Should one visualize while scanning different parts of the body? If not, should one try to suppress it? When I do body scanning practice, automatically an image of the corresponding body part arises in my mind. In fact, every single time when I am changing attention from a part to another it is the mental image of that part that arises first and sensations after that (if any). I have a hunch that this is not the right practice. I tried to "stop" it, but I could not...and hence the question. Can you give your insight on this? Also please share a method to avoid visualizing automatically (if that is indeed correct).

In the above sutta the Buddha said that one knows every step one is untertaking. Whether it's walking, sitting, standing, lying down, bending etc. Does this imply simply awareness of body sensations (since the sutta is titled kaya which translates as body)? How does this sutta then differ from Anapanasati Sutta?

When I first started meditating, the body scan phase confused me. For a long time, I imagined the shape of a body in front of me in the distance, and scanned down through it. More recently I’ve realised that you get much more out of it by scanning through the feeling of my own body “in place” — but I still sometimes get muddled about which perspective I am “seeing” or “experiencing” parts of the body *from*. I’ve had the same challenge with the visualisation of the white pinprick at the solar plexus. Sometimes I wonder whether I should be looking “down” from my eyes, through my neck and into my chest… or if my “eyes” should themselves move to the chest … or… something else? At the moment I am practicing with the visualisation of the red pearl / red lotus at the throat chakra, as recommended in the book *Dream Yoga* by Andrew Holocek. The same puzzle keeps coming up! Where should this shape be relative to my mind’s eye? What angle relative to my spine in three dimensions should it be in, where should the “camera” of my mind be in relation to it, and what should the resulting image actually look like? How should the feelings of my body relate spatially to this shape? Here’s another example, a simple description of a visualisation from this blog entry that puzzles me: > Picture the energy of your root chakra as a ball of ruby light centered on the base of your spine. With each breath, see this ball becoming larger. In this example, should I be “seeing” my body in front of me, like watching a mirror, so that I can look at the base of my spine? Or should I be feeling the base of “my” spine where I know it to be? In which case, “where” is the “ruby light”? My eyes can’t see the base of my spine when they are looking roughly ahead with eyelids closed. I feel *very* confused, especially as I have managed to feel very “in” the breath and body at this point in my practice, but visualisation always humbles me. I’d welcome any guidance about this, including simple steps and theoretical underpinnings. Am I somehow too attached to the position and perspective of the eyes in my head and, if so, how would you loosen that and what replaces it? Is this a known challenge of body visualisation? Nobody seems to talk about “where” in experience a visualisation should emerge. It’s a bit disheartening.

I'm currently reading _The Art of Living: Vipassana Meditation_ and it says to observe sensations in the body without reacting. 1. What would be an example of a reaction that one might have? When I feel an emotion - perhaps I remember a conversation that I had that produced a strong emotion - I notice a sensation in my body associated with the emotion. Is the goal to focus on the sensation and wait for it to pass? 2. Also, I've tried starting a meditation session by focusing on my breathing. I then try to observe sensations in my body -for example, my stomach gurgling, a tingling on my skin or the temperature on my skin. If I focus on this, no emotions are coming up because I'm focusing only on my breathing or sensations in my body. In the book it says to observe the sensations without reacting. There's nothing to react to though if I'm just focusing on the bodily sensations so I'm not sure what this piece of advice is referring to.

I have a research and I need to know all the names of angels in different religions and their actions, and since I am an Arab, my sources are not enough and I need the names of the angels in Buddhism

I have just started a PhD in Mathematics. Can serious mindfulness practice (i.e. vipassana meditation at least 2 hours a day) help improve academic performance? If so, can you attach any reliable studies on this?

