avatarTom Byers

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Abstract

ow would things sound if I stopped thinking?</li></ul><h2 id="9fa8">Somatic Field</h2><ul><li>Which part of my body is the least comfortable?</li><li>Which parts of my body are hardest to detect?</li><li>What happens when I concentrate on two body parts at once?</li><li>Do any bad emotions arise during the body scan?</li><li>How would my body change if I stopped thinking about it?</li></ul><h2 id="778a">Taste Field</h2><ul><li>Does the taste change as I roll it around my tongue?</li><li>How does the intensity compare with other things I have tasted?</li><li>How would it taste if I had never smelled it?</li><li>Does my feeling about the taste change between first contact and swallow?</li><li>How would it taste if I were asleep right now?</li></ul><h2 id="a87c">Olfactory Field</h2><ul><li>Would I recognize the smell if I had not seen it?</li><li>What adjectives are suitable? (Smooth? Bold? Sweet? Floral?)</li><li>How close must it come to me before my nose can detect it?</li><li>Does it improve my mood or worsen it?</li><li>What memories does it bring to mind?</li></ul><h2 id="5631">Cognitive Field</h2><ul><li>If my thoughts were rabbits in a yard, how crowded would the yard be?</li><li>If my attention was a dog, which rabbits would it chase?</li><li>How much of my focus three seconds ago was on the past?</li><li>How does a little circle make me feel?</li><li>What would I be dreaming now if I were not awake?</

Options

li></ul><h2 id="9690">Emotional Field</h2><ul><li>How easy or hard is it to turn each feeling on and off?</li><li>What changes will happen when I start to pray?</li><li>If I were the prow of a ship would my sea be bright under the sun?</li><li>Who have I shared this suffering with?</li><li>How deeply do I love you?</li></ul><figure id="ef74"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*31vXTbzWPAdDxN72iuu31w.jpeg"><figcaption>Photo by Author | Dancing with the Goddess</figcaption></figure><h2 id="1f17">Questions After the Scans are All Finished</h2><ul><li>Did I close my eyes for most of the scans?</li><li>In what ways are mental fields like maps?</li><li>If I were only allowed to keep one field, which one would I choose?</li></ul><h1 id="010c">Note</h1><p id="4022">To the best of my recollection, all the questions are in my own words. If I copied anybody from unconscious memory it was probably my first remote meditation teacher, <a href="https://www.thegreatcourses.com/professors/mark-w-muesse/">Mark Muesse</a>, a Therevada practitioner from Texas.</p><h1 id="d3c3">About the Author</h1><p id="f104">Tom spends his workdays asking people in a big store if they would like any information about heating and cooling. He often wears an Indiana Jones hat. A grapevine in his front yard convinced him to let her live and to even provide her with a little support. That’s all. :)</p></article></body>

Scan Scan Meditation

How to Scan the Scanning

Photo by Mesh on Unsplash

In a body scan you pay attention to each part of your body in turn. In a scan scan you pay attention to each of your scanning fields in turn. Prepare for your scan scan by gathering a chocolate candy and a fresh rose. Sit in a place with a nice variety of sights and sounds. Here are some questions to ask while scanning each field.

Visual Field

  • What shapes are the shadows?
  • What do the reflective surfaces have in common and how do they differ?
  • What would I see if everything but the sharp edges disappeared?
  • Which objects make me feel happy?
  • How would things appear if I stopped thinking?

Audio Field

  • Which sounds are closest and which are farthest away?
  • Which sounds do I hear every day and which are more rare?
  • Are there any sounds I cannot identify?
  • How does the loudest sound make me feel?
  • How would things sound if I stopped thinking?

Somatic Field

  • Which part of my body is the least comfortable?
  • Which parts of my body are hardest to detect?
  • What happens when I concentrate on two body parts at once?
  • Do any bad emotions arise during the body scan?
  • How would my body change if I stopped thinking about it?

Taste Field

  • Does the taste change as I roll it around my tongue?
  • How does the intensity compare with other things I have tasted?
  • How would it taste if I had never smelled it?
  • Does my feeling about the taste change between first contact and swallow?
  • How would it taste if I were asleep right now?

Olfactory Field

  • Would I recognize the smell if I had not seen it?
  • What adjectives are suitable? (Smooth? Bold? Sweet? Floral?)
  • How close must it come to me before my nose can detect it?
  • Does it improve my mood or worsen it?
  • What memories does it bring to mind?

Cognitive Field

  • If my thoughts were rabbits in a yard, how crowded would the yard be?
  • If my attention was a dog, which rabbits would it chase?
  • How much of my focus three seconds ago was on the past?
  • How does a little circle make me feel?
  • What would I be dreaming now if I were not awake?

Emotional Field

  • How easy or hard is it to turn each feeling on and off?
  • What changes will happen when I start to pray?
  • If I were the prow of a ship would my sea be bright under the sun?
  • Who have I shared this suffering with?
  • How deeply do I love you?
Photo by Author | Dancing with the Goddess

Questions After the Scans are All Finished

  • Did I close my eyes for most of the scans?
  • In what ways are mental fields like maps?
  • If I were only allowed to keep one field, which one would I choose?

Note

To the best of my recollection, all the questions are in my own words. If I copied anybody from unconscious memory it was probably my first remote meditation teacher, Mark Muesse, a Therevada practitioner from Texas.

About the Author

Tom spends his workdays asking people in a big store if they would like any information about heating and cooling. He often wears an Indiana Jones hat. A grapevine in his front yard convinced him to let her live and to even provide her with a little support. That’s all. :)

Spirituality
Mindfulness
Meditation
Body Scans
Psychology
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