MINDFULNESS ON OTHER PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES

Example : Turning the Head

Look forward.
Generate awareness of heading
Turn the head to the left slowly maintaining mindfulness.
At the end start turning the head to the right.
Maintain awareness of the head movement; Left and Right
alternatively.
Observe arising and passing away of each step.
Stages of Development

Enhance to two step procedure: Starting to turn, End of turn

Enhance to three step procedure: Start-Middle-End etc..
Similarity…
Follow the same guidelines

Capture the present moment physical activity

Be neutral and unbiased (not liking or disliking)

Observe it arising and passing away

Focus on your action first then others actions and then yours-
and-others actions simultaneously.
Contemplation part
Increase awareness by close examination of the arising and passing
away of each head movement.

Slowly uncover the causes.

◦ What causes the head to turn ?
◦ What causes it to stop ?
Causes for Arising

Phy Energy
(Food)

Volitions

Craving

Ignorance Dependent Co-arising

Causes for Arising

Phy Energy
(Food)

Volitions

Craving

Ignorance
Example 2 : Hand Movements
Straighten the hand
Generate awareness of the hand
Fold the hand slowly maintaining mindfulness.
At the end start unfolding the hand.
Maintain awareness of the hand movement; folding and
unfolding alternatively.
Observe arising and passing away of each.
Example 3 : Mindful Eating
Generate awareness of the food in front.
Pick the food up by hand, fold the hand
mindfully until food reach the mouth.
Chew slowly maintaining mindfulness.
Become aware of the taste in the toungue.
Swallow mindfully.
Repeat the steps and observe arising and passing
away of each.
Moving on…
Breathing

Postures

Physical Activities

Anatomical Parts
Mental
Elements
Mind Factors
Corpse Decay

Feelings
Body
Why aren’t they coming
searching for me?
Anatomical Parts in package
DISMANTLE IT TO PARTS…
CONTEMPLATION OF THE NATURE OF THE BODY
AND ITS ANATOMICAL PARTS
Very educative, but are they… Pleasant?
Attractive?
Fragrant (sweet-smelling)?
Permanent?
Satisfactory?
Under my control?

Shall we observe them and their properties as they are?

Engage the mind in imaginative visualization of
these properties of each
part in the body….

Pleasant?
Attractive?
Fragrant?
Permanent?
Satisfactory?
Under my control?
Unpleasant
Unattractive
Bad odor (Foul smell)
Changing…, Decaying
Unsatisfactory
Not under my control
Hair
Body hair
Nails
Teeth
Teeth
Skin
Flesh
Blood vessels
Brain
Lungs
Heart
Membrane
Stomach
Undigested
Food
Liver
Gallbladder
Large Intestine
 Small
Intestine
Kidneys
Bones
Bone marrow
Blood
Urine
Sweat
Saliva
Flem
Snot
Pus
Fats
Grease
Tears
Bile
Joint
Oils
Engage the mind in imaginative visualization of
these properties of each
part in the body….

Pleasant?
Attractive?
Fragrant?
Permanent?
Satisfactory?
Under my control?
Unpleasant
Unattractive
Bad odor (Foul smell)
Changing…, Decaying
Unsatisfactory
Not under my control
PROGRESSION OF THE MINDFULNESS CONTEMPLATIONS

Mental
Mind Factors
Feelings
Body
SIX CONTEMPLATIONS

Breathing

Postures

Activities

Anatomical Parts

Elements

Corpse Decay
Another Method…

Thinking that the body is made up of food…

Made of nothing
other than…

…Food.
Different form of existence of the food.
Still… Nothing other than…

…food (or elements).

Progression of the mindfulness contemplations

Mental
Mind Factors
Feelings
Body
Six Contemplations
Breathing

Postures

Activities

Anatomical Parts

Four Elements

Corpse Decay
Four Elementary Qualities of the body
A Comparison
Contemplation of the anatomical parts has covered mainly
the first two of these qualities, solidity and liquidity.

