Body & Breath Meditation

So there's different ways or different things we can become aware of when we do move our attention to the body,

Different types of sensations.

I usually like to begin by noting all the parts of the body that are in contact with something.

So feeling the feet on the floor,

Feeling that sensation of connection between the body,

The feet and the floor.

And then whatever you're sitting on,

Feel all the points of contact and all the sensations of connection between the body and what you're sitting on or lying on.

So maybe feeling the warmth or pressure or just that general sense of connection,

Contact with the body.

So one of the five senses,

Sense of touch,

Just focusing in on that,

Really exploring that sense.

And maybe notice the contact with whatever clothing you're wearing,

So maybe a variety of sensations across the body.

So just spend a few moments really exploring all those sensations of contact and connection with clothing.

And maybe noticing the contact between the air and your skin,

Maybe a slight coolness on the hands or face.

Another type of sensation we can explore with the body is that of the weight of the body.

So noticing if your body's feeling heavy or light,

Maybe noticing if a part of your body feels heavier,

Maybe the shoulders or the legs or the head.

So that sense of weight.

So what we're doing now is actually being aware of the pull of gravity on the body.

That's the weight of the earth gently pulling on the weight of the body,

The mass of the earth,

Pulling on the mass of the body,

Creating that feeling of weight,

That sense of heaviness or lightness.

And beginning to feel a connection to the earth through the body.

And we can bring those two types of body sensations together and feel how the points of contact,

That sensation of connection with the feet and with what you're sitting on,

How it's at those points of connection that the weight of the body is being held and supported.

So allow the weight of your body to be taken,

Held,

Supported at those points of contact.

We can begin to let go and relax the body because we realize we don't need to put in the effort to keep the body stiff,

But we can relax,

Release and allow the ground and ultimately the earth to support the body.

So a third sensation we can feel in the body is that basic feeling of aliveness.

So simply becoming aware that the body is alive,

The body is a living organism and actually feeling that aliveness in the body.

So feeling that energy that differentiates the animate physical things,

The living things and the inanimate physical things,

The non-living things.

Feeling that your body is animate,

It is alive.

Feeling that energy in the body,

That simple sense of being alive.

And very close to that is that real feeling of your own presence,

Your physical presence and allowing yourself to be fully,

100% present in your body.

There's the living energy of the body and the presence of your awareness in the body.

As the body is held and supported by the earth,

The weight of the body,

The body can relax and the more the body relaxes we can really allow ourselves to be fully present in the body and really feel the aliveness of the body.

So meditation can rest the body but also enliven the body.

It can bring us calmness and energy.

We let go of the tension,

The tires and we allow the energy to flow.

The final sensation for the body,

Then we'll move on to the breath,

Is noticing any emotions you can feel in the body.

So we'll have experienced how with some emotions we can maybe experience an energy in the stomach or in the chest or in the head,

Maybe the throat.

So just checking how you're feeling now,

Check what emotions are happening for you.

Just see if there's any associated energy or feeling in the body.

Just spend some moments just becoming acquainted with that.

Just exploring how that feels without any judgment or any effort to change.

Just allowing the emotion and the sensation to be in your body just as it is.

I'll just briefly mention one more aspect of body sensation and sense and awareness.

And that's that sense of location of the body.

We have a spatial awareness.

So we have a sense of where the body is located within the space that we're sitting and a sense of the space around the body.

I do do a meditation that explores this aspect more,

Which I've just reminded myself of.

So one day I'll do that meditation.

Just now just noting this fifth sense,

Physical sense,

Connected with the body.

Your physical location,

Your presence,

Your spatial awareness.

Okay,

So we'll move on to the breath.

Still a connection there with the body,

Of course.

So become aware of how the breath feels in the body.

Feel the sensations in the body that occur as you breathe in and the different sensations as you breathe out.

So feeling the expansion as the breath enters and the contraction as the breath leaves.

Feeling the movement in the body associated with the breath and the sensation.

So you don't have to change the breath in any way.

Just allow the breath to breathe itself,

Find its own rhythm,

Its own flow.

It doesn't matter how deep or shallow,

Fast or slow.

What we can do is assist the breath to find its own rhythm by not restricting or restraining the breath in any way,

Which we can be doing without realizing,

Out of habit or from tension or anxiety.

Any sort of stress affects the breath.

So we can,

For example,

Just have that thought or that intention to really allow the breath in with each in-breath.

Just allow the breath to enter as fully and as freely as the breath wants to.

So allowing the element of air and the oxygen into the body without restriction.

So with each breath in,

The simple thought,

The intention to allow the breath in.

Really notice how that feels in the body to allow the air,

The oxygen freely and fully into the body.

And as you breathe out,

Just having a similar thought,

Maybe releasing or letting go.

So allowing the breath to leave the body fully and freely.

Really feel that in the body as you let go of each out-breath.

If we allow the breath in and let go as we breathe out,

Then we can begin to get a sense that we're not really breathing but being breathed.

We're allowing the body to be breathed by the element of air,

Allowing the air in and out without effort,

Without having to remember or choose to breathe.

Simply being aware of this natural,

Spontaneous,

Effortless rise and fall of the breath within the body.

We can really enjoy that natural rise and fall of the breath in the body,

Allowing and letting go.

And I find this approach with the breath really useful to just apply to the thoughts as well.

So for the final part of this meditation,

Let's apply these same principles to the thoughts as we continue to breathe.

So as I allow the breath into the body,

I allow my thoughts into the mind.

And just as I let go of each breath,

I let go of each thought.

And as I'm experiencing this free flow of breath in the body,

I can also experience the free flow of thoughts through the mind,

Allowing the thoughts to be just as fast or slow,

Loud or quiet,

Deep or shallow,

As they want to be,

Just as I allow the breath to do its thing.

I don't get in the way of my thoughts,

Noting that they also are a natural,

Spontaneous process,

The thoughts rising and falling in my mind,

Just as the breath rises and falls in my body,

Without any effort,

Without having to choose or remember to think.

I just allow my free flowing thoughts to continue the content completely irrelevant.

So to conclude the meditation,

Just returning to the body and just remembering all the different ways we can explore sensations in the body,

The sensations of the breath in the body,

That sense of location of the body,

Spatial awareness,

Feeling the presence of the body,

Feeling your awareness filling the body as you become completely present with the body.

Realizing any emotions with associated sensations,

Maybe in parts of the body or a general sense of the energy of emotion in the body.

Feeling the aliveness of the body,

The living organism,

Feeling the weight of the body and through all those points of contact and connection,

Allowing the body to be held by the ground and by the earth.

Body is always present,

Always here and now and always connected and always in connection with the earth.

As the calmness and stillness settles in the body,

We allow the breath and the thoughts to flow freely through the body,

Through the mind.

Really enjoying this simplicity of just being present with the body and the breath.

Okay,

So we'll finish the meditation now.

Yup.