Knowing Your Body Is Literally Sensational

A guided practice developing concentration and body awareness by moving attention through the body. Suitable for beginners and experienced meditators alike, from the book "The Gratitude Prescription."

Transcript

Knowing your body is literally sensational. It is one thing to think that your body is sensational, Another to know. Let's now enjoy a meditation to give this experience. Begin by finding a quiet spot and sitting comfortably. Set the intention not to move your body before the time is up. Begin by taking a few deep breaths to bring awareness into the body. Bring awareness into the left little toe. Move across the toes, Into the ball of the foot, Into the sole of the foot, The heel, The inner and outer ankle, And the Achilles tendon. Methodically bring awareness up through your calf, Into the shin, The left knee, The thigh, The genitalia, Your left hip, The little finger of your left hand, Your left palm, Thumb, Your lower left arm, Your elbow, Your upper arm, Your armpit. Scan down the abdomen and up the back to the neck and left side of the face, The chin, Jaw, Lips, Your upper lip, Your nose, Your left cheek, Eye, Your eyebrows, Your forehead, Your left temple, Your scalp, Your crown. Repeat this process going down the right side. Move down from the crown to the scalp, The right temple, Back to the forehead, To the eyebrows, To the right eye, Cheek, Nose, Lips, Jaw, Chin, The back of the neck. Scan to the right armpit, The upper arm, The elbow, The lower right arm, The right thumb, The palm, The little finger of your right hand, Your right hip, The genitalia, The right thigh, The knee, The shin, Your calf, Now the Achilles tendon, The inner and outer ankle of the right foot, The heel, The sole of the foot, The ball of the foot, Across the toes, And finally to the right little toe. Take a few long, Deep breaths, Bringing awareness back to the whole body. This body scan meditation is a beginner's concentration practice. Contemplate these questions. How is it that you are aware of any part of the body? Does the feeling of sensation vary in degree and quality? Warm or hot, Blocked or open in different parts of the body? Does this vary in the same parts of the body at different times? What happens when you don't wriggle away but instead sit with sensation the mind has labelled as painful? What is the result of discovering directly that what you thought was fixed and unbearable is in fact fluid and bearable? This practice is great for increasing body awareness. Remember it is in our sensational bodies that we feel grateful. It also gives key insights such as that everything is impermanent and that this too will pass and helps you develop emotional resilience. The act of being with the painful sensation in your knee, For example, Is much the same as being with the painful feeling of sadness or guilt. Each when fully faced and felt can be integrated or metabolised and flows on easily. Through this we can learn to be grateful for all sensation as sensation rather than dividing sensations into good and bad.