It takes time to shift one’s consciousness from a common use of the minimum, used by wrote and with little actual awareness, to more aware. Yet, with repeated mindfulness coupled with intentional expansions into one’s ongoing experience of moment-to-moment life, awareness is experienced more vibrantly and consciously.
Sitting with a mindfulness of the physical body can give rise to increasing awareness in a variety of ways:
appreciation of the body. It truly is amazing!
a vibrational awareness of the body. One begins to feel the body as a scintillating, vibrational organ, pulsing in the world.
one might become more aware of the chakras and other features of the esoteric anatomy
with a genuine focus on the body, one’s mind grounds, settles, softens and opens
one becomes aware of the many-ness within this seeming unitary-ness of the incarnated form
and other benefits as well.
As mentioned in previous meditations, becoming aware of how unaware one has been -about anything- is so important. Certainly, one’s body is usually counted among the “usually not noticed” unless there is pain or injury. The body just keeps going and is taken for granted. Thus, mindfulness of the body in the body can be a powerful meditation practice for all the above listed reasons and many more.
One might ask, “why is a meditation focusing on the physical body a preliminary practice to a retreat on the nature of mind?” My brief response begins this meditation session; then onward into being present “to the body in the body”. Amazing!
A meditation retreat is happening Fri-Mon. Here is the preliminary practice.
These are the steps:
The practice (do this at least once a day before the retreat)
Sitting well will support you in opening to the nature of mind. Do what you can to provide this kindness and wisdom to yourself.
– Once sitting, make three big breaths, each with a forceful exhale. Shake your upper body a bit, as we have done many times. Then settle into your body: feel your butt on the cushion, your backbone rising up from your sacrum; feel your ribs, your shoulders, your neck, ears, eyes, hair. Do not rush. Be present to “the body in the body.”
– While doing all of the above, one facet after another came to the foreground of your mind and experience. Slowly, that faded as the next facet or focus came to the fore. Just sit with that fact born of your settling experience (from choosing a chair or cushion, to breathing forcefully, and so forth)
– At some point, your breathing will naturally become foreground. Be that. Be with that. Relax and vibrantly Be -breathing.
Remain: vibrant. rest-full. simple. (thoughts are clouds in the sky)
