Inner Work

For the week of:   February 26, 2001

Contact with Physical Sensation in Daily Life

Our body is the hallowed ground in which our soul can grow. The energy of sensation enables our awareness of our body. And this same energy also forms the raw material of our soul. By practicing body awareness through sensation, or sensing, we build our soul. Because our body always stays in the now, the practice of sensing also grounds us in the present moment, the only venue for spiritual work and the only venue for a satisfying life. Sensing brings light into the unconscious, automatic moments that make up the vast majority of our day. Working with sensation offers us a foothold, an anchor in the present.

As a preliminary exercise, try sensing while sitting quietly. Bring all your attention to your right hand. Become aware of the hand directly, not by thinking of the hand or by looking at it, but by opening to the immediate perception of your hand from within the hand. Hold your attention in your right hand, in a relaxed way. If you notice your attention wandering, gently bring it back to the hand. After some time your right hand may seem more alive, vibrant, warm, even tingling. This marks the accumulation of the sensitive energy in the hand. To establish the “taste” of sensation, notice the difference between your perception of your right hand and your left hand. One is full of sensitive energy brought there by your attention. The other is empty.

Choose one simple activity that you normally repeat at least several times on most days. Examples include getting into a car, sitting down on a chair, walking through doorways, waiting in line, typing on a keyboard, reading, and eating. Select one such activity during which you will practice awareness of physical sensation for the coming week. Then each time you begin that activity, bring your attention to the sensation in one of your limbs. The first time sense your right arm, next time your right leg, then left leg, then left arm, then right arm, and so on. If you forget which limb you sensed last, start over with the right arm.

For a more detailed introduction to sensation, please read The Energy Body.

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