We feel emotions and physical sensations in the body. Yet we often try to manage these in the head. We might think, “Oh, no. I don’t want to feel that emotion. Not again. I’ve got to stop feeling that.”
Or, “This pain is terrible; I’ve got to find a way to kill it.” The more we fight the feelings and sensations, the more we suffer. We are often quite out of touch with the body as we live in our heads,
being more connected to television, computers, or cell phones than to our bodies. We might be obsessed with the image of our body in the mirror without being in tune with it, just as we may eat without really tasting. The body scan meditation will prepare us to eventually experience emotional and physical discomfort with kindness and calmness, without trying to push it away, run from it, or think ourselves out of it. This meditation teaches us to simply welcome in each sensation. We watch it kindly and dispassionately, and then let our awareness of the sensation dissolve. As we simply watch sensations, we notice that they often change; they come and go. When we do not tense up, but instead relax into the sensation, our response to the sensation changes. Many people observe that they feel grounded when they are centered in their bodies instead of their heads—peacefully observing the comings and goings of bodily sensations, and holding whatever comes up in calm aware-ness. The idea in this meditation is not to think about each region of the body, but to place your awareness deep inside it, feeling from inside. Practice this meditation for about forty minutes daily, for at least a week.
Lie down on your back in a place where you are unlikely to be disturbed. Close your eyes. Remember especially the attitudes of loving-kindness, patience, acceptance, non-judgment, letting go, and good humor.
Breathe and let your mind settle; let your mind rest calmly in your body.
Notice how your body as a whole feels at this moment without judging. Feel your skin against the carpet or bed.
Notice the temperature of the air around you and how
In a moment you will breathe in and out of one region of your body several times, paying full attention to all the sensations that you experience. It is as though your mind is resting in that area of the body. Then, when you are ready, you will release your awareness, letting awareness of that region dissolve as you also release tension in that area.
Then you’ll bring your awareness in a similar way to the next region. Each time your mind wanders, gently bring it back to the region on which you are focusing, without judging. Let’s begin. We’ll give directions starting with your left foot. Then we’ll progress in a similar fashion to the other regions of the body.
Bring kind, openhearted attention to the toes of your left foot, letting your mind rest there. Imagine that you are breathing in and out of your toes. Perhaps you imagine air from your in breath flowing down through your nose, lungs, abdomen, and legs into your toes, and then, with your out breath, out from your toes, up through your body, and through your nose. Allow yourself to feel any and all sensations in the toes—pressure from a sock, temperature, blood flow, pulsing, relaxation, tension, and so on. Notice any changes in these sensations as you breathe. If you feel nothing, that is okay. Just notice whatever there is to expe-rience without commenting or judging. When you are ready to leave this region, take a deeper and more intentional breath, following the breath down the toes once again. As you exhale, let awareness of the toes dissolve, releasing any tension or discomfort your body is willing to release at this time, as you bring awareness to the next region of your body (your left sole). Let your awareness stay in the next region in the same way for several breaths before moving on. As thoughts arise, silently say, “Thinking, thinking.”
Gently return your awareness to the region of the body and your breathing. Approach each region with the beginner’s mind, as though you’ve never before paid attention to that 4.
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region. Watch whatever you experience without tensing or judging, but with kind, gentle, softhearted awareness.
Repeat the process for each body part, following the list below:
Toes of left foot Left sole
Left heel Top of left foot Left ankle
Left shin and calf Left knee
Left thigh Left side of groin Left hip
Toes of right foot Right sole Right heel Top of right foot Right ankle
Right shin and calf Right knee
Right thigh Right side of groin Right hip
Pelvic region, genitals, and buttocks Lower back
Upper back Spinal column
Stomach Chest Ribs Heart Lungs
Shoulder blades Collarbones Shoulders
Fingers of left hand Left palm
Back of left hand Left wrist Left forearm Left elbow Left upper arm Left armpit
Fingers of right hand Right palm
Back of right hand Right wrist Right forearm Right elbow Right upper arm Right armpit
Neck and throat (notice air flow)
Nose (notice air flow and smells without judgment) Left ear
Right ear Eyes
Cheeks Forehead Temples Jaw and mouth Face
Crown of head
Now be aware of your whole body, breathing in peaceful stillness. Go beneath your thoughts and feel the wholeness of the body. Notice what is moving or changing. Breathe through imaginary airholes in your head and feet. Breathe in through the head, following the breath down to the stomach, and, on the out breath, follow the breath down the legs and out the toes. Then breathe in through the feet, following the in breath to the stomach, and breathe out through the head. Ultimately feel your entire body breath-ing, like waves on the surface of the ocean, as you watch from the calm and peaceful depths.
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