Chapters Six and Seven
INNER BODY MINDFULNESS
Civilisation's one-sided training for life neglects two aspects of our basic potential. Our panorama senses, and an awareness of our bodies from the inside. Both are essential parts of becoming a complete human being.
Our sub-cultures are rich in exercises on inner body mindfulness. There are libraries full of literature on the subject. Its importance needs no extra emphasis from me.
However, the practice of inner body awareness is usually limited to breathing exercises and the tactile sense. These pages explore listening, smelling, tasting, and visualising inside the body. Each of these senses open up different aspects of inner-body mindfulness.
These two Chapters are of secondary importance. Many of the files are in basic note form.
Chapter Six
SMELLING AND TASTING
Tasting Basics and Development Games
Savouring Scents
Return to Normal Human Smelling
Enhancing Scents and Nostril Yoga
Research on Smelling
Humming
Ancient and Modern Smells
CREATIVE DOZING
This chapter is a start to a meditation methods based on empathy with how animals doze.
I believe, when they doze – in the same way humans continue to use their main sense organ to think or daydream – animals continue to use their main sense organs, they continue to smell, listen, taste, and to visualise.
The practice of sensing inside and outside of the body while meditating is consistent with Buddhist teachings on the six sense bases, and especially the Mahasatipatthana's 2nd. and 3rd. Noble Truths.
Animal Identity
Body and Breathing Awareness
Seeing With Closed Eyes
Listening and Seeing Inside
Creative Dozing
So far, this opens up the door to new dimensions of inner body awareness.
The effects of pure panoramic seeing and listening as vulnerable animals use them, are obvious, they are manifest, and they are relatively easy to describe and explain.
The inner body senses are far more mysterious. Any individual or group of adults could easily start fooling themselves about how this really feels.
I don't want to get involved in theories or anything an innocent animal wouldn't feel. So, there are a number of questions which i would love to ask small children - to guide us, to help us find natural ways to develop our inner-body awareness.
Questions and Games for Children
Please experiment for yourself. You are welcome to do whatever you imagine it feels like for animals (or babies). The following are my experiments, they may help.
Empathy With Plants
Experiments and Combinations
Personal Closing Word
Our Animal Gurus
The site keeps developing, changing, simplifying. If you haven't the time to read it all now, please bookmark it and come back later.
Please Contact Me with any ideas or questions - Robin Stuart
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