Some time again, I wrote a put up on mindfulness of the physique, centering the follow on breath consciousness. Within the Theravada custom, breath consciousness is the place to begin, the muse of starting to stabilize the thoughts. Breath consciousness offers us a steady course of on which to relaxation the thoughts. After all, that doesn’t imply that the thoughts gained’t get lost into its personal worries, reminiscences and reveries whilst we intend to stabilize our minds on the respiratory course of. However it’s within the means of regularly recognizing that the thoughts has wandered off, and redirecting it again to the breath, that we start to domesticate a brand new behavior of thoughts. In immediately’s put up, I’d like to ask you to play with increasing consciousness into the remainder of the physique, using a physique scan.

How Does a Physique Scan Work?

Physique scans are foundational in Mindfulness-Based mostly Stress Discount (MBSR) and Goenka-style Vipassana meditation. Shifting consciousness systematically by means of the physique is integral to Yoga Nidra follow. I’m certain there are different methodologies that use a type of physique scanning as a option to stabilize consciousness as effectively. Working towards a physique scan will help us join with the physique internally, and as a complete.

In physique scan follow, we systematically transfer consciousness by means of the physique. This could embrace deliberately enjoyable areas as we acknowledge them. It is also merely visiting these areas with no specific agenda.

In some types of the follow, we begin with the ft and transfer up the physique. In others, we begin with the top and work our method all the way down to the ft. It’s merely a matter of choice. Within the follow I’ll introduce under, I begin with the top. That’s as a result of, at the very least for me, visiting the anatomy of the top appears to have a softening impact on every thing under.

Breath Consciousness vs. Open Consciousness

Since breath consciousness is often the place mindfulness follow begins, we might are likely to suppose that it’s an “elementary” follow, and that open consciousness of the physique as a complete is extra “superior.” Joseph Goldstein addressed this at an Perception Meditation retreat I attended a couple of years in the past. When requested which type of physique mindfulness follow was preferable—breath consciousness or open consciousness—he paused for a second, after which mentioned “no matter works.”

Which follow you select on a given day is dependent upon the state of your physique/thoughts. In case your thoughts appears scattered and unfocused—aka “monkey thoughts”—breath consciousness will help you stabilize it. For those who’re practising breath consciousness and discover that your physique and thoughts are feeling tense and caught, you would possibly need to invite the remainder of your physique into consciousness. The follow that’s greatest for you on a given day would be the one which means that you can be most conscious.

There’s Greater than One Method to Apply a Physique Scan

Earlier than I counsel the follow under, I need to reiterate that this isn’t the one option to follow a physique scan. That is merely what I’ve used that has appeared to work with my mindfulness college students. The follow under makes an attempt to tune us into a few of our inner anatomy, in addition to common classes corresponding to arms, legs, torso, and so on.

You would possibly need to report a voice memo in your telephone so that you just don’t have to take a look at the textual content. Or, if you happen to’re like me, and listening to your individual recorded voice is distracting, you may have a buddy report the physique scan as an alternative.

Head-to-Toe Physique Scan

You may follow this physique scan sitting on a Meditation Cushion, mendacity down or in Tadasana (Mountain Pose). For those who’re feeling drained, sitting or standing might allow you to keep extra alert. For those who’re feeling tense or pressured, mendacity down would possibly work greatest.

Right here’s the way to follow. Bear in mind you can deliberately loosen up these areas, or just pay attention to the sensations you’re feeling as you contact into them:

• Concentrate on your facial muscle groups and scalp.
• Your cranium
• Your mind contained in the cranium
• Eyes
• Cheeks
• Internal ears
• Outer ears
• Jaw
• Higher palate
• Higher row of enamel
• Internal cheeks
• Decrease row of enamel
• Throat
• Tops of the shoulders
• Higher arms
• Forearms
• Fingers
• Fingers
• Ribcage
• Muscular tissues between and across the ribs
• Contents of the ribcage: coronary heart and lungs
• The diaphragm: Really feel the diaphragmatic motion because the muscle flattens downward on the inhalation, making room for the lungs to increase, and urgent on the stomach organs, inflicting the stomach to increase. Then as you exhale, really feel the diaphragm doming upward to assist push air out of your lungs, permitting the stomach organs to settle again into place. (You may follow this consciousness for a number of breaths if you happen to like.)
• Stomach muscle groups
• Low again
• Pelvis
• Stomach organs
• Perineum
• Thighs
• Knees
• Toes
• Toes

Be happy to reverse the method and make your method again up, from the ft to the top, or proceed to the following instruction.

Open Consciousness of the Physique

When you’ve completed your physique scan, you may settle again and invite your entire physique into consciousness. Right here, you may merely really feel all of the sensations arising—sensations of contact, temperature, pressure, hardness, softness, pulsing, vibration—no matter is arising. If a specific sensation turns into predominant, you may relaxation your consideration there, feeling its course of. Does it intensify after which wane? Does it come and go? If nothing particularly feels predominant, relaxation your consciousness in the entire physique, feeling the breath arising inside this bigger body.

As Joseph mentioned, there’s no hierarchy between breath consciousness and open consciousness. Use your individual meditation follow as a information to which follow works higher for you at a given second.

About Charlotte Bell

Charlotte Bell found yoga in 1982 and commenced educating in 1986. Charlotte is the creator of Aware Yoga, Aware Life: A Information for On a regular basis Apply and Yoga for Meditators, each printed by Rodmell Press. Her third guide is titled Hip-Wholesome Asana: The Yoga Practitioner’s Information to Defending the Hips and Avoiding SI Joint Ache (Shambhala Publications). She writes a month-to-month column for CATALYST Journal and serves as editor for Yoga U On-line. Charlotte is a founding board member for GreenTREE Yoga, a non-profit that brings yoga to underserved populations. A lifelong musician, Charlotte performs oboe and English horn within the Salt Lake Symphony and folks sextet Pink Rock Rondo, whose DVD gained two Emmy awards in 2010.