Mindfulness of the Body

• Begin your meditation with a body scan. If you are meditating for only a short period, the scan may be your complete meditation. Spend a few breaths at the end of your meditation to savor the aliveness you have become aware of in your body.
• Bless your body: The Atlanta-based hospice chaplain Janet Lutz took time at least once each year to bless the hands of everyone who worked in the hospital and most especially those who often went unacknowledged – those who prepared the food, cleaned the bathrooms, and provided the innumerable services that made the hospital a healing place. As you do a body scan, consider blessing each part of your own body in turn. You can hear a StoryCorps segment with Janet Lutz in which she notes how other hospital workers worked mindfully to heal here.
• If it feels right, try out 10-breaths practice at least once or twice this week. You can find an overview of the practice here.