“Every object, well contemplated, opens a new organ (of perception) within us.” -Goethe 

from Meditation as Contemplative Inquiry, Arthur Zajonc (p 179).

The “mindfulness movement” in the West has certainly impacted many. There are arguments both for and against this mainstream movement and the contemplative methods which have accompanied it including but not limited to work-out heavy yoga studios and apps such as insight timer, calm, and headspace to guide us on our journeys inward. A key reason these venues can be potentially problematic for some teachers is largely due to a lack of structure. When you have a smorgasbord of access to what may even be considered ‘fun’ practices, the heavy lifting of mind training (or developing insight via Vipassana)- key elements of the practice such as developing compassion and turning towards pain, etc may not be on the menu of your choosing. Another reason is that these methods often overlook core dharma & wisdom teachings from which the entire movement has been derived. An example of one of these teachings often missed, includes what ‘mindfulness’ actually means. In the West we have distilled these ancient teachings to simply focus on the ‘mind’ itself. According to the Buddha, however, there are actually four foundations of mindfulness – essential in any mindfulness practice. They include:

The Buddha’s Four Foundations of Mindfulness

• First Foundation: Contemplation of the Body
• Second Foundation: Contemplation of Feeling
• Third Foundation: Contemplation of Mind
• Fourth Foundation: Contemplation of Dhammas

While many will claim they are ‘bad meditators’ or ‘cant meditate’ (which is not even a thing) they have not attempted to simply be with the body as a first step. According to The First Foundation: Contemplation of the Body, grounding attention in the body is a vital first step in the practice of awakening (or increasing self-awareness – however you prefer to frame it). This is where receiving bodywork and massage can be a great practice! When I work with clients, my personal goal (alongside their goal) is always to aid in the cultivation of their own body awareness. (This is not to say I’ve mastered my own in any sense but certainly that I have been practicing and studying for years and found body-awareness and meditation to enrich my own experience). The idea is that, over time, we become better equipped to navigate our own experiences that will inevitably arise be they challenges in stress, anxiety, physical pain, etc. Today I’ll address the why body-based contemplative practices can be useful and in the next post I’ll share practical ways to do so.

The following is a summary of a 2014 article “Why mindfulness of the body is so important” according to teachers from Spirit Rock Mediation Center. I’ve added a few questions and examples here and there.

1. the body is always right here, right now. our mysterious bodies anchor us in the beauty and/or sorrow, joy, etc of each unfolding moment. it’s only when we are capable of being present for all of these moments, that we are able to live intimately within our own experience of life.

2. the physical body is inextricably connected with the breath + heart + mind. when practicing grounding in the physical body, we enhance our ability to investigate other aspects of our experience from cultivating meditative (or focused) attention — from our energy to emotions, thoughts, relationships and more— not as abstract ideas but as felt / sensory experiences. “How does this person feel to my nervous system” for example. “What kind of energy am I bringing to this room?” etc. for example, feeling the breath from the inside as a sensuous, full-body experience, imaging the expansion of the lungs and diaphragm is different from — mentally focusing on it as if watching it from the outside. can you notice the sensations of being the body breathing itself?

3. body sensations can be a focal point around which to gather and unify a scattered mind.

In the Satipatthana Sutta, the classic teaching on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, the Buddha instructed his monks and nuns to know their bodies “up from the soles of their feet and down from the top of the hair.”

As we learn to focus attention this way on some specific aspect of the direct experience of our bodies, we are cultivating the art of samatha (in Pali). When focused on the body, this kind of concentration is not a mental effort but an intensification of a felt sense of presence. For example, imagine an area in the body which feel painful. Now direct your attention to an area that feels neutral or even good – does that shift the pain? Does it lessen it? If you focus on a pounding headache, does it increase your perception of the pain? These are just a few examples of questions you may explore in a body-centered meditation practice.

4. the body reveals the transitory nature of all things – all rises and passes. settling attention in the body, unveils an important truth: that the body and mind is always in flux and changing moment to moment. one may begin to notice each time they arrive to a cushion, a mat, a strech before a class, that the body has is tighter or looser, lighter or heavier, sleepier or more energetic. with practice, the attention becomes more refined, what you thought was solid — a foot, a hip, a hand — reveals itself as an evanescent flow of sensations that you can influence but not control and how to pay attention to what your body actually needs in that very moment. chances are power lifting every day isn’t it, for example. but no shame if thats your game!

As I mentioned above, I’ll share more practices in the next post. For now, here’s a simple way to begin contemplating the body.

Arriving in Your Body Practice (3-5 minutes) —

Find a comfortable position that you can sustain for several minutes without shifting or adjusting. Allow your eyes to close if that resonates with you. Extend an invitation for yourself to fully inhabit your body. You can imagine beginning with the head and scanning all the way down to your toes. Keep breathing steadily throughout (but no need to control your breath).

Begin to notice: Where in your body are you living right now? Where is your attention? Melt your attention from your head down throughout your body, as if a honey were pouring through you. Along the way, sense and soften any obvious areas of tension: the muscles around the eyes, the hinge of your jaw, allow your shoulders to drop, your belly to soften, your hands to be unclenched, etc. Relax any gripping that pulls your body away from the support of the earth. Notice whether your breath changes through your exploration.

You may choose to place one hand on your heart and the other on your belly and let the contact of your hands magnetize your attention. What are you feeling in this very moment?

How is your body feeling today? Energized? Tingling? Sleepy? Are there areas that seem at ease? Neutral? Any sensations of pain? Is anything feeling ‘good’?

Make your way down your legs and imagine breathing out of the soles of your feet. Can you feel the edges of your socks? Each toe? Where is your mind now?

Until next time, welcome home.