Loving kindness for your body.
I learned this meditation from a Sri Lankan monk who came to visit us at the Insight Meditation Society in the early 1990s.
At age 94,
The venerable Ananda Maitreya seemed to have more energy than the rest of us put together.
And he was learning to use a computer,
Something I was struggling with at the time.
How much of his vigor came from his repeatedly offering love to his body.
Focusing on different parts of the body in sequence,
He had us repeat silently,
May my head be happy,
May it be peaceful.
Or may my eyes be happy,
May they be peaceful.
And on through the whole body.
You may use different words,
But the sensibility is the same.
To offer this sense of kindness to all of our body,
Part by part.
We repeat this with our shoulders,
Our backs,
Our stomachs.
Parts we might normally term bad,
Like in the case of a sore knee we call a bad knee.
Those parts we would love to hide more than anything.
If clothing manufacturers could only get more inventive.
Those parts we usually neatly distance from.
Ending with,
May my toes be happy,
May they be peaceful.
So beginning with the top of your head,
You can slowly move your attention through your body,
Offering the sense of loving kindness.
I met Phil at a day-long seminar I was teaching in the Midwest.
At one of the breaks he approached me,
Eager to describe how he had recently started to practice meditation,
When a friend gave him a book that offered a guided meditation on the body.
Moving attention from the top of your head slowly down to your toes.
Phil told me that the guided meditation was not calming him down.
The focus on the body made me feel more comfortable.
And his inner critic filled up the space with abuse.
When he felt a twinge in his ankle,
He lectured himself that this would not be a problem if he'd just get off his ass once in a while and take a walk,
Just down the street.
He had to start somewhere.
He was wasting his life.
When he dwelled in his knees,
He noticed some tenderness there.
Hadn't grandma had both of her knees replaced when she was about his age?
That would be terrible if he was laid up for weeks.
When he focused his attention on his body with judgment,
He wanted to jump out of his skin.
We can let go of the judgments or at least put them to one side as we continue to awaken awareness of our bodies.
And we can also actively work with offering loving kindness to whatever we discover.
And he was very happy to see me.
He always said to me,
I'm going to take a walk or whatever,
Whatever,
Whatever,
Whatever we discover.
Since Anandamayi Tre's visit,
I've taught this meditation to many with serious diseases,
With scars or injuries,
With chronic pain,
And with deep-seated hatred toward their bodies.
It's been wonderful to see how feeling badly betrayed by one's body A newly minted friendship with our bodies brings genuine peace to us,
Laced through with love.
You can sit comfortably or lie down.
You can have your eyes closed or perhaps slightly open.
Begin by bringing your attention to the top of your head,
Noticing whatever sensations you feel.
Perhaps you don't feel anything,
It's kind of numb,
Or maybe there's something pleasant or unpleasant going on,
No matter what is going on.
You can begin gently and silently repeating whatever phrases of offering you wish.
Things like,
May my head be happy,
May it be peaceful,
Or may my head feel at ease.
Just simple one or two sentences in the spirit of gift giving,
Caring,
Integrating or embracing rather than rejecting or disliking.
Slowly move your attention down,
Your eyes,
Your ears,
Your nose,
At whatever pace or rhythm feels right to you.
And when you find your mind wandering,
You get lost in thought,
Spun out in a fantasy,
Or maybe you fall asleep,
Truly don't worry about it.
You can realize you've been gone,
You've been disconnected.
See if you can gently let go of whatever's distracted you and return your attention to the sensation,
Part of your body,
And the offering through the phrases.
You might find judgment arising,
Speculation,
All kinds of things,
It's okay.
You can recognize that's what's going on,
Gently let go and simply return.
Sweeping your attention through your organs,
And your skin.
And your skin.
Bring your attention down your arms,
To your fingertips,
To the rest of your body.
And your legs until you come to your toes.
Remember that we're not trying to generate a certain kind of sensation or feeling.
Simply recognizing what is and making that offering.
It's the heart's offering of care,
Of kindness,
Rather than pushing something away.
Simply being with in that spirit.
And when you feel ready,
You can open your eyes or lift your gaze.
Notice how you're feeling.
Notice what it's like to have come to that place of being different with the experience of your own body.
Let's see if you can bring some of that sensibility into your day.
