Meditation Through Feeling the Body
Feeling the body is a simple way to disidentify and disengage from the mind and thoughts and to come into conscious attention and awareness, into awareness that we exist and into awareness of the inner silent presence, (which is our true nature, always peaceful, whole, free and blissful).
Most of the day we identify with thoughts, emotions, and sensory experiences. Identification happens mainly through thoughts and also includes the “stealing” of attention by the ego. One of the easiest and most effective ways to disidentify from thoughts, gain control of attention, and become aware of the inner silent presence is to withdraw attention from the mind and turn it toward our body. Through conscious awareness of the body, we become aware of our existence and of the inner silent presence.
The process of disidentifying from thoughts (but also from anything else we are identified with) and coming into awareness of the inner silence is simple and requires no effort. We simply withdraw our attention from the mind and bring it to the body by consciously feeling our body. As we feel our body, we come into contact with the feeling that we exist and with the inner silent presence, which is always present, peaceful, and blissful, but we do not pay attention to it, both out of ignorance and because of the continuous movement of the mind and our identification with the mind and sensory experiences. Through my experience, I have found that, in order for the transfer of attention to where we want it to go to happen easily and effortlessly, small phrases help us, either in the form of an affirmation or in the form of a question. As soon as we think of the phrase, our attention effortlessly goes where we are thinking and we become aware of what we want without any effort.
In this case, I have chosen four phrases which will help us to disidentify from the mind and become conscious of the inner silent presence at the center of our existence.
You can use the process I propose below both for seated Meditation and at any moment during the day to return to awareness of the inner silent presence (self-awareness) and remain in contact with the peace and fullness of our true nature. Practicing this method at home will help us apply it more easily and effectively during the day as well. I remind you that, in order to have results with any method we have decided to apply, we should practice it steadily and systematically until it becomes automatic.
The Practical Application
Say each phrase mentally and feel calmly. Say:
· “I feel the body” and feel the body,
· “I feel that I exist” and feel that you exist,
· “I feel the silence” and feel the silence,
· “I remain in the silence” and remain in the silence as the silence
You can also say the phrases as questions/inquiries.
Ask yourself:
· “Can I feel my body?” And feel your body,
· “Can I feel that I exist?” And feel that you exist,
· “Can I feel the silence?” And feel the silence,
· “Can I remain in the silence?” And remain in the silence as the silence.
With the last phrase, we become aware of the inner silence and remain there without trying any more for it. If our attention moves elsewhere, we say the first phrase again, “Can I feel my body?” and come into contact with the body and continue with the remaining phrases until we once again come into contact with the feeling of existing and the inner silent presence.
Every time your attention moves away, do the whole process again from the beginning, starting with the first phrase, “Can I feel my body?” or “I feel my body,” and continue with the remaining phrases.
When you are in awareness of the silence and notice that you are tensing up in order to concentrate more on the silence, or you are tensing up in order to remain in contact with the silence, the following question/inquiry will help you relax:
“What do I need to try in order to experience the silence?” “Is it a matter of effort to experience the silence?” or “Do I need to make an effort to feel the silence within me?”
Remember that the recipe for success is continuous daily practice, steady determination and the will to achieve our goals, self-confidence, patience, perseverance, and endurance in the face of difficulties.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~