46.Mindfulness of Foot Movements
You can use this technique to be aware of your foot movement. Basic Technique
Be aware of movement your feet with a set of labels.
• Label 'forward' when your hand moves forward direction.
• Label 'backward' when your hand moves backward direction.
• Label 'left' when your hand moves toward left direction.
• Label 'right' when your hand moves toward right direction.
• Label 'up' when your hand moves toward up direction.
• Label 'down' when your hand moves toward down direction.
After becoming skillful at the basic technique, you can try advanced techniques.
Optional Technique 1
Combine labels whenever it is necessary. For example, label 'forward up' when your hand moves forward and up direction. Optional Technique 2
Practice with awareness alone without using labels. Optional Technique 3
Be aware of your intention to move your foot, which occurs just before the movement.
Optional Technique 4
Be aware of your motivation for moving your foot.
47.Mindfulness of Head Movements
You can use this technique to be aware of your head movement. Basic Technique
Be aware of movement your head with a set of labels.
2. Label 'right' when your head turns toward right direction. 3. Label 'up' when your head moves toward up direction. 4. Label 'down' when your head moves toward down direction.
After becoming skillful at the basic technique, you can try advanced techniques.
Optional Technique 1
Practice with awareness alone without using labels. Optional Technique 2
In addition to what are mentioned above, be aware of whatever you are experiencing in your practice (instead of limiting your awareness to one or few specific experiences), for example: your intention to move your head which occurs just before the movement; your motivation for moving your head; and other experiences.
48.Mindfulness of Eye Movements
You can use this technique to be aware of your eye movement while doing eye movements such as up, down, left, right and circle.
Basic Technique
Be aware of movement your eyes with a set of labels.
• Label 'up' when your eyes moves up direction.
• Label 'down' when your eyes move toward down
• Label 'left' when your eyes move toward left direction.
• Label 'right' when your hand moves toward right direction.
• Label 'circular' when your eyes move in a circular motion.
After becoming skillful at the basic technique, you can try advanced techniques.
Optional Technique 1
Practice with awareness alone without using the labels.
49.Mindfulness of Upper Body
Movements
To be aware of movements of your upper body, apply the techniques described in Mindfulness of Head Movements to your upper body movements.
Prerequisites
50.Mindfulness of Feeling on Sounds
1. Just listen to all sounds in your surroundings. 2. For each sound, be aware of feeling whether it is
pleasant, unpleasant or neutral.
51.Mindfulness of Sight with a Gaze
You can practice this technique while you are not moving. For example, you could practice this technique while standing and waiting in a store or sitting in a park bench or looking out the window.
Basic Technique
• Softly gaze at an object that is not moving and maintain the gaze on the object throughout this practice. For example, a tree, a building.
• Be aware of an appearance of a moving object. For example, when a bird, a car, a pedestrian came into your sight, be aware of it.
After becoming skillful at the basic technique, you can try advanced techniques.
Advanced Technique 1
Be aware of an disappearance of a moving object. For example, when a bird, a car, a pedestrian cease to exist in your sight, be aware of it.
Note
Although the above example identified object (in order to provide an example to readers), you do not need to identify the object that is moving or not-moving in your practice. This technique is about being aware of appearance and disappearnce, but not awareness of object, which has appeared or disappeared.
52.Mindfulness of Sight with a Gaze:
part 2
Advanced Technique 2
Notice the speed of the moving object whether it is slow or fast. Advanced Technique 3
Notice the direction to which a moving object is moving. Advanced Technique 4
Identify the moving object. For example, a bird, a car, a group of people.
Optional Technique 1
Identify objects that are not moving in your sight. For example, a tree, a house.
53.Body Scan
The body scan technique involves be aware of physical sensation in each part of your body for some moments (about 10 to 30 seconds). There is nothing for you to do. Also no need to visualize your body during the practice- this is not a visualization practice.
Basic Technique
1. Pay attention on your left foot and notice or feel any sensation.
2. Shift your attention to left lower leg and notice or feel any sensation.
3. Shift your attention to your left upper leg. 4. Repeat the above steps with right leg.
5. Continue to shift your attention to next body part (such as abdomen, back, chest, shoulders, arms, hands, neck, mouth, eyes, ears, nose) until reaching your head.
6. Notice the whole body including the skin.
Sensation experience examples: temperature; touch of fabric or other object on your skin; weight on your feet or buttocks; muscle tightness; pain; itchiness; moving sensation (rise and fall of belly while breathing); air flowing in and out in your
respiratory system; and pulses.
After becoming skillful at the basic technique, you can try advanced techniques.
Advanced Technique
While practicing the basic technique, you can pay attention to specific or narrow area of your body, for example, instead of the entire leg, you can divide your leg into lower, middle and upper part, or even further divide into details, for example, foot, toes, ankle, shin, knee, thigh. Furthermore, you also pay attention to internal organs as well as your body systems like respiration, digestion and circulation.
The respiratory system may include lungs, diaphragm, nasal passage, nose, trachea. The digestive system may include mouth, esophagus (the tube from mouth to stomach), stomach, small and large intestines. The circulatory system may include heart, blood vessels.
Advanced Technique 2
Expand your awareness to various physical sensations during the body scan practice. See physical sensation list in glossary for detail.
