Listening To The Body

Start at the only place that never lies: the body. We open with a simple grounding—seat, feet, contact with the earth—and follow a thread of curiosity through head, chest, and belly to discover what the moment actually needs. Instead of forcing a schedule or chasing a perfect state, we let the felt sense choose the next step, whether that’s steadying with the breath, offering loving-kindness, or naming a few real things to be grateful for.

Across the conversation, we get practical about working with planning mind and emotional heaviness by sensing energy rather than wrestling with thoughts. You’ll hear how mindfulness of the body becomes the stable spine of practice: listening to sounds, noticing temperature shifts, tracking movement and stillness, and recognizing how pleasant and unpleasant tones color experience. We also explore a quiet but powerful intention—opening to more joy—without denying discomfort or papering over pain. Joy shows up in small, honest ways when we stop bracing and start noticing.

We contrast organic practice with rigid routines, acknowledging that some thrive on structure while others need flexibility. The throughline is integrity: begin with direct sensation, meet it without judgment, and let that guide what you do next. If the mind is busy, we gather attention. If the heart is tight, we offer warmth. If the moment is simple, we rest with the breath. By training this responsiveness, practice becomes sustainable and personal, a skillful way to meet change in real time.

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Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
When I sit, I'll start just the way that we often
sit here, just grounding,feeling connection with the
earth, sensing in the body, andnoticing predominant sensations.

(00:22):
Sometimes I'll notice apredominant sensation in the
head or the chest or the belly,and I'll just kind of be curious
about it.
What is that?
And then that will often dictatethe direction of what I do next
or how I respond.
So it just depends, you know,like if there's planning, like

(01:00):
maybe the head is heavy, youknow, there's a lot of pace with
the thoughts, but it's aboutlike doing, accomplishing, you
know, getting fixing or whateverit is.

(01:21):
It'll sense into the energy,like, oh, what is that energy?
Both physically but alsoemotionally.
What is this energy?
And I'll just try to notice it.
Try not to judge it, just kindof be with it, and then after

(01:44):
I'm with it for a while withthat gentle curiosity, then I
might segue into gratitudepractice or concentration
practice or loving kindnesspractice, or maybe the energy is

(02:08):
not that intense, and I mightjust say, Oh, that's
interesting.
Okay, that's there.
Now, can I just hang out withthe breath for a while, or to
see what else is in the body.
But for me, like mindfulness ofthe body is a is the core

(02:31):
foundational practice, as it isfor most mindfulness
practitioners.
So sensing into the belly as webreathe, sensing into emotions
in the body, you know, sensinginto sounds of the ears, sights
in the eyes, smells in the nose,points of contact, elements of

(03:00):
the body, temperature, movement,stillness, liquid, solidity,
changing sensations.
You know, this very breath couldbe my last.
You know, pleasantness versusunpleasantness.

(03:24):
Um you know, for this year, youknow, one of my uh intentions
for the year is to open to morejoy.

SPEAKER_01 (03:47):
Why not?

SPEAKER_00 (03:48):
So I'm like opening to joy.
Oh, welcoming it, noticing it.
Not suppressing discomfort, butalso, you know, opening to the
experience of joy too, andreally sensing into that more

(04:09):
and more.
So, you know, I don't have a youknow, 8 a.m.
to 8 45, this is exactly what Ido, and then at 3:15 I do this
for 10 minutes.
You know, for better and forworse, I don't have typical

(04:35):
practice.
For me, it's very organic.
My wife is the exact opposite,you know, everyone's a little
different, and again, I think Imight be like subconsciously
rebelling against my monasticdays, which were very, very

(04:56):
disciplined.