Touchy Feely practice
lobster
Crusty Veteran
This is the more usual mindfulness/attention directed practice many of us are familiar with:
http://secularbuddhism.org/2012/08/06/body-meditation/
However ...
There I was (and this is a true story) listening through headphones to what I wrongly assumed was a led meditation/relaxation. After a couple of minutes It became apparant it was just a pleasant enough music track. Decided to make use of it rather than find something that matched its description ...
Added a mantra. Started doing yoga nidra as I was lying down. Rather than just mentally going to particular points of tension, I would place my hands on them. This helped the letting go ... Kind of New Agey but very effective. There was an ability to focus, thank, acknowledge, radiate metta through touch. Will develop/research this further ...
Anyone done or aware of a more Buddhist version?
This is heavy going (deals with abuse):
https://www.tarabrach.com/articles-interviews/trauma/
but is the sort of thing that might be useful from a Buddhist therapist ...
Within the Theravada Buddhist tradition, mindfulness of the body is the foundation of practice. Various schools of Mahayana Buddhism also place great importance on body consciousness. Several Mahayana scriptures insist that “the body itself is bodhi (awakening).” One tantric song says, “Here in this body are the sacred rivers: here are the sun and moon, as well as all the pilgrimage places. I have not encountered another temple as blissful as my own body.” The Japanese Zen tradition has also stressed the importance of the conscious participation of the body in practice. Zen Master Dogen dissolved the dualism when he wrote that “mindfulness of the body is the body’s mindfulness.”
https://mettarefuge.wordpress.com/2011/04/11/why-buddhist-practice-is-deeply-rooted-in-mindfulness-of-the-body/
Comments
I regard mindfulness of the body as foundational. I find it's an effective way of returning to the present, and it invariably has a grounding effect so I am less "in my head". I work regularly with bodily sensation and posture.
I find mindful walking pleasurable and helpful. Posture I've not yet delved into deeply, I'm leaving it for later after my practice is more fully established. Mindfulness of the body I have mixed experiences with... often my hypnopompic experiences leave me with sensations of being touched, which sometimes return during the day, and this can make mindfulness of the body difficult.
'Hypnopompic'; what a brilliant word. I'll use that today for a bit of fun.