Open Focus Meditation (MBSR Style)

Inspired by Les Femhi, this practice encourages us to move away from a rigid, narrow focus to a wide, open focus (which we tend to have when our nervous system is in threat mode) by practicing awareness of “space” both outside and inside our bodies. Some people find this relaxing and others even experience an altered state of consciousness with a profound change in relationship to difficult experiences.

It is best to sit relaxed but alert for this practice. Let go of striving and just gently follow the words. Like anything, this a skill that improves with practice. Enjoy inclusive attention, practicing giving space and objects equal attention. Allow your feelings as best you can.

Transcript

So welcome to that open focus body scan. Let's begin by arriving in sitting. Though if you need to it's totally fine to lie down. Just noticing the support of the floor or chair beneath you. Allowing gravity to hold you. No effort required. You may even. . . Ask gravity if you can give yourself over to it. It's very obliging like that. Really let go into gravity. If you haven't already, You might allow the gaze to soften. Or the eyes to close. Without any trying or forcing. Can you allow awareness to spread right through your body? Like liquid gently filling a vessel. No need to direct it or control it in any way. Notice that you're breathing. You don't have to instruct you how to breathe, You are breathing. So now perhaps having that sense of. . . Accompanying your breath, Not focusing tightly on it. Just accompanying it. The breath moving in and out. Like waves flowing in and returning to the ocean. Nothing to do. Nothing to fix. Now gently sensing not only the physical sensations of the body, Breathing. But also the space in which these sensations are arising within the body. The body filled with space. Feeling into the volume your body is taking up in space. Sensing the volume of the space in the room that you are sitting. And the space you are taking up in that room. You might notice how as you inhale, The volume of your body increases, Taking up a little more space in the room. And as you exhale, The volume of your body decreases slightly. And feeling into the space around your body in every direction. The space above you. Below you. In front of you. Behind you. And to the sides. Feeling into the space radiating out in every direction. Can you imagine experiencing your body not as a solid object? But as a changing field of sensations. Arising in space. Can you imagine sensing your body as porous? Spacious. Dynamic. Allowing awareness to soften. And become receptive. A bit like you might imagine open hands to be. And bringing awareness in the way you know how to the thumbs on both hands. Can you imagine sensing the three-dimensional presence of your thumbs? Noticing the sensations in your thumbs. Perhaps pulsing. Tingling. Cool. Can you sense the space around the thumbs as well as within the thumbs? Now sensing the presence of your index fingers. And feeling both thumbs and index fingers at the same time. As well as sensing the presence of thumbs and forefingers. Can you imagine sensing the space between the thumbs and forefingers? Now adding the middle fingers. The ring fingers. The little fingers. Awareness resting in the felt sense of the whole of your hands. Can you imagine that they are clouds of sensation floating in a gentle field of space? Noticing both the presence and perhaps even the subtle absence of sensations. The space between your fingers. Not doing anything. Just allowing your experience to show itself. Now sensing into the space of your wrists. Forearms. Elbows. Operams. Letting awareness broaden and widen and include both arms and hands. Can you imagine sensing into these areas, Not only as solid forms, But as filled with space? Surrounded by space. And permeated by space. Is there a difference between noticing them as things? And sensing them as sensations floating in open awareness. Now including the space of your shoulders. Noticing sensations. Warmth, Heaviness. Buzzing openness. Can you imagine sensing the space between both shoulders? What is it like to feel both the contact with the chair or floor and the space between the shoulders? No need to make anything happen. Just receiving sensations in space. Bringing awareness to the neck and throat now. Resting in space. Surrounded by space. Can you sense the space inside your throat as you inhale and exhale naturally? Can you sense the space inside your nose as you inhale and exhale naturally? Can you imagine sensing the space between your ears? And sensing the space inside your mouth and cheeks. Feeling into the volume of your tongue, Teeth and gums. Sensing the volume of your lips. You imagine