Foundations Of Mindfulness - Satipatthana In Practice

This is the final practice in a series exploring the foundations of mindfulness, inspired by the Buddha’s teachings in the Satipatthana Sutta.

In this meditation, we journey through the foundations, moving through awareness of the body, the body as parts and elements, feeling tone, mental states, hindrances, and awakening factors. Each offers a different perspective through which we can explore our experience and recognise the patterns that shape our thoughts, feelings, and responses.

As we move through these different layers of experience, we cultivate greater sensitivity, clarity, and insight. The practice invites us to notice what is present, how it changes, and the conditions that influence it, opening up a deeper understanding of our experience and greater freedom in how we relate to it.

Transcript

This practice is inspired by Buddha's teachings in the Satipatthana Sutta, His guidance on establishing mindfulness. So in this practice, We're going to work through seven contemplations, Looking at breath, The body. Four elements, Feeling tone, States of mind, The hindrances and the awakening factors. Together they offer different ways of understanding ourselves and our experience. There's nothing you need to achieve, You don't need every part of the practice to resonate equally. All we're doing is simply noticing what's here moment by moment. Allowing each experience to be just as it is. So we start by taking our seat, Which can be any posture where we can be present and focused. It's a sense of ease. We allow the eyes to rest. Maybe they close or just lowering the gaze. And we start by establishing mindfulness in front of us, Setting an intention. We remember what it is that brought us here to the practice today. And then we rest awareness in the front of our body, On the breath, Maybe the nostrils, The belly, The chest, Whatever works for you. And simply noticing we're breathing in. Breathing out. It's not about making the breath be any particular way, Just noticing. So noticing if the breath is long. Or if it's short, Just noticing that. Just letting the breath come and go, Allowing the body and the mind to gradually settle. If the mind wanders, Remembering it's not a mistake, This is just part of the practice, The mind wanders, We notice, We bring it back. So bring it back with gentleness and patience to the breath. But you can get calm and go. The mind's very active, You might want to keep a close focus on the breath. So being aware from the moment the inhalation begins all the way through to the end of each inhalation. And the same with each exhalation. Really keeping a close focus on the body of each breath. If you're feeling like you're making a little bit too much effort, There's too much tension and tightness. Maybe just feeling the breath. In the whole of your body as you breathe in and out. So just exploring what works best for you in this moment, What you need to stay present with the breath. Maybe noticing how the breath. Calms your body as you breathe in and out. Bringing the beads. There's still quite a lot of tension and tightness. Maybe actively seeing if you can soften and release a little bit. With the breath. Allowing it to come. And stabilize the body, The mind. And then we start to move our awareness into the body itself. Maybe just gently being aware of the posture, However it is, Sitting or lying. And we move our awareness to the anatomy of the body, To notice its different parts. And for this, We work with the skin, The flesh, And the bones. So first we become aware of the skin. Just noticing. Don't have to feel the particular sensations, Just being aware the skin is there. Starting with our head knowing that skin is present. Front of our body, Skin. Back of our body. Skin. The arms. The legs, All the way to our feet. Just knowing skin is there, The whole body covered in skin. Including the hair and the nails. Just knowing skin. And then we move our awareness to notice the flesh. And we do this in the same way, Not necessarily needing to feel all the sensations, But just recognizing, Just knowing the flesh is there in our body, In our muscles. In our organs. So we start with our feet. So bringing our awareness to the feet, Knowing that flesh is present. Legs, Arms, Flesh. Back of body, Flesh. Front of body, Flesh. The head. Florence. Recognizing that flesh is present in the whole body. So just knowing flesh is there. And then becoming aware of the bones in our body. Again, Doing this in the same way, No need to feel directly into the sensations. But just being aware the bones are there. So we start with the head, The skull, Bones. Front of the body, Bones, Back of the body, Bones. Shoulders, Arms, Bones. Our hips, Pelvis, Legs. Feet. Bye then. So being aware of the whole skeletal structure, Quietly supporting the body. Just knowing. Bow And we sense the whole body together like this, Skin, Flesh, Bones. The