Body Awareness (Where It Is)

Instead of moving through the body, resting on specific parts, this is more of an open awareness that lays the foundation for feeling the emotions in the body and responding with compassion. Get to know your body and explore its experiences with curiosity.

Transcript

Body awareness and where it is.

Instead of moving through the body,

Resting on specific parts,

This is more of an open awareness that lays the foundation for feeling the emotions in the body and responding with compassion.

To begin,

Find a comfortable meditation posture.

You can lie down during this practice,

But if you find yourself growing tired or falling asleep,

Sit up straight while meditating.

Notice where in the body you can feel the breath.

Pick one spot where the sensation of breathing is strongest and collect the mind under this part of the body.

You may try using a simple mantra of in,

Out.

For the first minute or so,

Give the mind some space to settle into practice.

Expand that awareness to the whole body.

From head to toe,

Acknowledge whenever something grabs your attention.

You don't need to seek anything special.

Just wait patiently with the breath for a feeling in the body to emerge.

When something comes forward,

Observe what you feel.

It may help to use a one-word label discerning where in the body the sensation is occurring.

For example,

Note knee when you feel a pain in the knee or chest when you notice the sensation of the breath in the chest.

Don't label what the feeling is.

Label where it is.

Tend to the sensation for a few breaths and return to the spot in the body where you're focusing on the breath.

Continue to observe the breath until another sensation pops up.

Maintain this practice of alternating between the breath and other sensations in the body.

Each time your attention is drawn elsewhere in the body,

Stay with it for a few moments before returning to the breath.

Get to know your body and explore its experiences with curiosity.