The four-element analysis extends the awareness to aspects

of the body that manifest the qualities of heat and motion.
Four Element Meditation
Analyze and decompose the physical body into its four
elementary qualities.

Irrespective of its placement and posture, review the body,

as consisting of elements as consisting of the earth element,
the water element, the fire element, and the air element.
Four basic qualities of matter
Solidity Earth element

Liquidity Water element

Heat (Temperature) Fire element

Motion Air element

Properties/Qualities represented…

 Earth element represents hardness or softness

 Water element represents wetness or dryness

 Fire element represents hotness or coldness

 Air element represents degree of freedom

Contemplation
Contemplation of the body's earthy and watery qualities can be done
by observing the physical sensations of the solid and liquid parts of
the body.
Awareness of its fire element can be developed by body heat, and
the ageing process.
Air element can be perceived by directing awareness to the different
movements(motion) that take place within.
◦ Circulation of the blood, Breathing, Digestion of the food
Air Element Fire Element

Water Element Earth Element

Air Element Fire Element

Air Fire
Element Element

Water Earth
Element Element

Water Element Earth Element

The Earth Element
The Earth Element
The Earth Element
The Earth Element
THE WATER ELEMENT

THE EARTH
ELEMENT
THE
FIRE
ELEMENT

THE
AIR
ELEMENT
 However it is placed,
However it is disposed
The body Consists of

the earth element,

the water element
the fire element and
the air element.

Same four elements exist outside.

An Analogy

A butcher who has slaughtered and cut up a cow to sell.

 Notice the change of cognition

After the slaughter, the butcher no

longer thinks in terms of "cow",
but thinks
only in terms of "meat“
 Shift of cognition
Shift of cognition takes place
when a meditator decompose
‘me’ the body into its elementary
or qualities
"mine",
The body is no longer
experienced as ‘me’ or "mine",
but simply as a combination of
these four qualities.
Purpose
Experience the qualitative identity of one's own body with the
external environment.
Seamlessly blend/mix this material body with the whole material
world
This meditation gives realization of the selfless nature of material
reality.
Colour
Sound
Smell
Taste Let go of them
Touch & focus only on… SOLIDITY
Feelings
Perceptions
Emotions Colour
Sound
Smell
Taste
Touch
Feelings
Perceptions
Emotions
SOLIDITY

SOLIDITY
SOLIDITY

SOLIDITY
SOLIDITY

SOLIDITY
SOLIDITY

SOLIDITY
SOLIDITY

SOLIDITY
SOLIDITY

SOLIDITY

Boundless Earth Element

Colour
Sound
Smell
Taste Let go of them
Touch & focus only on… LIQUIDITY
Feelings
Perceptions
Emotions Colour
Sound
Smell
Taste
Touch
Feelings
Perceptions
Emotions
LIQUIDITY

LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY

LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY

LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY

LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY

LIQUIDITY

Boundless Water Element

Colour
Sound
Smell
Taste Let go of them
Touch & focus only on… HEAT
Feelings
Perceptions
Emotions Colour
Sound
Smell
Taste
Touch
Feelings
Perceptions
Emotions
HEAT

HEAT
HEAT

HEAT
HEAT

HEAT
HEAT

HEAT
HEAT

HEAT
HEAT

HEAT
HEAT

HEAT

Boundless Fire Element

MOTION

MOTION
MOTION

MOTION
MOTION

MOTION
MOTION

MOTION
MOTION

MOTION

Boundless Air Element

Another Method….
There are simply different degrees of solidity, liquidity, heat and motion in the
atomic or subatomic level.
..and Heat
Are the four qualities
present?
Consider tree
leaves
Shift of Cognition
Seamlessly blend/mix this material body with the whole material
world
Qualitative identity of one's ‘own body’ as part of the boundless
natural environment.
Realization of the selfless nature of material reality.
Relieve the mind from the burden of ownership of the material body.
Leads to relaxation and then; to concentration of the mind.