invite you to an experience we call “Cosmic Meditation.”
Please lie down with your back on the ground as you face the night sky. Then let your hips relax and your legs roll outward to about shoulder width. Let your shoulders relax away from your ears and lightly rest your hands on top of your stomach in a comfortable position.
Are you ready? Relax your body as you gradually return to nature. Release any tension by gently shaking your limbs and turning your head from side to side.
Go ahead, give it a try.
Approx 6:58 * sound effects-- shaking
Open yourself to the night sky, letting your legs and arms fall outward. Your eyes should be relaxed -- neither wide open nor closed.
Picture the position we just described, feeling the weight of your body gradually sink into the ground below you.
Now imagine your body is a heavy liquid seeping into the ground. As your liquid body succumbs to gravity and oozes into the earth, you slowly start to feel lighter and more relaxed.
How do you feel?
Approx 7:52 (pause)
Next, we’ll practice abdominal breathing by expanding and contracting your stomach as you inhale and exhale. Focus on inhaling only after you’ve fully exhaled to enhance the practice.
We’ll perform a 4-4-8 breathing technique by counting your breath. Inhale for four counts, hold your breath for four counts, and then exhale for eight counts. While you’re holding your breath, imagine the air spreading throughout your body.
After this practice, you’ll feel the air in your body harmonize with the air of Kankakei. Try to breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth as much as possible.
Let’s get started.
Exhale all the air in your lungs. Let out an audible big breath, “Fuuuuu.”
After fully exhaling, take a deep breath through your nose – 2-3-4 (approx 9:35)
Hold – 2-3-4
Exhale – 2-3-4-5-6-7-8
Inhale – 2-3-4
Hold – 2-3-4
Exhale – 2-3-4-5-6-7-8
After your last exhalation, return to normal breathing.
Let’s practice again, but this time with longer pauses, as our breath becomes one with nature.
We’ll also do a full-body visualization with abdominal breathing, but we’ll start with the breath. Inhale for eight counts and exhale for eight counts. Savor each breath as you relax into the practice, noticing your own pace without judgment.
Let’s get started.
Again, let out a big breath, expelling all the air in your lungs.
Exhale, “Fuuuuu”
After you’ve finished exhaling, inhale softly – 2-3-4-5-6-7-8 (approx 11:48)
Exhale – 2-3-4-5-6-7-8
Inhale – 2-3-4-5-6-7-8
Exhale – 2-3-4-5-6-7-8
Can you feel your body fuse with the air around you and become one with the Earth?
Just let your body inhale naturally and focus on your exhalation. With that in mind, let’s start the visualization. Deep inside your heart, there’s a flat water surface with ripples moving along the top. Little by little, the waves start to decrease in number until they completely disappear and the water becomes still like a mirror. You look into the mirror-like water surface and you see the stars shining in the night sky. Once you’re ready, shift your view and visualize your body lying on the ground as you watch from above. Ask yourself these questions:
“Are you breathing normally? Are your mind and body relaxed?”
“Do you feel alive?”
“Do you feel content?”
What comes to mind when you hear these questions? The wonder of life is simply to be alive and breathing -- everything else, all your worldly possessions, are insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
Feel yourself at ease in this time and space, knowing that your body and soul were gifts given to you by the universe without rhyme or reason. As you gaze up at the sky and look at the universe, you might feel a sense of gratitude for what’s before you.
Look up one more time, but instead of focusing on one star, let’s take in the whole scene without forcing it too much.
Many of the stars we see today are light that was emitted tens of thousands of years ago. After their long journey to reach Earth, those same light particles are captured in your retinas and have finally completed their distant voyage. The light you’re looking at now may come from a star that no longer exists. That’s because the stars we see today are what they looked like tens of thousands of years ago.
The body you’re in now, a body with a beating heart and breathing lungs–this too is a gift from your mother and father. And they were gifts to their parents before them. In this way, we’re all connected. All of the countless lives that are born from respective mothers and fathers, eventually we all return to our origins; we return to the universe.
Visualize your body fusing with the universe as they become one. Relax your body and breathe naturally as we continue.
Next, let’s look inside our body. Your body is made up of approximately 37 trillion cells and 40 trillion bacteria. We’re nothing more than tiny cells and bacteria, but when put together they become human beings who can do anything from laugh to cry to complain about the weather.
Now, let’s bring our gaze outwards to Earth. If we think of the world as a body, then the innumerable animals and plants can be likened to our cells and bacteria. What do they make when combined together? How about the stars gathering in the galaxy? Knowing everything is connected, you can’t help but feel there’s something majestic going on.
It’s just that we can’t understand it. We’re nothing but a small piece of the large and vast universe. But just like each cell in your body, each human is a piece of the puzzle that makes up the universe.
Imagine the will of the universe is in front of you and enters your body as you breathe in, permeating every cell. As you exhale, you melt into the universe before you.
With each breath in and out you become one with the universe. The feeling of oneness deepens gradually as your breathing deepens. For the next minute, we’ll enter a space of nothingness, so use this time to repeat any visualization and enjoy the feeling of unity with the universe for a while.
Relax your body -- Let your eyelids fall naturally, neither open nor closed. Close your mouth and relax your jaw. Think about breathing through your belly as you inhale and exhale.
Approx 20:09 ~ ♪ 1 minute
How do you feel? Let’s bottle up that feeling -- the sensation of traveling into space -- and keep it safe.
It’s time to slowly return to the outside world while maintaining your comfortable position.
Focus on your body. Can you feel your heart beating? Our blood vessels seem small, but if we were to line them up and include the capillaries, their combined length would be about two and a half times the circumference of the earth. Regardless of that fact, it only takes 30 seconds for blood to pump out from the heart and come back. Thinking about that, we can feel our bodies warm up as the blood returns to our hearts.
Think about the 30-second blood circulation cycle as you shift your attention to your heartbeat. Let’s add some movement too -- Take a deep breath in, and when you exhale, gently stroke the top of your body from your chest to your stomach for five seconds. Let’s get started.
Inhale, then exhale while stroking your chest to your belly-2-3-4-5 (approx 22:15)
Slowly raise your hands back to your chest as you stroke the top of your body to your stomach. Inhale, then slowly exhale-2-3-4-5.
Last one. Inhale slowly, then exhale-2-3-4-5.
It’s time to bring sensation back to your body, starting by tensing and releasing your extremities. Clench your hands into fists and curl your toes tightly -- then release everything. Once you’ve regained sensation, gently rock your head from side to side. Slowly open your eyes. Gently move your whole body, and sit up in a comfortable position when you feel ready.
Welcome back. How was your meditation and spiritual experience?
These days we’re so wrapped up in our own lives that we don’t stop to think about how everything is connected. We don’t take the time to think about the history and formation of the earth or the evolution of humankind. The only reason we’re here now in this shape and form is because of that history. The world we live in is bigger than one person, bigger than we can really imagine. Yet at the same time, our world is small compared to the universe itself.
When we have a problem, we tend to hold onto it and focus inwards, blocking out the world around us. Instead, why don’t you think about the vastness of the universe and gaze at the sky when those feelings arise? Take a deep breath as you feel the vastness of nature and the gift of life.
Let’s continue our night tour of Kankakei.