See Also: Mindfulness of Pain
54.Mindfulness of Standing
Use the techniques described in Mindfulness of Sitting while you are standing.
Prerequisites Mindfulness of Sitting
55.Mindfulness of Lying Down
Use the techniques described in Mindfulness of Sitting while you are lying down.
Prerequisites Mindfulness of Sitting
56.Mindfulness of Body Positions
1. When you are standing, be aware you are standing. 2. When you are sitting, be aware you are sitting.
57.Mindfulness of Arising-Passing of
Feelings
Basic Technique
• Label 'arising' when a feeling arises.
• Label 'passing' when a feeling passes.
After becoming skillful at the basic technique, you can try advanced techniques.
Advanced Technique 1
In the above practice, also add label 'pleasant', 'unpleasant' or 'neutral' in addition to 'arising' or 'passing' when a feeling arises or passes. For example, label 'arising pleasant' if a pleasant feeling arises. Label 'passing unpleasant' if an unpleasant feeling passes
Advanced Technique 2
In the above practice, also label the source of the feeling whether it is body or mind. For example, "arising pleasant feeling based in the body". "passing unpleasant feeling based in the mind". Prerequisites
5. Mindfulness of Feelings
58.Mindfulness of Pleasant Feeling
You can practice the following technique when you have a pleasant feeling in the present moment. For example, you are eating your favorite food.
Basic Technique
Be aware of the pleasant feeling.
After becoming skillful at the basic technique, you can try advanced techniques.
Advanced Technique 1
Be aware of the source of the feeling whether it is body or mind. Advanced Technique 2
Be aware your wanting to prolong the pleasant feeling. Optional Technique 1
Be aware of intensity of the feeling whether it is mild or strong. Note
If you do not have pleasant feeling in the present moment, you can recall a memory or an image, which will make you feel pleasant, for the sake of this practice. For example, thinking of someone you love.
59.Mindfulness of Unpleasant Feeling
You can practice the following technique when you have an unpleasant feeling in the present moment. For example, you have hunger, itchiness, pain, leg numbness.
Basic Technique
Be aware of the unpleasant feeling.
After becoming skillful at the basic technique, you can try advanced techniques.
Advanced Technique 1
Be aware of the source of the feeling whether it is body or mind. Advanced Technique 2
Be aware your wanting to avoid the unpleasant feeling. Optional Technique 1
Be aware of intensity of the feeling whether it is mild or strong. Note
If you do not have unpleasant feeling in the present moment, you can recall a memory or an image, which will make you feel unpleasant, for the sake of the practice. For example, thinking of someone you dislike.
60.Mindfulness of Six Sense-
Consciousness
We train our mind to be aware of the six sense consciousness, i.e., seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, perceiving. We normally pay attention to a particular object in a mindfulness practice, for example, breath, which is the object of the attention when you practice Mindfulness of Breathing. In this practice, we do not limit our attention to a particular object but open attention to all phenomena that are occurring (arising or passing) in the present moment (here and now). This practice is also known as Objectless Mindfulness Practice or Mindfulness of Present Moment.
Basic Technique
Silent say 'hearing' when you hear a sound.
After becoming skillful at the basic technique, you can try advanced techniques.
Advanced Technique 1
Silent say 'touching' when you notice a physical sensation. Advanced Technique 2
Silent say 'perceiving' when a mental event occurs. Advanced Technique 3
Silent say 'seeing' when you see something. Advanced Technique 4
Silent say 'smelling' when you smell something. Advanced Technique 5
Note: When you are aware of multiple events at the same time, you can choose either. Alternatively, you can choose whichever is the dominant experience. For example, when you see a bird and hear chirping sound at the same time. You can choose either 'sight' or 'hearing'.
61.Mindfulness of Hand Movements 2
Basic TechniqueSynchronize your hand movements with your breath. • moving up while inhaling.
• moving down while exhaling. • moving to left while inhaling. • moving to right while exhaling. • moving to forward while inhaling. • moving to backward while exhaling.
• moving a circular motion (first half circle) while inhaling.
• moving a circular motion (the rest of half circle) while exhaling.
Note: your hand movements follows your breath but not the other way around.
After becoming skillful at the basic technique, you can try advanced techniques.
Advanced Technique 1
Further synchronize beginning, middle and ending of your hand movement with beginning, middle and ending of your breath. Advanced Technique 2
Be aware of both movements and breath at the same time with clarity.
Prerequisite
62.Mindfulness of Eye Movements 2
Basic TechniqueSynchronize your eye movements with your breath. • moving up while inhaling.
• moving down while exhaling. • moving to left while inhaling. • moving to right while exhaling.
• moving a circular motion (first half circle) while inhaling.
• moving a circular motion (the rest of half circle) while exhaling.
Note: your eye movements follows your breath but not the other way around.
After becoming skillful at the basic technique, you can try advanced techniques.
Advanced Technique 1
Further synchronize beginning, middle and ending of your eye movement with beginning, middle and ending of your breath. Advanced Technique 2
Be aware of both movements and breath at the same time with clarity.
Note: If you experience a difficulty in your eye movements, it is help to use markings on the wall (or use an imaginary markings) to guide your eye movements. The marking may consists of 10 vertical dots, 10 horizontal dots and 12 additional dots to form a circle around the vertical and horizontal dots. They may look like a radar screen.
Prerequisite
Mindfulness of Eye Movements