CHAPTER 6: MINDFULNESS ON THE CUSHION • 115Next, move your awareness up into your sitting bones. Feel the connection of your sitting bones
with the chair or the floor as you rest, gently supported. Bring your awareness to the connection of
your legs to your hips and body. Notice if you feel tension or softness. Breathe as if you can breathe
into your hips and body. Slowly, bring your awareness into your belly. Notice your belly rise and fall
as you breathe. Does your belly rise and fall easily with your breath? Breathe as if you can breathe
directly into your belly.
Now, bring your awareness to the very bottom of your spine. Notice your low back. Does your
low back feel supported or is there tension? Notice the connection of the low back to your whole back,
the sides of your body, and the upper sections of your spine. Breathe as if you can breathe into your
lower back and up into your entire spine. Let your awareness travel up your spine to the upper middle
section of your back, the space between your shoulder blades. Notice if you feel supported by the floor
or the chair. Is your back soft or tense? Bring your awareness across your upper back, spanning your
focus of attention wide to reach the backs of your shoulders, the shoulder blades, and the very base of
the neck. Notice any tension or softness. Breathe as if you can breathe across your whole upper back.
Feel the support of the back as it meets the chair or the floor. Let your spine settle, soften, and relax.
Move your awareness to the area between the shoulder blades just under your heart. Bring your
awareness to your lungs, noticing them fill with air as you breathe in and empty as you breathe out.
Become very aware of your heart, your heartbeat, and the rhythm with your breath. Notice how your
heart is supported by your mid back, your shoulder blades, and your lungs. Your heart is held by
your body. Notice your breath and breathe as if you could breathe directly into your heart. Keep your
attention here and breathe.
Bring your attention to your chest. Notice the muscles on top of the rib cage and those that span
to the tops of your shoulders. Bring your attention to your shoulders, to the tops of your arms. Notice
the upper arms as they are supported by the chair or the floor. What do you feel? Breathe as if you
can breathe into your upper arms. Next, move your awareness to your elbows. Notice the muscles
that come from the upper arms and the lower arms to your elbow joints. Breathe into the center of the
elbows. Next, let your awareness travel down your forearms. Notice the skin, the muscles, and the
bone. What sensations do you feel? Notice your wrists and the connections to your hands. Do you feel
space here? Do you feel tension or softness? Notice what you are feeling here. Breathe as if you can
breathe into your wrists. Now, notice your hands. Notice your thumbs, your first, second, third, and
pinky fingers on each hand. Notice how your fingers feel. Are they straight, bent, slightly curled? Do
you feel lightness or tension in your fingers? Just notice. Move your attention to the palms of your
hands. What sensations do you feel? Breathe as if you can breathe into the palms of your hands, and
notice what you notice. Keep your focus here and breathe.
Bring your awareness back to your chest. Notice your chest as you breathe in and out. Become
aware of any movements in your chest as you breathe. Let your awareness travel to your throat. Can
you feel the air pass through your throat as you breathe? Let your awareness move to the back of your
neck and then to the base of the skull. Notice the connection of the neck to your head. Notice any ten-
sion or softness. Keep your awareness here and breathe.
Move your attention around to the front of your neck and up into your jaw. Feel your jaw. Are
you clenching or relaxed in your holding of your jaw? Breathe as if you can breathe into your jaw.
Next, allow your awareness to flow around to the back of your head. Notice your head resting on the
chair or on your mat. Notice any support offered to your head by the floor or your chair. Breathe here.
PRACTICE SCRIPT 6.3 (continued )
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