A Simple Course in Meditation Session 6,
Sensory Rotation Hi,
I'm G.
S.
Renfri.
If you're just dropping into the course now,
Please be aware that the first four sessions provided a foundation through instruction in Anapanasati,
A breath-based meditation.
Accordingly,
If you're new to meditation,
You might choose to go back and start with session 1.
In the last session,
We explored body scan meditations.
Through it,
You experience what it's like to mindfully direct your attention to varied sensations of the body.
If you've continued to practice this over the last week or so,
These sensations are likely becoming more apparent and readily discernable.
Eventually,
You'll find that wherever you focus your attention,
From the surface of your skin to your joints and deeper tissues,
You'll be greeted by sensations of aliveness that you are otherwise unconscious of.
As with yoga and other such art forms,
This type of meditation can help you develop a refined mind-body connection and a deeper appreciation for the precious gift your body is.
With that,
People often practice greater self-care and consequently enjoy healthier,
If not longer,
Lives.
Today's meditation will use a similar approach,
But rather than focusing exclusively on body sensations,
We'll be tapping into some of your other senses.
As children,
We're often taught that we have five senses,
But this is a simplification.
The actual number of human senses varies from 7 to as many as 17 or more,
But most of those are just finer distinctions between different types of body sensation,
While others,
Such as magnetoception and time,
Are rather esoteric and controversial.
For our purposes,
We'll focus on a few of the more basic senses that are available to us for meditation.
As an option,
You may wish to have something that smells nice on hand,
Such as a vial of essential oil,
And something with a distinctive taste,
Either savory or sweet.
An olive or a piece of dried fruit is ideal for this,
But any tasty morsel will do.
These are only options,
However,
And if you don't have them available now,
You can avail yourself of them in your subsequent practice.
So if you have anything you'd like to prepare for this meditation,
Please pause this recording and take care of that now.
When ready,
Sit comfortably and relax.
It's time to be present here and now.
Let's begin with your eyes open.
Take a few deep,
Full breaths to ground yourself,
Perhaps tuning in to whatever body sensations stand out for you in this moment.
With your eyes still open,
Visually explore your surroundings.
See if you can be aware of what your eyes are sensing in the simplest,
Purest sense.
In other words,
Rather than identifying objects in your visual field and labeling them or thinking about them,
See if you can simply distinguish shape,
Color,
Relative distance,
Etc.
Now gently allow your eyes to close.
Take in a full breath and release.
Bring your awareness to sound.
What can you hear?
Even in the quietest of places,
We are usually treated to numerous sounds from the world around us.
At first,
You may be aware of sounds from nearby,
But as you maintain your focus,
More subtle ones,
Often from distant sources,
May make themselves known.
Just spend a moment noticing these now.
Whatever you become aware of,
Just notice its qualities without labeling what it is.
Now direct your attention to your sense of smell.
What do you notice there?
If you have availed yourself of an essential oil or something else with a strong scent,
Take a moment to smell that from a distance that makes it discernible,
But not overpowering.
Directing your attention to your sense of taste,
What are you aware of?
Even when we're not eating,
There are usually discernible tastes in our mouths.
If you've selected a small item of food,
Bite into that now and savor the flavor.
How would you describe the taste?
Let's switch your focus to something that you should be quite familiar with now.
Bring your attention to the sensations in the palm of your left hand,
Sole of your right foot,
Your face.
See if you can bring a slight smile to your lips and be aware of the effect that has on the rest of your face.
Do you notice any other changes in your experience when you smile?
Now take a moment to slowly explore the sensations you experience in other parts of your body,
Letting your curiosity draw you where it likes.
Proprioception is your awareness of the positioning of your body.
Take a moment to become aware of that now.
Maintaining your focus on the positioning of your body,
Eyes closed,
Can you sense how it sits in the space around you,
How it would look if you were a floating sculpture?
Slowly,
Mindfully,
Move one of your arms through a variety of movements.
Can you sense your arms' position in relation to the rest of your body?
How would that three-dimensional sculpture change with the movements?
Now resting your arms,
Wriggle your fingers.
Can you feel the sensations in your joints that the movements produce?
Can you sense the shape of your hand and the relative positions of your fingers as you make the movements?
Now,
If you please,
Be still for a moment and simply breathe.
Where does your awareness take you?
Does it find ground in a particular sense or sensation,
Or does it shift from one to another?
If you find yourself becoming busy with seeking awareness,
Simply breathe and relax.
Allow any shifts in awareness to be natural and mindful.
Direct your attention to your sense of hearing.
What can you hear now?
Can you hear sounds without identifying or labeling their sources?
Is your auditory awareness the same or different from how it was at the beginning of the meditation?
When you're ready,
Slowly open your eyes and tune into your sense of sight.
What are you visually aware of?
Is your visual awareness,
What you see and how you see it,
The same or different from how it was at the beginning of the meditation?
To bring your meditation to a close,
Take in a good deep breath and stretch as you might first thing in the morning.
How do you feel?
What was it like for you to mindfully rotate through your various senses?
Were some senses easier to focus on than others?
Repeated practice of this form of meditation can help us develop a keener awareness of our bodies and tune into the many avenues they offer for practicing mindfulness.
Imagine how you might use your senses to meditate or at least catch a mindful moment while sitting on a bus or subway car.
How about while practicing slow,
Gentle yoga?
Taking a walk in nature?
Washing dishes by hand?
No matter what you're doing throughout the day,
The body offers countless opportunities for a few mindful moments anytime we choose.
And the more mindful moments we choose,
The more they inform our entire experience and that eventually leads to mindful living.
I encourage you to practice this form of meditation for at least a few days before moving on to the next session.
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.
