Establishing Embodied Mindfulness

In this guided meditation, various touch points in the body are used to established embodied mindfulness. The meditation begins with external body sensations, moves to internal body sensations, and then combines them into a felt sense of the whole body. Embodied mindfulness is an essential component for mindfulness practice, either as the main object of attention or as a method with which to begin a meditation practice session.

Transcript

Begin by bringing attention to the posture of the body. Is it sitting upright? Is it slouched? Is there tension in the face or in the shoulders or the arms? Make adjustments to the body, Make adjustments to the posture so that there is sitting with dignity, Stability, And comfort. Sit with comfort, But not so much comfort that the mind and body risk getting sleepy. Sit with alertness, But not so much alertness that the mind or body will get tired or experience discomfort in a short time. Relaxed but alert. Once established in the seated posture, Bring attention to the places where the gravity of the earth draws the body downward. The touch points, This could be beneath the feet or the legs, Beneath the buttocks or the back, Just the sensation of pressure and being grounded toward the earth. Bring attention to the places in the body where the gravity of earth draws objects toward the body, The touch points with clothing, With jewelry, With spectacles, Or hair, Or other adornments. The gravity of earth also draws the atmosphere into the body, So bring attention to where air touches the skin. There may be warmth in some places or coolness in others. There may be a sensation of movement on the skin as air moves past it, Or the sensation of stillness. Moving away from the external sensations on the body, Bring attention to internal sensations of the body. This can be felt as tension or hardness, Perhaps as softness. This can be felt in the muscles, Maybe the bones. Bring attention to any warmth or coolness that may be felt within the body. Bring attention to any movement in the body, The rise and fall of the abdomen, Sensations of movement in the chest or the back of the throat. There may be sensations associated with swallowing, Maybe digestion. All of these sensations together, The internal sensations, The external sensations, Together, This is what it's like to have a body. This is what it's like to be here right now. And while intention can be brought to individual sensations, Can attention be brought to the body as a whole? It's just the general sense of embodiment. What is the body like right now? Does the sense of the body have a texture? Does the sense of the body have a shape? What's it like? If the mind gets lost in thought, Gently bring attention back to the sense of the body, Back to experiencing the moment as a body, Through the body. Just this felt sense of embodiment. Just this felt sense of sitting here right now, Being.

Reviews

Simple and concise instructions for meditating without a lot of distracting background noise.

Loved this meditation. I appreciated the pacing and the clarity of the guidance. Thank you!

Great check in for a midday meditation! Thanks Matt!

Great practice to drop into the body, just the right length, thank you Matt!