body of many parts. So just like we would look at grains in a sack. Different rices, Different beans, Just noticing skin, Flesh, Bones. In our body. These natural processes unfolding. It's not something solid or permanent, Just this changing body. And then we move our attention to the body as a changing combination of elements, Earth, Water, Fire, Air. And we start this with the earth element. So this is whatever is solid or firm, Bones, Teeth, Structure, Weight. You start by bringing attention to the head, Knowing the earth element is present. The skull, The teeth. And moving to the body. Front and back. Earth element. The shoulders, The arms, The pelvis, The legs, The feet. Just knowing earth elements. Knowing the solidity is there in the body, This weight. And also being aware of the earth element externally. The floor beneath us, Ground outside, Pebbles, Rocks, Mountains, Trees. The same elements inside and outside. And then we move to the water element. So whatever is fluid, Blood, Saliva, Sweat, The flowing nature of the body. We start by bringing our attention to the feet. Knowing that water element is present. Legs, Arms, Water. Back of body, Front of body, Water. Ahead. Water. Just knowing water element flowing in the whole body. Aware of the water element externally. Rain. Rivers, Lakes, Sea, Clouds. Knowing it's the same elements inside and outside the body. We're constantly exchanging water with the world. And then we move our awareness to the fire element. Warmth, Temperature, Digestion, Metabolism. We often feel this on the skin. So we start bringing attention to the head. Knowing the fire element is present, Maybe feeling it in the skin. We move to the body, Front of the body. The chest, The belly. Back of the body. Fire element. Arms, Legs, Feet. To snowing fire elements. Aware of fire in the whole body, Internally and externally. Knowing that without the warmth of the sun this body could not live. Knowing the heat in the body is borrowed from the sun. And then we move to the air element. So this is movement, Motion, Vibration. We know this most clearly through the breath. We start bringing attention to the feet, Knowing the air element is present. Like. Arms, Air. Back of body, Front of body, Maybe feeling the breath in the chest and the belly. Mmm. Eh. Just knowing this air flowing in and out of the whole body, Aware of the air element externally, The breeze in the trees, Maybe air on our skin. We're continually exchanging air with the external world. Are we breathing the world? Or is the universe breathing out? And now aware of the whole body together, Earth, Water, Fire, Air. A body made of elements, A body borrowed from nature, Sustained by nature. Returning eventually to nature. Not separate from the world around it. Then we may bring to mind the image of a skeleton as a gentle reminder of the ultimate fate of this body, To fall apart, To return to nature. We may notice the breath. And remind ourselves that we cannot be sure if this is our last breath. And even if it's not our last breath, It's certainly one breath closer to death. Seeing if just for a moment we can softly hold this as a truth without pushing it away. And seeing if it's possible to even relax here just for a moment. Now we begin our explanation of the feeling tone, The Vidana. The pleasant, The unpleasant, And the neutral. Just being curious what our experience is. We don't need anything special to happen. Not trying to fix anything. Just seeing what's there moment to moment. So we start with pleasant feelings, So just gently scanning the body. Notice if there's any sense of pleasant experience. Could be an ease, A warmth, A softness, Coolness. So we're not overanalyzing or making it complicated. We're just recognizing, Is there anything that feels a little bit pleasant right now? Maybe moving through the body to check. Head. Body, Arms, Pleasant. There's no need to describe anything further, Just recognizing if there's any sense of pleasant feeling. Hips, Legs, Feet. Simply knowing pleasant. Nothing more. And now unpleasant feeling. So maybe there's some tension or pressure or discomfort, Too much heat. Again, Simply knowing unpleasant. Don't need to get caught up in the story or need to fix it. We're just noticing, Allowing it to be there. So starting with the feet. Feet, Legs, Hips. Maybe that's something unpleasant. Just recognizing. Arms body, Head. Unpleasant. Just recognizing nothing more. And then exploring neutral, Neither unpleasant or pleasant, Maybe something very quiet or unnoticed in the background. Might seem almost invisible or boring. Which is checking. Hate. Body Um. . . Simply knowing neutral. Hips, Legs, Feet. Neutral. And then for a moment opening to the whole of the body, The whole of the experience. Just being curious what's the tone. Moment to moment, Is it pleasant, Unpleasant? Neutral Or maybe there's a mix of these different layers. Just being curious what you notice. And then we