In order to encourage wakefulness,
Make sure you're sitting upright,
Either on a meditation cushion or on the edge of a straight back chair.
Loosen any clothing and make any other adjustments so that you feel as comfortable as possible while maintaining an alert attitude in the mind and body.
Notice your posture.
Take a nice,
Long,
Deep breath in and feel the spine lengthen and the crown of your head rise up.
Slightly tuck your chin.
As you release the breath,
Allow yourself to drop into the body as if coming home.
You may find it helpful to take a few more breaths just like this.
And now close your eyes to begin.
As you feel yourself settle,
Become aware of the sensation of your breath in your body.
Notice the slight movements your body makes as the breath flows in and out.
Notice where the breath feels smooth and free.
Notice if the breath is congested or getting stuck.
Notice these sensations without trying to correct or adjust anything.
At times,
Thoughts,
Sounds,
Or other distractions may pull your attention away from your body.
Try not to struggle or judge yourself.
Let these experiences rise and fall in the background of your awareness.
Maintain your central focus on the sensations in your body.
Become aware of the touch points,
The areas of the body that make contact with your cushion or the chair or the floor.
Notice your hands in your lap or on your thighs.
Nothing to change.
Just noticing the sensation of contact.
Now bring your attention to the top of the head,
Noticing any sensation or lack of sensation here.
Let your awareness be open and spacious.
A soft attention.
No expectations.
Now let your awareness of your head expand toward the edges of the hairline.
Feeling the top,
Sides,
And back of the head.
Notice the left side of the forehead.
Slowly slide your internal gaze across the forehead to the right side.
And then back again to the left.
Be aware of the nose,
The cheeks,
The ears,
Mouth,
Jaw,
And the awareness of the whole head.
Slide your attention to the throat and neck.
And notice the weight of the head balancing here.
Awareness of the shoulders dropping naturally away from the ears.
Feel the arms hang loosely along the sides of the body.
Hands resting in the lap or on the thighs.
Fingers touching one another or the legs.
Notice any sensations of energy running through the arms.
Bringing awareness to the front of the body.
Notice the gentle rising and falling of the chest as you breathe.
Heart center opening in a natural way.
Belly softly expanding and releasing.
Bringing awareness to the back body.
Feel the sensation of breathing along your spine.
Notice how the spine appears to grow taller as you breathe in and settle as you breathe out.
Notice the soft curve of the lower back.
Aware of any sensations or lack of sensations here.
Notice any tendency to label your experiences and instead drop back into the raw awareness of the feeling.
Allow any stories about these feelings to drop away.
Aware of your pelvis,
Hips,
And the contact they make as you sit.
Notice the weight of your body resting upon the pelvis.
Sliding attention down the legs to the knees,
The shins,
And calves.
Notice your ankles,
Your feet,
Your toes.
Notice the contact your feet make with the cushion or floor.
Now feel into the whole body from the center all the way out to the edge of the skin.
Like feeling into a 3D model of the body.
Aware of its contours,
Its subtle movements.
Feel into your skin,
The largest organ of your body.
Notice the temperature and humidity of the room.
The texture of your clothes.
The warmth of your body radiating outward to the surface.
Notice your body hair,
The nails.
Moving deeper into the body,
Become aware of the flesh,
Muscles,
Connective tissues,
Bones.
Visualize the whole skeleton,
Including the teeth.
Aware of the bone marrow within those bones.
Awareness of the organs and systems.
Notice your brain and the network of nerves throughout your body.
Aware of the heart and its gentle rhythm.
Feeling the circulation of blood.
Aware of your trachea and lungs and the sensation of breath inside the body.
Feel your diaphragm rise and fall to draw the oxygen in and out of your lungs.
Awareness of your esophagus and stomach,
The contents of your stomach,
And any digestive processes you might detect.
And even if you're not entirely sure where all of your organs are,
Be aware that you have a spleen,
Liver,
Gallbladder,
Pancreas,
Kidneys,
Bladder,
Intestines,
Colon,
Reproductive organs.
Continuing to go deeper,
Become aware of the fluids in the body.
Water,
Blood,
Synovial fluid,
Saliva,
Mucus,
Pus,
Digestive fluids,
Bile,
Lymph,
Sweat,
Tears,
Urine.
Deeper still,
Awareness of hormones,
Bacteria,
Molecules,
Cells,
Atoms,
Space.
Rest for a little longer in this infinite inner space of the body.
Aware of your body and all its many layers and components.
From the great to the subtle.
Continue to relax any feelings about the body,
Any thoughts or judgments,
And just abide in the awareness of all the different parts,
As well as the whole.
Thank you.
.
