Meditation Practice - IX

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Body Prayer (A devotional variant of the body sensation)

 

First quieten yourself through the awareness of sensations in various

parts of your body.... Sharpen your awareness by picking up even the

subtlest sensations, Not just the gross and evident ones.... Keep

your hands on knees. Now very gently move your hands and fingers so

that your hands come to rest on your lap, palms facing upwards,

fingers joined together.... The movement must be very, very slow....

like the opening of the petals of a flower.... And while the movement

is going on BE AWARE OF each part of it.

 

Once your hands are resting on your lap, palms facing upwards, become

aware of the sensations in palms.... Then become aware of the gesture

itself, this is a gesture of prayer to God.... What meaning does this

gesture have for you? What are you saying to God through it? Say

without words, merely identifying with the gesture... It may give you

some taste of the kind of prayer you can make with your body....

 

When you pray with your body you give power and body to your prayer.

People fail to attend to their body in prayer; they fail to take

their bodies along with them into the holy temple of God. When they

themselves visit temples or places of worship, they stand or sit in

the presence of God, but they are carelessly slouched in their seat

or standing in a very slovenly fashion.... They are still not gripped

by the living presence of the Lord. Therefore, a devotee of the Lord

should try to understand the meaning and purpose of `Body Prayer'.

The `gestures' suggested are merely samples. A `devotee' may invent

his own gestures to express his `Love', `Praise', `Adoration',

`Surrender', `Gratitude'....

 

Close your eyes. Quieten yourself through one of your awareness

exercises. FEEL you are in the presence of God in a very devout way,

hands devoutly joined in front of you, slowly raise your face upwards

towards God.... Let your eyes continue to be closed.... What are you

saying to God through your upturned face? Stay with that sentiment or

communication for a few moments.... Then become as fully aware as

possible of the position of your face.... of the sensations on your

face.... After a few moments ask yourself once again what you are

expressing to God through your upturned face and stay with that for a

while....