move to the third foundation of mindfulness, The mind itself. Rather than focusing on thoughts or stories. We're interested in the overall condition, The state of the mind. So we're asking this simple question, How is the mind right now? What is its state? There's nothing here to figure out or fix. No need to understand why the mind is this way. All we're doing is just noticing its condition, What's present, What's not. Maybe there's a sense of wanting. Desiring, Leaning towards something. Just checking. Maybe there is. Or maybe not. Maybe there's a sense of aversion, Resistance, A tightening against experience. Maybe there's some pain that feels unpleasant in the body, A hunger, Some sound you don't like. Maybe a feeling of impatience. So just seeing if there's any sense of that in the mind. In this moment. Seeing if it's present or not, And noticing how it feels, Its texture, This presence of aversion or this absence. Yeah. Maybe noticing if there's confusion, Dullness, Drifting. Maybe the mind's wandering, Maybe it's foggy, Clouded. Unfocused, Lost in too many thoughts. Or maybe it's quite clear and awake and present. So just noticing what its state is. And how that feels. There's confusion, Feeling the texture of that, Getting familiar with it. There's clarity noticing how that feels, The mind, The body. There's no need to change anything. It's not about creating a particular state. We're just simply recognizing what's here, What's not, Getting familiar with how that feels, So it's easier for us to recognize the presence or the absence of mind states. Maybe being curious is the mind contracted, Narrow, Tight. Or is it feeling expensive? Why? Is the mind feeling scattered or collected? Is it feeling tense or at ease? We're not trying to make it any particular way, Just noticing how it is moment to moment. Being curious how these mind states feel in the body. Maybe noticing if they change. Maybe they change in intensity. And size. Maybe they fade away entirely. And maybe another mind state then arises. Just noticing this shifting, This coming, This going, As best you can. Seeing that even when we want to stay present. The mind is not fully under our control. And then we move to the hindrances. So these are the patterns of mind that can obscure clarity and make it difficult to see experience as it really is. Five hindrances are sense your desire, Ill will, Sloth and torpor, Restlessness and worry, And dab. For each of these, We can notice if they're present or not, As we did with the mind state. But we can also bring curiosity as to What causes led to the arising of the hindrance? And if there's anything that might help us emerge from it, Prevent its recurrence. So that we're no longer swallowed up by these hindrances in the same way. So we start by being curious if desire is present. Perhaps noticing if there's some feeling, Some sense of this in the body, A pull, A leaning forward, A tightening. And without analysing or going into stories about why it's there, Or blame or judgement. Just being curious. What might have contributed to this sense of desire? Maybe there was a pleasant feeling. And memory. Maybe we saw something, An image. Or maybe it's a feeling of not being good enough within ourselves. Needing something else. So just gently exploring. With interest. With friendliness. Knowing these hindrances are not personal failures. Everybody experiences them. All we're doing is noticing. They're there and bringing understanding so we can lessen their pull on us. So maybe being curious to what happens when we bring our attention to desire like this, Without feeding it, Without following it. To see it remain the same. Maybe it begins to shift or feels a little less tight. Just being curious. There's no sense of desiring, Also noticing how that feels. And then we move our attention to ill will. So again, Being curious, Is it present or not? How that feels. Maybe there's some irritation, Some resistance. Some judgment or frustration. Maybe this is directed towards another person, Towards a situation, Towards yourself. And if it's there, Just being curious what might have caused it. Is there anything that could soften it? What happens when we're simply present with it? And then checking for sloth and torpor, These qualities of dullness, Heaviness, Sleepiness. Maybe they're there, Maybe not. Maybe the mind feels foggy, Lacking energy. Uninterested, Heavy. So again, Just check in with curiosity. Is there any of this present in this moment? And if so, Being curious what might have caused it, What might have contributed to its presence? Maybe a lack of sleep, Heat? Maybe we're avoiding something. So just noticing without judgment, Just bringing curiosity. And then also noticing how it feels to be with this, This sense of mindful curiosity, This friendliness. And then checking for restlessness and worry. Maybe there's a sense of agitation, Tension, Movement, Unease. Maybe not. If there is, Just