Keys For Living

[MajestyJo]

Adopt a comfortable, relaxed posture and direct your awareness to your body. When walking, be aware that you are walking; when standing, be aware that you are standing; when sitting, be aware that you are sitting; when lying down, be aware that you are lying down. Be aware of bending down or straightening up, bending forward or backward, lowering or lifting your head, eating, drinking, and so on. You can also be mindful of your breath, as described earlier. Then, concentrate on the various parts of your body, one after the other. Begin with your head, hair, ears, eyes, mouth, teeth, and so on. Send your attention down along your neck, shoulders, arms, hands, and fingernails. Move to the chest, to the waist, and down to the soles of your feet. Go up again. Then visualize the inside of your body: the flesh, the tendons, the bones, the heart, the lungs, the veins and arteries and the blood running through them, the other bodily fluids, the liver, and the intestines. Focus your mindfulness on them. Finally, simple place your awareness on whichever perception of the body arises in your mind.

Matthieu Ricard