AWARENESS OF BODY & SENSES

“As we sit still, our shoulders, our backs, our jaws, our necks may hurt. Accumulated Knots in the fabric of our body, previously undetected, begin to reveal themselves as we open. As we become conscious of the pain they have held, we may notice feelings, memories, or images connected specifically to each area of tension...we can bring a open respectful attention to the sensations that make up our bodily experience” ~Jack Kornfield

 
Explore practice with a concentrated focus on the BODY as a field of awareness, rife with sensation, tension & release. Try to allow whatever is arising to move through you without intervening.  Let your attention drop beneath the surface of “pain” & “tension”. With mindful attention, you can become aware of the “pains” of your existence without adding to that tension. Begin to explore & to examine each sensation, discovering the myriad nuances those experiences are made of. As you become quiet & still with strong sensation, layers appear & diversify becoming pinpricks, pressure, tugging, throbbing, pulsing, burning, cool, heavy, etc. Suddenly the area surrounding these “pains” is revealed too, inside fiery & pressurized outside surrounded with contraction & tension. These may also be colored by aversion, anger, anxiety & desire and tagged with attitude/commentary like “ I wish this would end”, “it’s always like this” “ just my luck” “ arrrgghhh” and so on. The healing is in our acceptance and the first step is to look and see! Sustained awareness in all 4 foundations of mindfulness is powerful, it is always healing and opening.

Also, while intentions are important, this quote from Larry Rosenberg cautions about goals...

"It is important to emphasize, in discussing the art of meditation
(and the practice as you continue becomes an art, with many subtle nuances), that you shouldn't start out with some idea of gaining. This is the deepest paradox in all of meditation: we want to get somewhere -- we wouldn't have taken up the practice if we didn't - but the way to get there is just to be fully here. The way to get from point A to point B is really to be at A. When we (meditate) in the hope of becoming something better, we are compromising our connection to the present, which is all we ever have."

So, in this practice, you are asked to hold an apparent contradiction -
the willful effort of showing up with your best intention and the letting go of all expectation...give it a shot, for 3 breaths for 3 minutes for a half hour!

MINDFULNESS IN DAILY LIFE
As we begin a seated practice, it is important to remember that meditation is in service to an awakening in our daily life. In focusing on bodily sensations this week, look for physical sensations in all the "between" moments of your life. Whenever you notice, ask yourself what sensations are present and feel them: the warm water in the shower, foot sliding into a sock, hot coffee on the tongue, hand reaching for the brass doorknob, derriere on the car seat, fingers on the keyboard, etc. Mindfulness is about intimacy with the present moment - allow yourself the luxury of really feeling what it's like to be an animal body. Don't worry-- it's not about being there in every moment! Even remembering to notice just a few times a day will begin to strengthen the continuity of your practice.

Love Life, Live Life, 

Be Kind, Be Well

Jenn