Open Body Awareness Meditation

Welcome to this body awareness meditation.

Instead of moving through the body,

Resting on specific parts,

This is more of an open awareness that lays the foundation for feeling the emotions in the body and responding with compassion.

Find a comfortable meditation posture.

You can lie down during this practice but if you find yourself growing tired or falling asleep,

Sit up straight while meditating.

Notice where in the body you can feel the breath.

Pick one spot where the sensation of breathing is strongest and collect the mind onto this part of the body.

You may try using a simple mantra in with each breath.

For the first minute or so,

Give the mind some space to settle into practice.

Expand that awareness to the whole body.

From head to toe,

Acknowledge whether something grabs your attention.

You don't need to seek anything special.

Wait patiently with the breath for a feeling in the body to emerge.

When something comes forward,

Observe what you feel.

It may help to use a one-word label,

Discerning where in the body the sensation is occurring.

For example,

Note knee when you feel a pain in the knee or chest when you notice the sensations of breath in the chest.

Don't label what the feeling is.

Label where it is.

Continue to observe the breath until another sensation pops up.

Maintain this practice of alternating the breath between the breath and other sensations in the body.

Each time your attention is drawn elsewhere in the body,

Stay with it for a few moments before returning to the breath.

This is how you get to know your body and explore its experiences with curiosity.

Staying here as long as you like,

Or very gently start noticing your surroundings.

Feeling the temperature of the air on your skin.

Noticing any sounds.

Any smells.

And in your own time,

Start fluttering open the eyes.

May you carry this practice with you as you continue your day.