93 : Meditation : Experiencing Impermanence In Your Body
In this episode: Body scan meditation to experience impermanence.
Impermanence - the fact of life that everything is constantly changing and nothing stays the same for long - can be best observed and experienced within our own body.
During my 10 day silent Vipassana meditation retreat in Northern California, I truly experienced the impermanence of life.
The practice of body scan meditation, where we were aware of each part of the body from head to toe for 10 hours per day, made it clear that even something that seems fixed, say a pain in my shoulder, is actually changing and moving continuously.
Impermanence is all around us, and it was mirrored by the mountain scene I walked past each day, which was different every time.
I invite you to experience the ever changing nature of your body and life through this guided body scan meditation.
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[00:01:58] Meditation
Adam Coelho: Okay. So let's begin by finding a position that allows you to be both alert and relaxed at the same time, sitting with a long spine, but not rigid.
And you can close your eyes or keep them slightly open, gazing down two feet in front of you. And let's begin with three deep breaths in.
Now to our current reality in this moment, tuning into your body
and just noticing whatever is there to be noticed. Any sensations, any tension, any tightness pain. Or any feelings of ease and relaxation, just open times and curious towards yourself and whatever arises in the field of the body,
bringing your attention now to the feet. Let us scan through the body, noticing whatever is there to be noticed you knowing the bottom of your feet
or bang up into the ankles, tops of the feet, noticing any tension or tightness or tingling itching. Any and all sensations moving up into the lower leg,
noticing the shins, the calves,
noticing any temperature, air touching the skin or the clothing. As it touches the skin,
continuing up into the maze
noticing the front sides and back of the means these needs that carry us around. Make many of our movement possible, which we often forget or take for granted noticing what's there to be noticed in the knees,
moving up into the upper legs, the hamstrings, the quads.
See feeling your body resting on your seat,
feeling the groin, the hips, lower abdomen. Moving up into the abdomen area,
feeling into the interior of the body, noticing whatever's there to be noticed among the organs that support in your life.
Moving up now into the chest,
perhaps feeling the expansion and contraction and super, even than now.
Perhaps noticing if you can feel your heart beating in your chest.
Noticing any sensations, any emotions that are alive in your heart right now.
And listening to see if there's anything that it is trying to tell you.
Bringing your attention to your lower back; scanning slowly and gently up your back. The lower back to the mid, back to the upper back.
Just noticing open time, curious towards, any and all sensations. Manifesting right now in this moment in your back.
Then up into your shoulders, stay sweet often hold tension. A lot of emotions, just noticing how they feel right now
and bringing your attention down into your upper arms, scanning through your elbow, to the lower arm, into the hands. What does it feel like in your hands?
How do you know that your hands are there when you're not looking at them?
What do they feel like?
Moving your attention back up the arms, up into the shoulders again, and meeting the neck.
This neck that holds up your head, noticing any sensations in the front act and sides of the neck and throat.
Bringing your attention into your face. First to the jaw, another area we often hold tension.
Inquiring. What do I feel in my job right now? Sit tight at none of this is good or bad, right. Or wrong justice.
Sure. Right now it's like this.
Can I simply meet what is with openness, kindness, and curiosity.
Cheeks eye sockets, eyeballs, eyelids ears,
and the forehead. Noticing if there's any muscles activated in your forehead.
Finally, including the scalp.
Feeling the top of your head.
Now, let us expand this awareness to the entire body sitting and breathing. Okay.
Noticing wherever your attention is drawn to in your body by sensations.
Resting in awareness of the body as it sustains your life, as it is your life; moment by moment by moment, breath by breath, by breath.
Open and curious to the unfolding of your life. Right here right now.
If your mind gets pulled away by thought or sound or anything else just include whatever's pulled you away in awareness. Because it is also part of this experience of life right now. Not judging it to be good or bad, right or wrong. Just observing it as you observe sensations coming and going in the body.
And whenever you like, just returning to the breath and the body, as you sit and breathe.
Let us finish with three deep breaths together.
Brething in. And Out
Once more.
Thank you very much for your attention.
[00:16:02] Outro
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