Start generally with arms, legs, torso and head. As you mentally note the location of each component, start to divide it up further to become more aware of smaller details. For example, the arm may become shoulder, upper arm, elbow, lower arm, wrist, palm, fingers, etc.


Spend a minute being both aware of each part, but also how they feel, such as tense or relaxed, hot or cold and so on. The purpose is to be aware of not only where they are, but what they are, how they feel and so on, building to a complete body awareness.
 There is a typical repetition worth learning, that runs along the lines of:
1. Head hair, body hair, teeth, skin, nails.
2. Muscles, sinews, bones, bone marrow, kidneys.
3. Heart, liver, stomach, spleen, lungs.
4. Bowel, intestines, feces, undigested food, brain.
5. Bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, body fat.
6. Tears, skin grease, snot, saliva, bone lubricant and urine.


The traditional order of this list seems unusual but the list divides the body components into two classes - solid matter and liquid matter. It starts with some of the most easily recognizable external parts (head, hair, skin, etc.), then moves on to more internal parts increasing in complexity as you go.
What you are doing more or less, is a kind of mental CT scan of your body. If you have seen scans before, you see bones, muscles, organs, etc. This is what you are looking for in situ and in action. It may or may not appear visually to you like a CT scan, but you may feel a sensation, or another form of awareness of that body part.
 There is a host of things recommended as a point of study so you may choose any that feel relevant to you at the beginning and then work on to the more complex aspects. Give each part some time to be studied to gain an understanding, familiarity and insight while at the same time, direct a calm and relaxed focus towards its nature.


1. Examine its location in the body, how it feels, what it is, how it is, how it came to be, what it needs to continue to be, etc.
2. Examine your experiences of how your mind interacts with the body component, such as how the heart changes when there is tension in the mind and how the muscles react when there is discomfort.
3. Examine your experiences of how the body interacts with mental states. When there is tension, unease, fear, how does the body feel? When there is gradual relaxation in the mind, is there gradual relaxation in the body? There are many other questions you may ask in this theme.
4. Is there attachment or any wishes that occur to you in relation to that part of the body? The more sensitive practitioner may find the meditation somewhat unnerving and feel squeamish, or maybe even think it's gross and weird. This method can be used to break down any such squeamishness and other barriers, allowing for a tolerance and acceptance to be built on increased understanding of and familiarity with the body.
5. Consider how fragile the ecosystem of your body is. One example is to examine how the blood needs pumping to oxygenate it, prevent it from clotting and becoming fatal. The blood being pumped helps the immune and healing system and since it helps regulate body temperature, we feel cold or hot when the circulation is not free.
6. Consider how co-dependent it is on other aspects of the body and external facts such as food and water, air, temperature and so on. Consider how enduring each part is, or how much it changes.
7. Consider how many of the bodily processes and parts run and are maintained on their own, independent of us or on autopilot, if you will. The identity has no involvement in running the liver for example, it just works away, even when we are deeply asleep.
If you wish, you can spend the entire meditation on just one part, or one group. However, if you wish to do the entire body, move on to the next group: Muscles, sinews, bones, bone marrow, kidneys. Again, be aware of each part as above.
Mentally divide the body into its component parts.
Start to mentally note individual parts of the body in more detail.
Now spend a moment being aware of each part in turn.
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