When looking to feel safe, grounded, at peace, or joyful, we typically search outside of the body for something to help put us at ease. But the body itself often holds some ease. In this guided meditation, Mindfulness Exercises founder Sean Fargo guides us to become more mindful of the areas within ourselves that offer safe refuge.
Sean invites us to breathe, soften and allow, noticing which parts of the body feel calm, relaxed and present. Becoming more mindful of these grounding sensations gives us the opportunity to take refuge in the body, moment to moment, throughout our day.
Listen in a safe, quiet place where you can be relatively free from distraction. You can practice this body scan meditation while standing, seated, or lying down.
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To take refuge in something is to seek shelter, safety, protection. Our habit is to seek refuge outside of ourselves, in people, places or things. A mindfulness view is that because everything outside ourselves is impermanent, the most lasting refuge is within. With practice, we may learn to connect with the ease that can be found in our body and awareness, and, in Buddhist teaching, in the true nature of the heart and mind.
We can also apply the concept of taking refuge to other areas of our lives. We may take refuge in gratitude, compassion, and, as Spring Washam describes in her talk Taking Refuge in Diversity, in diversity. Matthew Brensilver, in one of his talks, describes impermanence itself as a form of refuge.
To learn more about the concept of refuge, and what it means to Buddhists in particular, download this free eBook on taking refuge in the three jewels of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.
To practice similar mindfulness meditations on finding a sense of refuge, or safety in the body, explore the following audio:
About Sean Fargo
Sean Fargo is a former Buddhist monk who founded Mindfulness Exercises and leads the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification.
