The Pivotal Role of the Body (Day 141)

Today we begin our exploration of the body with a wide-angle overview of where this reptile brain sits in relation to our whole 7-level mind.

Sitting right in-between our human awareness (the start of the practice) and our deepest empty nature (the end of the practice), the body functions as a kind of basecamp for the two overall stages of mindfulness practice.

First, you will use the relative stability of the body to manage your volatile thinking and emotional brains. Next, if you are drawn to a deeper practice, you will use your not-as-stable-as-it-first-seemed body as a portal into the subtler levels of your mind, eventually experiencing your fundamental nature first-hand, and thereby finishing your mindfulness practice.

PRACTICE

Be aware of your body (breath, sensations, senses...). See if you can maintain some body awareness as you're engaged in activities throughout your day (starting with the less cognitively demanding ones).