First Foundation Meditation Mindfulness of Body and Breath

This meditation is based on the First Foundation of Mindfulness as taught by the historical Buddha. The teaching it comes from is called the Satipatthāna Sutta, or Four Foundations of Mindfulness. The first of the four explores mindfulness using the objects of the breath, the body and anatomical parts - meaning exploring all the parts of the body, the elements of Earth, Wind, Water and Fire and cemetery contemplations. The mindfulness aspect is to get to know there is a body, there is a breath. This practice goes through the basics but doesn’t cover each and every contemplation. That I will cover in a future practice.

Transcript

So this first foundation from the Satipatthana Sutta is the mindfulness of breathing.

The subjects dealt in the Satipatthana are the physical body,

Feeling tones,

The mind and mind objects,

Being the universe of right Buddhist contemplation for deliverance.

A very prominent place in the discourse is occupied by the discussion on mindfulness of breathing or Anapanasati.

And mindfulness of breathing takes the highest place among the various subjects of Buddhist meditation.

So we'll begin by just taking a few moments of settling in with just a short body scan before we get into the actual practice of the first foundation of mindfulness.

So if you haven't already,

Find a comfortable upright posture,

Straight back,

Soft front,

Not stiff,

Not tense.

Generally close your eyes if that's how you prefer to sit.

Let the head,

Face,

Jaw and neck relax and gently notice your breath.

Allow your shoulders to come.

Letting the tugging of gravity do its work.

Feel the tension in the biceps,

Forearms and hands dissipate.

Down the torso,

We do the same.

Just let it all relax.

Let whatever tension the body is holding go as best you can.

And through your out breath,

You can intentionally exhale some of the stress that might be there.

Watch the breath.

Be aware of where you notice it.

The upper lip or the nostrils,

The lungs,

The chest,

The heart,

The belly.

Somewhere in that range,

You'll find it most noticeable.

As you notice it,

Maybe think to yourself,

Now it's like this.

Now it's like this.

At that moment of noticing,

That is present time awareness.

That is mindfulness.

Now here,

In this very moment,

In this very body.

This concentration through mindfulness of breathing,

When developed and sustained,

Is both peaceful and unparalleled.

It banishes at once unprofitable thoughts,

Unskillful thoughts,

As soon as they arise.

We use the breath as our home base.

A place to come back to when we lose concentration and our mind wanders.

In difficult times,

On or off the cushion,

We can always go home to our breath.

It is always there for us.

Ever mindful,

We breathe in.

Ever mindful,

We breathe out.

Breathing in a deep breath?

No,

I am breathing in a deep breath.

Breathing out a deep breath?

No,

I am breathing out a deep breath.

Breathing in a short breath?

No,

I am breathing in a short breath.

Breathing out a short breath?

No,

I am breathing out a short breath.

Experiencing the whole body,

The whole breath.

I shall breathe in and I shall breathe out.

Ever mindful.

Experiencing the activity of the breath and body.

I shall breathe in and I shall breathe out.

Ever mindful.

As we sit here in this peaceful place,

In the sitting posture,

Resting on the cushion,

We understand this is the hub of our practice.

This whole body awareness.

We are simply knowing there is a body.

We can maintain this awareness through the four satipatthanas and take it out into the world with us through our mindfulness.

Keeping the mindfulness of the body ever present.

Or when we lose it,

Coming back to it when we notice.

We start the practice with the three body contemplations.

Anatomical parts,

Elements,

And cemetery contemplations.

First we focus on the anatomical parts.

We are aware of the skin,

Flesh,

And bones.

We start with the skin.

We are simply aware of the skin.

First in the head area to the extent we are able to feel it.

Or just knowing it is there.

From the head to the throat,

The neck,

Our shoulders.

Both shoulders together.

Down the upper arms,

Forearms,

Wrists,

Hands.

Just aware of the skin.

This container holding us together,

Protecting us.

Noticing the sensation of the skin,

If it's available.

Now we move to the front of the body.

Ever mindful,

Ever aware.

The chest and belly.

Paying attention to the skin.

The sensation of the skin against our clothing.

Or the exposed skin to the air.

The temperature and humidity that we notice on the skin.

The back of the body.

How does the skin feel?

Let your mind explore this.

Just knowing that there is a back,

There is skin.

Moving down,

We notice the skin on the hips,

Thighs,

Buttocks and lower legs.

Ankles and feet.

Skin touching each other.

In the cushion.

We sit here in this gentle contemplation.

We are aware of this whole body covered in skin.

Flesh.

We start with the fleshy parts of this body.

First the feet.

Moving up,

The lower legs,

Thighs.

We are aware of the fleshy parts of the hips.

The front of the torso.

The back of the torso.

We stay aware of the fleshy parts of the hands and the lower arms.

Upper arms.

Shoulders.

