A Simple Course in Meditation Session 5 Hi,
I'm G.
S.
Renfri.
If you've been following this series to date,
Welcome back.
If you're new to it,
However,
Please be aware that the first four sessions involved learning a breath-based meditation called Anapanasati.
Because that form of meditation is foundational to the series,
You might want to consider going back and beginning with session one.
In this session,
We'll be doing a body scan meditation.
From a consciousness perspective,
It can be argued that the greatest gift of the body is that it's always present in the moment.
Our minds can journey off in time and space through its virtual reality,
But our bodies are fixed to the here and now.
Accordingly,
When our mind,
Our attention,
Is focused on some aspect of the body,
It too is present in the moment.
Our bodies are an amazing gift of nature.
More than just a vehicle by which we do life,
They're an intrinsic part of who and what we are,
Inseparable from our minds,
An ideal aspect of ourselves to help us connect with our pure consciousness.
Every moment of every day,
The body senses stream a massive amount of information about the inner and outer worlds to our brains,
So much so that most of it has to be ignored.
When we focus attention on specific sensations,
However,
We usually become aware of some of this discarded information.
For example,
Take a moment to become aware of the palm of your left hand.
What do you feel there?
As you pay attention,
Are you becoming aware of emerging sensations,
Feelings you haven't been consciously aware of before?
Shift your attention over to your right palm.
As you focus on it,
Do you notice any emerging sensations?
With practice,
We can train ourselves to become acutely aware of body sensations at will so that,
Place our attention where we may,
We are greeted with the nuances of our physical presence that can be as fascinating as they are grounding.
Paradoxically,
This ability can be used for pain management as well,
But that's a little beyond the present discourse.
Body scan meditations are an excellent stress management tool and an effective way to develop greater body awareness and appreciation.
So,
If you please,
It's time to be present here and now.
Sit or lie in a comfortable position,
Preferably with your palms open and turned upward.
Begin by taking a few full breaths as discussed in earlier sessions,
Focusing on the sensations they produce.
Now allow your breathing to return towards a natural rhythm and as you do so,
Imagine what it would feel like if your arms became like warm,
Soft clay.
Imagine the feelings of warmth and heaviness as your arms warm and soften.
Imagine how your legs might feel as warm,
Soft clay.
Imagine the feelings of warmth and heaviness as your legs soften and sink into the ground that supports them.
Now imagine your torso transforming in the same way,
Warm,
Soft and heavy.
Your whole body now,
Warm,
Soft and heavy.
As you did during the introduction,
Focus your attention on the palm of your right hand.
What do you feel there?
Are you becoming more aware of subtle sensations as you continue to focus there?
If not,
Simply accept your experience as it is in this moment.
Shift your attention to your left palm.
With simple curiosity,
Just be aware of the sensations there,
Without demand,
Without expectation.
Now shift your attention to the sole of your right foot.
If you're seated and your feet are planted,
Do you feel the contact between your foot and the ground?
Shift your attention to the sole of your left foot.
Take a moment to shift your attention from the sole of your left foot to that of your right foot and back again to compare the sensations.
Now shift your attention to your right lower leg.
Do you find the sensations there more subtle,
More difficult to tune into than the palms of your hands and the soles of your feet?
As you continue to passively observe the sensations,
Are they becoming more noticeable or remaining the same?
Shift your attention now to your left lower leg.
If you find your attention wandering,
Simply redirect your attention to the sensations you feel in your left lower leg.
Shift your attention to your right forearm,
Your left forearm,
Back to the right palm.
Are the sensations there more intense and easily discerned?
Some parts of our bodies,
Such as the palms of our hands,
The soles of our feet and our face,
Are rich with sensory receptors,
While others less so.
It makes tuning into certain body areas more challenging,
But with practice you will find that you can zero in and become aware of sensations on every square inch of your skin.
Now keeping your attention on your right palm,
Can you make out any differences in sensations between those emanating from the surface of the skin to those coming from deep within your hand?
Making a few micro movements with your fingers and thumb usually increases awareness of the sensations from the joints in your hand.
Focusing on your left hand now,
Explore the entire hand inside and out,
Using a few micro movements now and then,
If that's helpful.
Now shift your attention to your heart center.
Can you make out any sensations coming from the surface of your chest?
How about the sensations deep within your chest caused by your breathing?
Are you able to detect any deeper sensations associated with your heart beating?
Body scan meditations can focus on as few or as many body parts as you like.
Focusing on even one body part for an extended period of time can help deepen your appreciation for sensations coming out of that area of your body.
It can also be enlightening and perhaps healing to focus extensively on an area of injury.
More traditionally,
However,
A body scan meditation involves a complete survey of the body as a whole,
One part at a time.
To complete this meditation,
I'll guide you through a brief,
Complete body scan,
Pausing only momentarily on each area.
This is very similar to the process we'll be using in a few sessions from now,
When we cover yoga nidra.
Begin by focusing on your right lower leg and foot.
What do you feel there?
Explore whatever sensations you're aware of just a little longer,
But take note whether they're constant or changing.
Now focus on your right upper leg and hip,
Your left lower leg and foot,
Your left upper leg and hip,
Your pelvis,
Your lower torso,
That is,
Your lower back and belly,
Your upper torso,
Your right forearm and hand,
Your right upper arm,
Your left forearm and hand,
Your left upper arm,
Your shoulder and neck,
Your face.
Our faces are the most expressive part of the body,
And they change in subtle and not-so-subtle ways in reaction to our internal and external worlds.
The corresponding physical sensations associated with these changes are countless and fascinating.
How do you feel?
Body scan meditations can be very effective,
And they're often easier for those who have difficulty focusing on a single set of body sensations,
As is done with breath-based meditation.
I recommend you practice body scan meditation for at least a few days before moving on to the next session.
You can use the timer feature on Insight Timer to set a temporal boundary for yourself and simply scan your body sensations on your own accord.
If you prefer,
However,
You can repeat listen to this session,
Where there are numerous longer body scan meditations available on Insight Timer.
Thank you for taking the time to meditate with me today.
May you be warm and safe,
And may you live in peace and happiness.
