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Body Scanning

Another practice that promotes moving even deeper into meditation is body scanning. Body scanning provides most people with their first experience of entering the formless depths while meditating. It involves lying on your back and moving your attention through the different parts of your body, consciously breathing into each part until it feels totally loose and relaxed. By practising regularly, you will also begin to feel more relaxed and at home in your body as you go about your daily life.

THE PRACTICE

Begin by breathing deeply and evenly, with your whole body, the way a baby does. Once you feel more relaxed, start tuning into your body by bringing your attention to the tips of your toes. Then move your awareness up through your feet, ankles, shins, knees, thighs, and hips very, very slowly. Next, move into the pelvis and buttocks area, then onto your torso, going through the lower back and abdomen, upper back and chest, and finally the shoulders. From there, go to the tips of the fingers on both of your hands and move up through your arms, until you return to the shoulders. Continue moving your awareness through the neck and throat, and finally through all the regions of the face: your mouth, jaw, eyes, and forehead.

As you bring your attention to each part of your body, you may notice various joints or muscles adjusting automatically as tensions relax. Consciously use your breath along the way, as well. Every time you inhale, draw in fresh energy to those parts of your body where you find signs of tension; and every time you exhale, release that tension.

When you get to the very top of the head, take a few moments to breathe through your entire body from one end to the other. Imagine your breath flowing in through the top of your head and out through your toes, and then in through your toes and out through the top of your head.

By the time you complete the body scan, you should feel as if your entire body has become less solid, more transparent. Your sense of having a body may even drop away. If so, allow yourself to dwell in the formless emptiness for the remainder of your meditation.

SUMMARY

Focusing your attention on your body actually contributes to going beyond the body altogether, which is necessary to move deeper during your meditations in order to reach the subtlest states of formless consciousness. Practice body scanning at least once a day for a few weeks, or until you are familiar with it, then move on to the next method.

REMEMBER: It is best to sit up when you meditate, but initially, as a stand-alone practice, body scanning is best done while lying on your back. Once you become familiar and comfortable with this method, you can incorporate it into your sitting meditation practice. Also, keep in mind that if you try this practice when you are really tired you will probably fall asleep.

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