The Need for Steady Awareness (Day 145)

We're looking at our bodies as our first-hand experience of life. The cause of our suffering (reactivity) lives here, and so the cure (acceptance) gets applied here as well.

In order to apply this cure, we need to build some resolution (more data) into what going on in our bodies. Sometimes reactions are what get in the way. They are usually not too difficult to notice, and we have to exercise our acceptance muscles.

But when life is a bit calmer, and you have some room to breathe subtly, then building your capacity for steady awareness is your main practice. If we're going to get deeper into our minds, through the portal of our bodes, to fix what's going wrong, then we're going to have to build the capacity to stay with our sensations.

This is the longest practice that we do every morning – building concentration by focusing on a small area of body sensations (touch of the breath / ribcage).

HOMEWORK

See if you can bring some body awareness to moments throughout your day. What does it feel like to be doing what you're doing? Can you maintain that awareness as you're doing it?