I have done several Vipassana retreats in the past. Some questions came up to me several times without being able to answer them. - **What are the major differences between mindfulness of the body (e.g. Body scan/Vipassana meditation) and focusing on the breath (i.e Anapana Sati meditation)?** - **How can I focus my attention as it arises across my body? I am able to focus on my breath between my nose and my mouth, but when I am aware of my sensation on my legs for instance, should I stay aware of my breathing simultaneously?**

At some point in life I learned I could focus on some bodily awareness that resulted in the following experience: - Piloerectus; Not once, but it stays throughout the meditation while I keep on focusing. - A smile is slowly coming on my face (slowly as in it could take 20 seconds or so). It intensifies when I focus on that particular bodily feeling. It feels mechanically. When I take a picture of this I genuinely look happy. - Yawning; I cannot suppress this yawning when I focus on that particular bodily feeling. I yawn almost every minute intensely. - Energy swirls through my body. which can even make pains go away. Like pains from stress as facial muscle cramps or so. This all can instantly go away when I have thoughts of doubt, fear, resentment or any other negative thought. The smile and energy swirls I understand. Why piloerectus and yawning occur I do not. I am not feeling tired at all when the yawning happens. And when I stop to focus on this particular bodily feeling, the yawning stops. I do not yawn during a whole day, for instance. To me the yawning is a reproducible sign that indicates whether I am focused or not during meditation. But why does it happen? In this pubmed article it is described that yawning is controlled by dopamine release (amongst other neurotransmitters). I was wondering if there is something written about this yawning during meditation in the teachings of the Buddha.

I don't like the shape of my body. My skin is poor. I lack physical stamina and strength. I feel hungry but I don't eat. I just don't like myself. How can I purify my body so that I feel good in it? My body is just lethargic, fatigued and weak. Did Buddha share any techniques to purify and strengthen the physical body? Also I masterbate a lot which is the cause of my weak and ugly body. I don't even have the strength to exercise the way I want. This is all topped with immense guilt that I want to wash away.

Could someone please clarify for me what to do with the eyes? I have heard that we should keep our eyelids half open, but could someone describe it in detail (or refer me to someone else who does)? Thank you.

** Practice Mindfulness of Body ---------------------------- ** I'm trying to being present with the help of body sensations. As I'm a beginner . I place my hand over my chest to feel that I'm live and presence. This is to ensure that I do not "think" that I'm being present but as a fact I'm . After few minutes , I do feel tightness of my heart , breathing rhythm. Then starts to feel energy flow (tingling) inside my legs and Torso .This is like being my attention expanded beyond the chest . When thoughts come I bring my attention back to chest . Of course I feel a calm state but it is again a temporary state . The moment I release my attention to include whole environment again it keeps going to whatever it "wishes" to be with . Could anyone help me with the next step that could help me to keep my attention where I wish it to be ? to ensure I would not identify with unnecessary feelings , emotions etc.

I think I am pretty well aware that the physical body is influenced by emotions (blushing is an example, or a nervous feeling in the abdoment due to axienty). I think I am also pretty well aware the emotions is a product of the mental processes. When I take something for granted I am not thankfull and that is reflected in my emotions and physical body. During meditation I can put my focus on something which I would not call the sensations of the physical, nor are it my emotions and it aren't also thoughts. But, it influences all 3. Thoughts become more positive, I feel happier, and my body starts tingling with pleasant sensations. I am reading about these different kinds of 'bodies'. The physical body, emotional body, lower/higher mental body, oversoul and spiritual body... I also read somewhere about the buddhic body. Now I am confused by all these different kinds of models/interpretations. I've never read anything about distinct energy bodies from a buddhism perspective. The terms look so a like that it almost should be, but I do not find a direct relationship on the web. Does Buddhism support the buddhic body perspective? Is there literature or teaching related to this, or any other conceptualiziation of energetic bodies.