The neck.

And the fleshy parts of the head.

We are aware of this whole body in the sitting posture of the fleshy parts of this body.

Bones.

Head.

Skull.

Neck bones.

Shoulder bones.

Upper arms.

Bones in the lower arms.

All the bones in the hands.

The legs.

Sternum.

The ribs.

The spine.

Pelvis.

Femur.

Lower legs and feet.

We are aware of this whole body.

Of the bones in this whole body.

The skeleton.

We are aware of this whole body made of skin,

Flesh and bones.

With the understanding each of these parts of this body have an important function to keep this body alive.

One lives contemplating body in the body.

Internally.

Externally.

And internally and externally.

We live unattached and cling to nothing in the world.

Thus,

We live contemplating the body in the body.

Having overcome desire and grief,

We are eager,

Understanding and mindful.

And we move on to the elements.

Earth,

Water,

Fire and wind.

They show themselves as hardness and softness.

Fluidity and cohesion.

Temperature and motion.

The earth element is found throughout the whole body.

But the bones are where we can experience it most clearly.

Be aware of the earth element in the head,

Mostly the skull.

Let your attention connect the skull with the earth element of hardness.

The neck and spine.

The body's shoulders,

Upper arms,

Lower arms,

Hands,

Torso,

Hips,

Thighs,

Lower legs and feet.

Always be aware of this whole body's solidity connected to the earth element.

The calcium that builds our bones comes directly from the earth.

The earth element is the earth's bones.

The body's bones are the earth.

Water.

Liquidity,

Fluidity,

Cohesion found throughout the whole body,

But especially in the fleshy parts.

Blood and other bodily fluids.

We are aware of the fact that these feet are pervaded by liquidity,

Fluidity,

Cohesion from the water element,

As are our lower legs,

Thighs,

Hips,

Torso,

Shoulders,

Arms and hands,

Neck and head.

Always being aware of this whole body's liquidity,

Fluidity,

Connected to the water element.

Fire.

Heat.

Warmth.

Everyone has touched skin on the forehead and felt warmth.

98.

6.

If it were that warm here,

We'd search for a cooler spot.

That is the fire inside this body.

The skin is our connection to the fire element.

Our fiery core keeps this body alive.

If temperature goes too high or too low,

This body dies.

Fire keeps us alive.

Be aware of the fire element in the head.

So much heat being released there.

Always being aware of this whole body's heat,

Connected to the fire element.

Wind.

The element of wind combines with the other elements to keep this body alive.

Any one missing element and the body cannot survive.

Wind is any kind of motion,

Movement,

Throughout the whole body.

Wind is the breath,

Inhaling air,

Filling the lungs with much needed oxygen,

Exhaling CO2,

Which are partners in wind.

The plants used to create,

Breathe,

And sustain us with oxygen.

And again we inhale,

But wind does not end there.

The body's lungs pass it off to the blood.

The water element,

Nourishing each cell as it goes.

Be aware of each breath,

Bringing life to every inch of the body through the element of wind.

This is the constitution of the body,

Made up of these four elements,

Same as nature outside.

Nothing special about this body.

Nothing I can truly own.

Just a process of solidity,

Fluidity,

Temperature,

And motion.

And again,

This body is not self.

Not something I can truly or forever own.

We get to abide in this body now,

But not for all time.

Grasping at this body causes suffering.

This body doesn't create something that gives us a true sense of identity.

This body itself is not self.

One lives contemplating body in the body,

Internally,

Externally,

And internally and externally.

We live unattached and cling to nothing in the world.

Thus,

We live contemplating the body in the body.

Having overcome desire and grief,

We are eager,

Understanding,

And mindful.

Cemetery Contemplations If you choose not to contemplate the mortality of the body,

Simply count the breath,

Count to ten and start again.

If you wander,

Remember to be kind to yourself,

As returning to the breath is a core practice of meditation.

Awareness of the mortality of this body.

This body will pass away at some point.

It is destined to fall apart and return its elements to the earth,

Water,

Fire,

And wind.

If you choose to contemplate this,

Picture something as a skull or bones.

Know that this body will at some time be in this state.

Every body that is born will die.

But suffering is not required.

Sorrow is not required.

Cherishing is.

Because our time with this body is limited,

Focusing our experiences on negative aspects and what might happen,

On what we don't have,

Is simply wasting the incredible gift we have to have such a body.

With every inhalation,

Realize that this could be our last breath.

With every exhalation,

We let go.

We relax.

We just breathe.

Death is a part of life.

By making it part of life,

We can become so alive to the present moment.

Recall that this is the only time we are alive.

Right now.

We are not alive.

We are not alive.

Recall that this is the only time we are alive.

Right now.

Right here.

In this present moment.

That's all there is.

It's the only time we can live.

Try to take a moment to be aware of that.