Body Awareness Meditation

from the Mid-America Buddhist Association as taught by Master JiRu

This is a form of mindfulness of mind meditation, the first of the four foundations of mindfulness.

A man with legs crossed in mindful meditation
Start by taking a few deep, calming breaths. Notice the breath coming into the body and leaving the body. Accept the breath just as it is, then:

Step One: Awareness of the Body
Focus on relaxing the body, letting go of any tension, in the five stage sequence below.

Step One: Awareness of the Body as a whole

  1. Relax the head, face, jaw, and neck.
  2. Relax the shoulders, arms, and hands
  3. Relax the chest and abdomen
  4. Relax the back
  5. Relax the legs

Go on to the next step.

Step Two: Breathing Awareness of the Organs

A diagram of internal body and how breathing awareness of the organs and meditation

Imagine the internal body in five parts (lung, heart, liver, pancreas, and kidneys) as shown in the illustration above. Then visualize using the breath to relax the five internal organs pictured above.

  1. Breath 3 breaths into your visualization of the heart. Imagine the heart relaxing with each exhalation.
  2. Breath 6 breaths into your visualization of the lungs. Imagine the lungs relaxing.
  3. Breath 9 breaths into your visualization of the liver. Imagine the liver relaxing.
  4. Breath 9 breaths into your visualization of the pancreas. Imagine the pancreas relaxing.
  5. Breath 9 breaths into your visualization of the kidneys. Imagine the kidneys relaxing.

Return to the Awareness of the Body as a whole and repeat twice more.

After 3 repetitions, sit in stillness for a few second or minutes and enjoy the calm.

A further explanation of this meditation, and the context from which it arose, can be found at the Mid-America Buddhist Association’s website: Basic Mediation Booklet »

If you have any questions or comments, you can contact us at DeepDharma.org