It echoes in my mind that space time is not fundamental. I thought I read this in some psychics experiments, saw it in YouTube videos and/or read it in a book related to Buddhism. But I far from recall the details. I searched for space time not being fundamental on the topic of Buddhism but I am not really finding much about it. With space time not being fundamental I mean to say that it is a construct of the mind. One can understand it is a mental construct, but still experience space time. I am asking about the Buddhist view on space time, and the implications of that view. I am asking because of the following experience I had. Recently I experienced some different perception during meditation. It was like my perception of the room I was sitting in vanished and there was no perception anymore of me having a body, sitting in a room. But I would not say I changed, I was still present. And I had my eyes closed all along. This experience of no longer having a body happened to me a couple of times during meditation now. More recent I was doing a mental exercise to get the difference more clear about experience coming from sensory perception, and experience coming from the mind. I did so by focusing on my body, and then on some memory of how something felt tactically, and then switch focus back on my body, and so forth. I was switching like this continuously. Every time that I switched I mentally called out the difference (using my inner voice, so not out loud): > Experience from sensory perception and > Experience from mental perception At some point the distinction became more clear. At that moment it was clear to me the experience of space time arises because of a mental process. At that moment I could solely focus on sensory perception, and the awareness of space time was gone. And I could go back as well to experience space time again. I then experienced having a body again, sitting in the car, on a parking lot in front of the office. And I could go back again, focusing solely on sensory perception, where there was no experience anymore of me having a body. It was like space contracted to be dimensionless and I had no awareness of my body anymore, nor the car I was sitting in. Or maybe I should say that there was nothing more but the experience of the body. The bodily awareness was different. All encompassing vs being part of something else. I am having difficulties to describe my experience. I could still think of my body and the car though, but the experience of having a body and sitting in a car stayed away. It stayed away for as long as I kept this focus on sensory perception. It was like I was withholding my mind from creating the spatial awareness or something. I'm so curious to explore this more. Also how it relates to the self-awareness and experience of space time in dreaming (so a lucid dream). And I am really curious if there is some perspective from Buddhism on this kind of experience.

Once, one of my teachers, a Buddhist practitioner, advised against body scan meditation saying that it can cause psychosis and the surfacing of problematic contents. I have subscribed to this advice so far. **Is this really true? What are the dangers associated with body scan meditation?**

I have had very strong sensations in my throat since I started practicing *Vipassana* 2 years back. They keep changing shapes and sharpness - they started like a picket fence and now are like hard pokey stone(s). They get overwhelming at times and am not able to focus on other body parts. - Has anyone experienced something like this ? - Have you managed to be equanimous in the face of sensations that seem to be ***communicating*** with you?

In relation to a question lately ask in regard of usuals in practicing body gestures (ones appearing) as a part of training as well as a certain voidnes of such gestures on internet as support and help, aside of the use of emos, in how far might it be of use or of distruction to receive and perceive not only words but also signs as teaching? What is the disadvantage of being taught the Dhamma without relay on body or form, remebering here that certain existences do not allow understanding the Dhamma? Is a dismay of certain form and signs and preference to relay on certain perceptions, if possessing them, (e.g. avoding ugly and beauty in regard of eye contact), not working on it, a way to get Dhamma rightly? ___ To add a sample: times ago my person used to give a * *schmunzel* *, something between * *smile* * and * *smirk* * within text, given that there are usually no emos exressing that well. Now, althought text, some people go attached, some very annoyed, some untouched, according to their preoccupations on forums. Now, following the way to give even lesser changes to find achors for unskilful socialising, by appearing merely unmoved, not giving certain signs, people got likewise attached, very annoyed, some untouched, according to their preoccupations and kind of attention. Yet, as for a monk (even formal for Bhikkhus), showing signs of emotions is regarded as improper conduct, such as showing teeth by smiling, moving arms, using body to express. Such kind of behaviour, giving certain favor and socialize improper way, has [leaded right practicing monks in troubles](http://zugangzureinsicht.org/html/lib/authors/thanissaro/bmc1/bmc1.ch05_en.html#Sg13) once. Now people are often very lost if not finding pleasant things within the senses, no way to identify and tend to it. ___ Where to draw the border between "giving" beauty and ugly, neutrality and being touched with signs and bodily gesture useful for every one? What if perfect or void of such contacts to learn how to distinguish and approach? Is it a case to case issue or should it be regarded as natural "chaos" not worthy to but, make merits on it? ___ *[Note: This is a gift of Dhamma and not meant for commercial purpose or other low wordily gains by means of trade and exchange.]*

