We also begin to open the body. Often there is not a free flow of energy in the body, and as we direct our awareness inward, we experience in a very clear and intimate way the accumulated tensions, knots, and holdings that are present. There are several different kinds of painful feelings that we might experience, and learning to distinguish and allow. Awareness of these feelings of discomfort, pain, emotion - or even the lack of any of these, are an important part of meditation practice, because it is one of the very first things that we open to as our practice develops. How is it in our heart right now?
For me and for so many in the community of those who practice and/or spend time in prayer… Bringing meditation and loving awareness to this moment and to this world right now is not an option. As Jon Kabat Zinn says, “We practice as if our life depends on it - because it actually does”.