Hello friends,
Thank you for continuing this journey as we read the mindfulness meditation instructions from the Refuge Recovery book written by Noah Levine.
This is part three,
Parts of the Body found on page 194.
As you continue to direct mindfulness to the present time experience,
The next level practice is to bring attention to the different parts of the body.
Start at the top of your head,
Bring attention to the crown of your skull,
Your hair,
And the scalp.
Then slowly scan your attention downward,
Visualizing and taking inventory of all the parts of your body,
Forehead,
Eyebrows,
Eyelids,
Eyes,
Nose,
Cheeks,
And ears,
Jaw,
Lips,
Mouth,
Teeth,
Tongue,
Chin.
Feel your face and all of its parts,
Including the muscles,
The tendons,
The arteries,
And the veins.
Visualize your brain resting in the cradle of your skull,
Your inner eardrum,
How the nose and the throat connect,
Taste buds,
Smell receptors,
The gelatinous nature of your eyeballs.
Begin to scan the attention down the neck,
Visualize your throat,
Passageways leading to the stomach and lungs,
Vocal cords,
Muscles,
Veins,
Arteries,
Vertebrae.
This is what holds your head to your body.
Feel it.
Scan your attention down into the trunk of your body,
Clavicles,
Shoulders,
Chest,
Upper back,
Skin,
Bones,
Joints,
Muscles,
Veins,
And arteries,
Breasts,
Nipples,
Ribs,
Sternum,
Vertebrae,
And organs.
Before continuing the investigation of the midsection,
Bring your attention down the arms,
The biceps,
Triceps,
Elbow,
Forearm,
Wrist,
And hands.
Without moving your hands,
Feel your fingers,
Fingernails,
And palms.
Now return to the trunk of the body.
Take inventory,
Heart,
Lungs,
Liver,
Spleen,
Stomach,
Kidneys,
Gallbladder,
Intestines,
Reproductive organs,
The colon and bladder,
Fat,
Feces,
And urine.
Visualize the trunk of your body as if the skin was removed and you could see all of your inner workings,
The rib cage protecting the lungs and the heart,
The vertebrae allowing you to be upright,
To sit,
To stand,
And also bend.
Continue to scan down into the buttocks and genitalia,
The penis and the testes,
Or the vagina,
The anus,
Skin,
Hair,
Muscles,
Arteries,
Veins,
The pelvis.
Next are the thighs.
This is the largest muscle,
The largest artery,
And the largest bone in the body.
Visualize your femur and how it connects to the pelvis and the knee.
Then bring attention down into the knees,
The knee cap,
The back of the knees connecting to the lower leg,
The calves,
The shins,
And the ankles.
Finally,
The feet,
Heels,
Arch,
Top of the foot,
And toes,
Toenails,
Bones,
Joints,
Skin,
Hair.
Having scanned the attention through the body,
We reflect on the impermanence of this body that is subject to sickness,
Injury,
Aging,
And death.
We also reflect on all the unpleasant smells and sensations that come with having a body.
This is what we are identified with and what we are often lusting after,
A body that is filled with blood,
Feces,
And urine.
Be mindful of the true nature of the body.
This concludes this reading,
Friends.
We'll continue on with part four,
The four elements.
Stay well.