I do not know how extensively body scans have been studied with brain-imaging techniques, e.g. fMRI. Body scan is a meditation technique developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn . It was derived from a meditation practice ('sweeping') of the Burmese U Ba Khin tradition . > "It involves systematically sweeping through the body with the mind, > bringing an affectionate, openhearted, interested attention to its > various regions, customarily starting from the toes of the left foot > and then moving through the entirety of the foot [...] From there, the > focus moves into, successively, and slowly, the entirety of the pelvic > region, including the buttocks and the genitals [...] and finally, to > the face and head." > > "We are systematically and intentionally moving our attention through > the body, attending to the various sensations in the different > regions. That we can attend to these body sensations at all is quite > remarkable. That we can do it at will, either impulsively or in a more > disciplined systematic way, is even more so." > > "We might describe what we are doing during a body scan as tuning in > or opening to those sensations, allowing ourselves to become aware of > what is already unfolding." I found it quite easy to practice and had interesting and unusual experiences (mostly pleasant). My question is: **Would any brain and brain-imaging expert - given this description - dare to guess roughly how a body scan may look like in a "brain scanner", e.g. recorded with fMRI?** I am not such an expert, nevertheless I dare to guess. Presumably, a body scan will - mainly but not solely - take place in the areas of the cortical homunculus in the primary motor and sensory cortices. I would guess that it is here that most of body scan related neural activity will occur. But in which manner: how will activity evolve and literally move around, how will it look like in the "brain scanner"? Five possibilities come to my mind: 1. Experts and laymen will see nothing but a generally increased, enigmatically billowing activity of the cortical homunculus. 2. An expert would see some significant patterns, but only vague and hard to communicate. 3. Even the layman could see something: - an overall increased activity of the cortical homunculus with somehow changing peaks of activity (highlights, representing the body region the attentional focus is currently on) - a mostly "dark" cortical homunculus with a *wandering* spotlight of activity - a mostly dark cortical homunculus with a fading-in/fading-out spotlight every now and then Which of these possibilities do you - if you happen to be a brain and/or brain-imaging expert - consider the most probable one? Other possibilities are welcome! And of course hints to studies where this question has been experimentally attacked. (I found one study but didn't delve deeper into it: there are too few images in it.)

The life current is extremely strong, if I consciously bring my attention to a single breath, a single movement of my abdomen, a single moment of my weight or sensation of my sitting bones during daily life, would it still be beneficial to my inner transformation? Or is it long hours of (15min plus) sitting meditation, body scanning is only counted?

First - this is a question directed towards advanced practitioners of mindfulness or similar meditation. I have been meditating and practicing other transformational work for about 17 years. Throughout the work, I've had many peak experiences, many "aha" moments, and I've experienced the deepening and expansiveness of my awareness and understanding. I've learned to be suspicious of any type of insight or experience that presents itself as "the answer" - in other words; I've had thoughts like "this is finally it! I got it!" So many times that I pretty much ignore that type of noise as soon as notice it. Lately while meditating, I've become increasingly aware of physical sensations (neither pleasant or unpleasant) in my body, particularly around my upper chakras; and the overall - for lack of a better word - intensity of my experience is elevated. As I allude to - I've never had a transformational experience that I considered "real" that came about with a bang - the worthwhile experiences are usually quite subtle - if fact my sense is that the essence of transformation is increasingly subtle rather than the other way around. My question is, what do I make of my recent experiences? It carries with it an intensity that seems well, intense. I recognize that more information is probably necessary to answer this; but in general terms, is this par for the course? Is it just something to notice, and let pass? Is it a symptom of something and/or, is there anything to do about it?

I couldn't find this exact question asked before. What kind of exercise is recommended for better physical comfort and "endurance"/"stamina" when sitting in meditation; apart from the sitting itself? I usually sit in the half vajra position, which is quite comfortable and stable, but find it a bit tiring when I sit for many hours. Any good exercises in "the long run"? Any good stretching or other exercises between sessions when sitting whole days?