Mindfulness of Body

In the Asheyana path, Calm Abiding practice is supported by one's work with the Eight Renunciations, having developed some space of mind in stepping back from bivalent perceptions.

Here is an extension of the Calm Abiding practice to deepen one's work with the step : "2. Take a good seat." This extension can be used during Calm Abiding practice or outside of defined practices sessions.

Called here "Mindfulness of Body," this extension is inspired by the first of the Nikaya Buddhist Four Establishments of Mindfulness, also called "Mindfulness of Body."

During a session of Calm Abiding, while working with the 'Five Points of Practice,' Location, Physical, Sensory, Attention, and Mind, one begins to focus more on the second Point of Practice, that of the Physical Body:

• • Drawing back from evaluations or judgements of one's Physical Body, one simply connects with the basic feeling of the Physical Body--feeling the stability and buoyancy of the back, feeling the natural weight of the organs.
    
    

• If there are irritations, injuries, pains, misalignment, or other challenges, one draws back from evaluation or judgement and simply connects with the basic feeling of the Physical Body.
  
  

• If there is euphoria, waves of thrill, pervasive warmth, or other joys, one draws back from evaluation or judgement and simply connects with the basic feeling of the Physical Body.
  
  

• If there is lack of feeling, lack of coordination, excessive lethargy, or other dullness, one draws back from evaluation or judgement and simply connects with the basic feeling of the Physical Body.
  
  

• If one becomes distracted or drowsy during this Mindfulness of Body practice extension, one briefly returns to the general Calm Abiding instruction until they are ready to continue working with this Mindfulness of Body practice extension.
  
  

Following a session of Calm Abiding, one can extend Mindfulness of Body into daily life by:

• Bringing the Mindfulness of Body developed during practice to one's basic activities of standing, walking, sitting, or lying down, and changing from one posture to another.
  
  

• Bringing the Mindfulness of Body developed during practice to one's familiar activities of bathing, dressing, eating, drinking, using the toilet, exercising, speaking, and so on, as well as transitions between activities.
  
  

• Bringing the Mindfulness of Body developed during practice to unfamiliar activities or states such as trying a new food, meeting a new person, visiting a new location, allowing thirst or hunger beyond what is one's usual limit, during sickness, and so on, as well as transitions between activities or states.
  
  

• If one becomes distracted or drowsy during this Mindfulness of Body practice extension, one can return to the mindfulness and awareness of daily life until they are ready to continue working with this Mindfulness of Body practice extension.
  
  

  • Notice if one's habits of body in daily life take up more space than the body needs to naturally be.
    
    

  • Notice if one's habits of body in daily life take up less space than the body needs to naturally be.
    
    

  • Notice if one's habits of body in daily life reflect one's Mindfulness of Body in meditation practice--Be curious what might explain the difference between the two.
    
    

By practicing "Mindfulness of Body," one can begin to see through direct experience how one's body holds itself and how the body actually is, instead of how one might like it to be, or how one might not like it to be.  One can also begin to see for oneself both the seeming permanence of the body and its condition, and its actual impermanence once the body's condition inevitably shifts into another state.

The fruition of Mindfulness of Body is called Poise of Body--a good posture to the body, with body neither pushed nor pulled, with attention to the body as body, fully embodied such that the body appears stable, dignified and free of clinging, with a sensitivity that appears as elegance.

May these words help the dignified Asheyana practitioner to gracefully hold the Poise of Body, with full mindfulness. May it be of benefit.