How to scan your body in 3d?

[chandeldli]

In S. N. Goyenka Vipassana meditation you have to scan your body from head to foot and foot to head. Now I take my attention or [ध्यान dhyaan] at top point of my head, so it’s a 2d point now I move from this point in 2d on surface of my body and I can either go from my front side or from back toward my foot. I'm not getting how to scan my body in 3d? And if I scan in 2d its take too much time to scan whole body if I go inch by inch. People working in this mediation may get my point what I’m trying to ask.

[Vivek]

I feel that you are thinking too much into the "scanning" matter. Please forget everything about 3D, 2D etc. Just gently sweep your awareness from head to foot, stopping every now and then to feel the sensations that are present in each area of the body. As you continue your practice you will get more and more sensitive to the sensations and will be able to sweep the body more easily. If you feel that the mind is not sharp enough, go back to Anapana for some time and then return to feeling sensations. Remember, sweeping with awareness throughout the body is only a preliminary stage. With persistent practice you would be able to reach the stage where you feel the whole body effortlessly. But for now, keep working patiently part by part. Hope this helps.

[chandeldli]

I feel that you are thinking too much into the "scanning" matter. Please forget everything about 3D, 2D etc. Just gently sweep your awareness from head to foot, stopping every now and then to feel the sensations that are present in each area of the body. As you continue your practice you will get more and more sensitive to the sensations and will be able to sweep the body more easily. If you feel that the mind is not sharp enough, go back to Anapana for some time and then return to feeling sensations. Remember, sweeping with awareness throughout the body is only a preliminary stage. With persistent practice you would be able to reach the stage where you feel the whole body effortlessly. But for now, keep working patiently part by part. Hope this helps.

Hi, Vivek Sir, You’re first person who get my question even the AT at the centre got irritated by this and since one year no one got my point, and after sometime I stopped asking this question as I think I’m asking something wrong.
I feel like lot of small ants are teeming on my face, my chest, on my skull and other parts of my body which feels very bad and ugly. But I can't feel this in my arms specially left arm, at their till date I never found any subtle sensation.
Now when I start my meditation which I try to do daily with some excuses from 6pm to 10pm, for half an hour i go for Anapana and as I practice mindfulness of breath on other occasions like in day also within few minutes I get sensation point below my nose.

After this I start feeling of ant teeming and I take my awareness to top of my head point which Sri S. n. Goyenka ji told during course, I get sensation over there already happening so I feel it for few second and start towards my front side feeling sensations in head , on face and neck and chest and around my abdominal I get lost somewhere and I have to go back to Anapana. This happen every time and after lot of effort and not getting scanning the body point correctly I get somewhat irritated and do Anapana only in which I just focus on breath as whole and on a small point under my nose very small not whole triangle just a point which get very intense as I focus my whole attention there and I feel like penetrating into my skin and bone but I can’t see anything I just feel ant like sensations only which are intense. So I get bore from this in few minutes and then if I feel some gross sensation which I feel here and there in my upper and lower back my legs I take my awareness there start to focus on that gross sensation and they disappear or you can say melt away. I’m doing this since more than one year as I taken my course in May 2014. I want to know what next step if any is there or I have to do only this.

P.S. – I’m also reading The Attention Revolution - Unlocking the Power of the Focused Mind by B. Alan Wallace but still on first few pages.

[Vivek]

Hi Anshuman,

 First off, stop trying to penetrate into the body with awareness for now. You have not reached the stage where your mind is subtle and sharp enough to feel sensations inside the body, so it would be preferable to leave that for now. Work more on the surface of the body feeling whatever sensation you can. In case of areas where you feel no sensation, wait for some time and check in a relaxed as well as alert manner for any sensation that may be present. I repeat, check in a RELAXED and ALERT manner. To relax, to soften, is very important in this practice. If still no sensations, doesn't matter, move on. Keep working patiently, persistently and diligently as the Teacher says in the course. Why do you keep saying you have spent over a year in practice and still not getting what you desire? Check within yourself, you don't need to answer to me. Is it skillful to keep tab on the length of time you have spent so far on the practice? It doesn't matter how much time you have been doing Vipassana. What matters is you are sticking to the practice day by day, making appropriate changes to the practice as required from time to time, so that you eventually master the skill of being focused and mindful to everything happening within the framework of your body. I said "eventually", since there is no precise time that can be predicted by anyone regarding when each stage of practice is reached by each person. It varies from person to person.

 Earlier I said check for sensations in a RELAXED and ALERT manner. That is another way of saying to maintain equanimity. Consciously relax your mind's resistance and grasping when there is no sensation. Consciously relax when there is intense and gross sensation. Consciously relax when you find that your mind is looking for some specific sensation which you don't at the moment feel. Feeling bored is NOT equanimity. Feeling frustrated is NOT equanimity. Feeling like reaching a dead end when you think you have invested over a year for practice, is NOT equanimity.

I feel like lot of small ants are teeming on my face, my chest, on my skull and other parts of my body which feels very bad and ugly.

That is judging the experience of the moment and aversion to the sensations you feel. That is NOT equanimity.

This happen every time and after lot of effort and not getting scanning the body point correctly I get somewhat irritated...

Feeling irritated is NOT equanimity.

I hope I gave you enough pointers for now. Continue your practice.

[chandeldli]

I hope I gave you enough pointers for now. Continue your practice.

Yes sure sir, and thanks for taking time to reply. I almost forget about equanimity. Now onward I'll keep tab on it.

[Vivek]

Hi Anshuman,

 Equanimity will naturally develop as you learn to be aware of and relax your mind's grasping as well as resistance during your practice. I wish you all the best.

[PeasantProphet]

When I was younger I remember, scanning my body, but never tied it to meditation or scanning. If I would think of the tip of my nose and picture it in my mind, I would feel a subtle sensation. I realized I could do this on any point of my body. Anywhere on the nose, head, feet, legs, scalp, neck ETC. I wonder if I concentrated enough and had a injury if I could use this sensation to heal myself?

[Vivek]

I wonder if I concentrated enough and had a injury if I could use this sensation to heal myself?

From the perspective of Vipassana as in U Ba Khin's tradition, neither the above nor anything related to it is advisable. Sensations are merely a tool in Vipassana to realize the truth of impermanence or Anicca. We are taught only to barely observe sensations, not to do anything else with them. So, this may not be the forum where you need to look for what you want. 

[PeasantProphet]

From the perspective of Vipassana as in U Ba Khin's tradition, neither the above nor anything related to it is advisable. Sensations are merely a tool in Vipassana to realize the truth of impermanence or Anicca. We are taught only to barely observe sensations, not to do anything else with them. So, this may not be the forum where you need to look for what you want. 

Ummmm ok?