noticing how it feels, Its texture. And being curious what might have caused it to arise. We have this attitude as we might when we're playing chess with a friend. Bringing this curiosity, How did this situation arise? What happened? So we can learn from it for future. So in the same way, Just being curious, What contributed to this restlessness and this worry? How does it feel to look at it in this way? And then finally we notice if there's a sense of doubt, Of uncertainty, Maybe about whether you're doing the practice right. Whether there's doubt really present or any of the other hindrances about why you're here. And if so, Just again noticing how does this feel? And being curious what might cause it to arise. And if there's no doubt, Noticing that too, How it feels to be free from doubt. And we finally bring our attention to the awakening factors, These factors that support our inner journey. We might notice that mindfulness is here. You might be fully aware of the breath, The body, The sound. And if so, Becoming familiar with this texture, How does it feel to be present? Maybe also a gentle awareness how it feels when you're not present. And noticing also if there's a sense of investigation, Of interest, Of curiosity. Maybe there's this openness, This willingness to learn and understand. So not needing to fix and solve, But just being interested in what's happening moment to moment. Sense the beginner's mind. Maybe noticing the texture of how this feels, How this shows up. If it's not there, Noticing the texture of that too. And then noticing the level of energy or effort. The energy that brought you to practice, The energy that brings you back each time the mind drifts. Maybe it's feeling strong and easy and natural. Or maybe it's something you're having to really work with that feels a little bit forced. So noticing the texture if it's present or how it feels if it's not. And when these three qualities, These awakening factors of mindfulness, Investigation and energy are present, Other qualities may naturally emerge. So being curious, Maybe there's a sense of joy. So not excitement or stimulation, But this quiet gladness. This sense of appreciation and ease. Or maybe there's no joy at the moment, If so knowing that. Maybe there's a sense of tranquility, A settling of the body and mind, A softening. Stabilizing, Growing calm. If so, Recognizing there's tranquility. Or if not, There's no tranquility, Simply knowing. If we experience tranquility, Maybe being curious, How did it happen? Had we established mindfulness, Investigated our experience, Kept coming back? Maybe we experience joy. And from that, The tranquility emerged. So just take a moment to see what's there. What caused it to arise, How it feels. And from tranquility, The next awakening factor may emerge. The sense of collectedness or concentration. A mind that's gathered rather than scattered. So if it's there, Just recognizing it, How it feels without judgment. And if it's not, If the mind feels dispersed, Just noticing how that feels too. And finally, The seventh awaking factor, Equanimity. The capacity to remain balanced with our experience, Not grasping, Not resisting. Not clinging, Not pushing away. So maybe noticing if there's moments when sounds are simply sounds, Thoughts are simply thoughts, Sensations are simply sensations, Where we can just notice them. Without needing them to be different in any way. Just letting our experience be as it is. Letting ourselves be as we are. And if so recognizing there is equanimity. Or if not, There's no equanimity in this moment. And then we move into open awareness, Very gentle, Soft awareness. Open to the whole of our experience, Whatever it may be. Bodhi. Feelings, Mind states, Hindrances, Awakening factors. Be coming from any of our senses. Seeing if we can sit with it with this sense of equanimity. Allowing it to come and go. Without reacting. Without needing it to be any other way. Simply being present with our life. Moment to moment. Letting go of effort and just being present. Resting in this spacious awareness. So on this journey we've explored the different foundations of mindfulness. Each offers a different doorway into understanding our experience. But through them as we begin to see our experience more clearly. We can become less caught in our habits of grasping, Resisting, Reacting. In their place, Wisdom, Compassion and freedom have the opportunity to grow. So slowly becoming aware of the body once more The breath entering and leaving the body. The body being held in some way by the ground. You'd be hearing the sounds around you. And then starting to get a little movement back into the body, The fingers, The toes, Or any other stretches your body wants in this moment. And when you're ready, Gently opening the eyes and seeing if you can carry this same quality of mindful awareness into the rest of your day, Meeting each moment with the same openness as you practiced here.