THE BODY

THE BODY

―It is through this fathom-long body that one reaches the end of suffering.‖

- AN 4.45

The 1st foundation of mindfulness is central to practice. In fact, mindfulness meditation is called an embodied or body-based practice. Many of us have lived our lives trapped in the selfconstructed prison of thoughts and concepts. We are shut off from awareness of our bodies. We can spend the whole day lost in thinking, unaware of mounting tension in our bodies. When we suddenly notice the mounting stress and pain it can be difficult to let it go and relax. Our culture is one that focuses on the external appearance and performance of the body while neglecting inner awareness and nurturing of the body. In many teachings the Buddha remarked that the entirety of our experience of the world is known only through the body, and specifically through what he called the 6 sense bases (seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, feeling, and thinking) and their corresponding 6 sense objects (sights, sounds, odors, flavors, touches, and thoughts). In meditation practice it is essential to develop mindfulness of these 6 senses (see page 62). We are cultivating the ability to be with our sensory experience without being lost in it, clinging to it, or pushing it away.

There is a wholesome, healing quality to developing body awareness. By paying attention in a relaxed, non-judging way to the sensations that arise and pass away in the body, we are giving ourselves a precious gift. We can notice areas of our

body that are stressed and knotted up and then make a conscious effort to investigate and deconstruct them, release and relax the tension, and allow the body to be freer and more at ease. If we have injuries or chronic body issues such as chronic pain or fatigue, we can use non-critical awareness and investigation to develop a more wholesome and integrated relationship with our bodies. In meditation we learn the skill of accepting the conditions of the body and mind regardless of how difficult they may be. Mindfulness has a natural quality that softens, relaxes, and encourages the release of tension, discomfort, and stress. Most meditators find that practice with mindfulness of the body is well worth the investment and transforms their relationship with their bodies.

As we develop our vipassana practice and work with all 4 foundations of mindfulness we forge a direct experiential link between the different aspects of our being. The connections between the body, breath, emotions, and thoughts are an essential area of investigation in insight practice. By connecting our mental experience with our bodily experience we develop powerful skills for understanding ourselves, healing psychological problems, recovering from trauma, and relieving stress and suffering. Greater awareness of the body-mind connection develops an early warning system that allows us to notice physical and mental stress earlier and to make skillful choices about how to respond to the stressful situation, bringing the mind and body back into balance and calm. We are learning a more holistic way to live in the world, with greater awareness and acceptance of our inner and outer experience. This allows our natural qualities of wisdom and compassion to mature and inform our every thought, word, and action.