Deliberately turning our attention to our physical experience is a way of cultivating increased body awareness, practicing being with physical sensations, and cultivating an attitude of curiosity and interest in our physical experience. If we practice this regularly, we will find it easier to turn to the body when we are experiencing emotional upset or stuck in a thinking rut.
The action of noticing what is going on in the body occupies the same neural “highway” as ruminative thought, so turning our attention to the body is a way of deliberately shifting gears, taking us away from the mind and our thoughts.
If we do this regularly, we will also become familiar with our body—what is “normal” for us—and so will find it easier to notice any changes and imbalances sooner rather than later.
Finding a space that is quiet and where you will not be disturbed, sit in the way that feels most comfortable for you (see Posture)
Take a few moments to settle into your seat. Adjust your position and make sure the lower part of the body is firmly grounded and connected to the floor or chair and, at the same time, rise up out of the waist with the crown of the head lifting toward the ceiling and your chin tucked in. You should feel alert yet relaxed.
Begin by taking your attention to the breath. Focus your attention on the part of the body where you feel the breath most strongly and rest your attention there… staying with the length of each in-breath… noticing the pause as the in-breath becomes an out-breath… and then staying with the out-breath. Continue in this way for a few minutes, simply experiencing the sensations of breathing, whatever they may be in this moment. If judgments arise, acknowledge their presence and firmly escort the attention back to the breath.
Notice if the breath is deep or shallow, rapid or slow, but letting go of any need to be breathing in a particular way. Just let yourself breathe without trying to change it (although it may change, and that’s okay)… simply being curious about your breath in this moment.
After a while, expand your awareness to include the whole body. Become aware of the points of contact with the floor (the soles of the feet or your buttocks)… noticing sensations of weight, contact, hardness, softness, texture… Perhaps scan upward through the body from the feet to the crown of the head. What do you notice?
Now, settle into an awareness of the body. You may be strongly aware of the breath or perhaps of physical sensations that arise, with the breath in the background.
The attitudes we are trying to cultivate are ones of curiosity, interest, and friendliness. Explore the body as if it is a new friend that you want to get to know a little better. What are you discovering today?
Deliberately turning our attention to our physical experience is a way of cultivating increased body awareness and an attitude of curiosity
If a particular sensation starts calling for your attention, you have choice of what to do:
We never want to sit through pain. We can practice being with discomfort, but we do so with kindness and compassion. So we might stay with an uncomfortable sensation for only a second or two, but gradually we may find we can allow it to be there longer without reacting to it.
We always work at a pace that feels right for us—and what we do today may be different from what we did yesterday or what we will do tomorrow. Practice “beginner’s mind,” noticing what is there rather than what we think should be there or what we want to be there.
When you notice the urge to move and end the practice, try exploring this further—can you feel it as a sensation in the body? Play with experiencing the impulse without acting on its demands. What does this feel like?
And when you want to finish, make a deliberate decision to do so and end with a moment or two of focusing on the breath before expanding the awareness back out to include the body and your immediate environment.
Play with experiencing the impulse without acting on its demands
