Sean Fargo describes how he starts his own sitting practice: grounding, feeling connection with the earth, sensing into the body and noticing the predominant sensations. Sometimes the predominant sensation is in the head, the chest or the belly, and he gets curious about it: what is that? That often decides what he does next and how he responds.
If his head feels heavy with planning, with a lot of pace in the thoughts about doing, accomplishing or fixing, he senses into that energy, physically and emotionally, and tries not to judge it. After being with it for a while with gentle curiosity, he might move to a gratitude, concentration or loving-kindness practice. If the energy is not that intense, he might stay with the breath for a while, or see what else is in the body.
For Sean, mindfulness of the body is the core foundational practice, as it is for most mindfulness practitioners. It includes sensing into the belly as we breathe, emotions in the body, sounds, sights, smells, points of contact, the elements of the body, temperature, movement, stillness and changing sensations. One of his intentions for the year is to open to more joy, welcoming and noticing it without suppressing discomfort.
He does not follow a fixed schedule. His practice is organic, he says, and he thinks he may be subconsciously rebelling against his monastic days, which were very disciplined. His wife is the opposite, he adds, and everyone is a little different.
