Meditation Practice

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IX. 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....

 

to be continued...