November 2020 | Soften — Oceana Mariani

NOTE: This was originally published as part of my newsletter in November 2020. Subscribe to my newsletter to receive the next Om Letter direct to your inbox once a month.

This month in my online classes we’ve been exploring our ability to embody the first of the four foundations of mindfulness as taught by the Buddha. These lectures of his are foundational to Theravada Buddhism and are most explicitly communicated in the Satipatthana Sutta, which remains one of the most widely studied Buddhist texts. Over the next few months, these newsletters will seek to contribute to this dialogue and deepen your understanding of how our physical yoga practice gives us a very tangible way to connect with this ancient philosophy.

I often joke that one of the Buddha’s qualities I enjoy the most is the seeming pleasure he derived from breaking his teachings into lists, which would then be separated out into yet more lists, and these particular lectures are no different in that respect. So today we’ll start at the very first of the four foundations: mindfulness of the body (Sati Sampajañña).

Here, the Buddha calls us to action: “Come, friends. Dwell contemplating the body in the body, ardent, clearly comprehending, unified, with concentrated one-pointed mind, in order to know the body as it really is.” The world-renowned Zen master Thich Nhat Hahn explains this further: “the exercise is the observation and awareness of the actions of the body… the first book my master gave me to learn was a book of gathas [hymns] to be practised while washing your hands, brushing your teeth, putting on your clothes, sweeping the courtyard […] and so on. If a novice applies himself to this practice he will see that his everyday actions become harmonious, graceful and measured, making mindfulness visible. When any action is placed in the light of mindfulness, the body and mind become relaxed, peaceful and joyful.”

Students often tell me how great yoga makes them feel, that it is the one time in their day or week when their mind feels clear and at ease, and how they wished they could feel that way all the time. If that thought has ever crossed your mind too, I’ve got news for you: the reason yoga feels so great is because, when done right, yoga is mindfulness in motion. Sati Sampajañña.

As the Buddha would, let’s break it down a little further into more practical steps that you could bring your awareness to during your physical asana practice:

**The Breath**

For most of us the breath will be the first and last movement our body expresses. It is our constant companion whether we are conscious of it or not. Although we have been breathing our entire life, until we pay attention to the breath, we won’t know what is happening, or how everything is connected to it. So, as you move through each pose, can you take a moment to let your mind rest on the breath? What is happening there? How is it affected by the movement or position of the body?

**The Four Postures**

Investigate how your body responds to walking, standing, sitting and lying down. How is it affected by gravity in each of these positions? How does your sense of grounding shift between them? Notice which parts of your body are connected to the Earth. Give equal attention to the areas that are disconnected and the empty spaces in between. Are there parts of your body that are more willing to give into the gravitational pull? Are there areas of resistance that hold on to tension for longer?

**Clear Comprehension**

While practicing asana, allow for moments of self inquiry. Ask yourself: is this particular pose beneficial to me? How does it serve my body? Is it suitable for my needs right here, right now? Do not allow your mind to be deluded, distracted or enticed by other peoples’ movements - what is right for the person on the mat next to you may not be right for you and it is up to you to decipher the truth.

**The Body in Parts**

Trying to be mindful of the whole body all at once is similarly futile as grabbing a whole heap of oranges in one go - there’s a good chance you’ll end up with nothing! Instead, in Buddhism as in Yoga, the body is often broken up into 32 different parts which helps us to see ‘the body as it really is.‘ We relinquish the ownership we feel over our body and detach ourselves from it. This enables us to observe it from a more objective and truthful point of view. We recognise its form, its functionality, its beauty, its impermanence - giving each quality equal value.

An interesting experiment for your home practice might be to move through the same sequence of postures several times; each time focusing solely on one of these four aspects and seeing how that shapes or shifts your experience of the movements. Of course, if you’d like to further explore these ideas with more guidance, you can always join myself and a dedicated group of regular students in my live classes online which will continue on a ‘pay what you feel’ basis into the new year.

With love,

OM x

Monthly Mantra

“Not knowing when the dawn will come, I open every door.”

Emily Dickinson

November 2020 | Soften

Monthly Mantra

“Not knowing when the dawn will come, I open every door.”

November Playlist

Featured Flow

Reading Recommendation

January 2021 | Eclipse

October 2020 | Transform