sensing the distance between the space inside your throat and the space your eyes are taking up. And the distance between the space inside your throat and the space inside your ears. Sensing the space between your chin and the top of your head. And the space between the bridge of your nose and the back of your head. Sensing a space between your temples. And the volume of your whole head and face. Can you imagine sensing the entire head? Floating like a cloud of sensations. Hermeated by space, Surrounded by the space of the room. Letting awareness rest in the chest and upper torso now, The front, The sides and the back of the body. Can you feel the waves of sensation arising and passing as you inhale and exhale naturally? Sensing into the changing volume of the lungs as you inhale and exhale naturally. Feeling into the space where all the organs of the chest abide, The space of the lungs, Heart. Liver Stomach. Diaphragm. Can you imagine sensing into the space between the sternum and the back of the spine? And sensing into the space the heart is taking up. And the tips of the shoulders. Sensing into the chest, The alive heart, Lungs, Diaphragm. Perhaps as if they are gently suspended in space. Surrounded by space. Permeated by space. Now sensing into the abdomen and pelvis. Sensing into the pressure of your buttocks making contact with the chair, Stool or cushion. Can you imagine sensing the distance between your sitting bones and your navel? Sensing into the space between your navel and your backbone. Feeling into the bowl of the pelvis. Is there movement in this space as the breath moves in and out? Sensing the space between each hip bone. Sensing the space between the base of the pelvis and the diaphragm at the bottom of the ribs. Can you imagine feeling into the volume of the abdomen? Like a bowl of space filled with awareness. Holding all these organs of digestion, Elimination. Reproduction. Noticing any holding or softening that might happen on its own. Sensing this whole belly, Not as a thing, But as a field of sensation. Filled with space. Permeated by space. Fluid changing. Dynamic. Gently including in awareness the legs and feet. No need to concentrate too tightly. Just letting awareness widen and soften and include the legs all the way down to the feet. Can you imagine feeling both legs at once? Can you imagine sensing the space between your sitting bones and your knees? Feeling into the volume, The space your thighs are taking up. Can you sense the distance between the top of the thigh and the back of the thighs which are touching the space of the chair, Stool or cushion? Feeling into the space between each knee. Sensing into the space between knees and ankles, That is the space of the lower legs, The calves and shins. All the sensations arising in that space, Surrounded by space and permeated by space. Can you imagine sensing into the space of the ankles and feet? Not just as physical forms but as clouds of sensation. Are rising in space. Permeated by space. Can you sense the distance between the heels and the toes? Can you sense the space between your big toe joint and the little toe joint on each foot? Can you sense the space between the skin at the base of your feet and the skin at the tops of the feet? Can you imagine sensing the space between both ankles? Now gently inviting this spacious sense of the whole body. Feeling the body, Not as a thing. But as a process, A field of aliveness, A constellation of sensations. Floating in the spaciousness of the room. Noticing the breath moving within and out with. In this whole body and the room. Feeling the body as space. Resting in space. Aware of space. Can you imagine allowing any emotion, Body feeling, Thought or image that arises? That you can include it in this open awareness of space. That you neither reject nor encourage any experience or any release of energy that may occur. Letting go of any technique now. Simply resting in this open awareness. Aware of sound. Sensation. So. . . All held in a wide field. You may notice stillness. Or movement. Buzzing, Tingling, Throbbing. You may notice heaviness or lightness. Whoops so cool density or diffuseness. Or nothing much at all. Whatever is here is welcome. Knowing that the meditation is soon coming to a close. Noticing if any part of your experience wants to linger. Sense of presence perhaps. Of openness. Of resting back. And noticing the effect of the practice. Best you can allowing whatever experience is present right now. Offering yourself a little bit of appreciation for making the time to do this practice. And when you're ready, You might start to bring some movement into fingers and toes, Hands and feet. You might let a little bit of light into the eyes. And have a stretch. Thank you.