Observation Meditation based on Senses
This is Meditation for more advanced students that teaches you to be completely aware and in the moment by observing with all your senses.
| Sensory Perception Meditation |
| Kind of Meditation |
Observation |
| Degree of difficulty |
more advanced students |
| Recommended duration |
5 to 45 minutes |
| Posture |
Sitting |
| Advantages |
- It improves your concentration
- It gives you a clear, calm mind
- It sharpens your senses
- It removes feelings of stress
- It teaches you how to control your thoughts
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| Remark |
An exercise for more advanced students in which we focus on learning to concentrate our attention on our senses. This is the key to the NOW
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In this meditation we are going to expand the focus on our breathing to everything that happens around us during the meditation. This meditation is a little more difficult that the follow your breath meditation. Again we start with the observing and following of our breath. When we are sufficiently relaxed we expand our focus to everything that happens in and outside our body. Every time when we wander away in our mind we return to our breathing and we focus again on our body and our surroundings. Try to be totally present, to observe everything very sharply with your senses and, most importantly, not to think about what you are observing.
At first it is advisable to expand your focus only to the area that first catches your attention. If, for example, you feel aches in your body, bring your attention to these aches and observe. In the course of time you will certainly succeed in being fully aware of everything you notice around you without any disturbances and to be just the observer. Perhaps your observations will become more and more subtle and sharp in the course of time. When you find this exercise easier and easier it will become increasingly possible to observe even things like thoughts, emotions or unpleasant sensations. Just as is the case with all your sensations you will be less and less disturbed or upset by the coming and going of your thoughts.
Do not be afraid: for it is not easy to reach this state. Thoughts, dreams and other distractions will often enter your head and disrupt your concentration. This is normal and just goes to show how active our mind is. . Discovering things like twinklings, dizziness, goose-flesh or a warm feeling in certain areas is quite possible and you should not be alarmed by this. It is all part of the experience and goes to show that your body is getting relaxed. If you are bothered by the twinklings, just stop for a while until they are over or switch over to the count your breaths meditation. Also try to experience the connection between relaxation and observing during this meditation. See how your body reacts to relaxation out and how your muscles, breathing or heartbeat change or start to feel differently as the relaxation gets deeper. As is the case with every form of meditation we try not to judge, we try not to get angry when things do not go so well and we try not to be too goal-oriented. Let us begin!
Sensory Perception Exercise
- Sit down, close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing.
- Be aware of every breathing in and breathing out.
- Breathe automatically and freely, do not try to control your breathing.
- Pay attention to how the air slowly passes through your nose, fills up your lungs and goes out again.
- Try to find out whether you breathe through your belly, your diaphragm or the upper part of your chest.
- If, after taking a few breaths, you feel fine and at ease you start to focus.
- With the first few breathings in you focus on the sensations that you feel when the air streams in through your nose or how the air fills up your belly.
- Focus on the sensations that you feel when the air streams out through your nose or how your belly sinks down when the oxygen leaves your belly. Breathe automatically and freely, do not try to control your breathing.
- Continue until you are totally relaxed and you are completely at ease.
- Expand your attention to the sound of your breathing
- Listen attentively to the sounds around you. Find them all equally important.
- Expand your attention further to your feeling.
- Feel the clothes you wear, the hair on your head, the muscles in your face, etcetera.
- Be aware of every sensation you feel. Do not judge, just feel.
- If your thoughts wander away, for instance to your work or other daily cares, be aware of this and just return to the sensations that you felt last or to what strikes you now.
- Expand your observations further to your smell.
- Smell all the odours around you.
- Try out everything that you can taste.
- Slowly open your eyes, but keep slightly focussed and keep concentrated. Be aware of everything you see.
- Just take the time to use all your senses. You are now fully present.
- If something demands your attention, be aware of this and calmly return to what strikes you.
- Feel your body weight in the chair or on the cushion that you are sitting on.
- Bring your attention back to a sharp focus on something that is right in front of your eyes.
- Move a little and stretch your muscles a little.
- Finished!
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Basics & Backgrounds
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