Part of the appeal of mindfulness practice is the opportunity to bring our awareness to all our senses in ways in which we would not necessarily have considered. We all have the capacity for and know how to receive a loving touch.

We use loving hands to touch babies, animals, crying children and lovers with tenderness and care. We are, in effect, touching or being touched all the time, but we only tend to notice touch when it is desirously pleasant or aversively unpleasant.

The invitation for this practice is to bring loving care and kind attention to all that we touch, living and not living, whenever we touch it.

When you handle rice, water or anything else, have the affectionate and caring concern of a parent raising a child.” Zen master Dogen

Instructions

Use loving hands and a loving touch, even with inanimate objects. Bring respect to the handling of all things as if they were alive.

Reminding Yourself

Put something unusual in a finger of your dominant hand. Some possibilities include a different ring, a plaster, a dot of nail polish on one nail or a small mark made with a coloured pen. Each time you notice the marker, remember to use loving hands, loving touch.

Enjoy the practice and I look forward to receiving your thoughts and comments.

How to Train a Wild Elephant & Other Aventures in Mindfulness by

These practices are adapted fromby Jan Chozen Bays. You can find out more, read my review of and purchase this book from my Mindfulness Library (page 2)

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