Self Compassionate Body Scan

This guided meditation provides you a full body scan focused on opening and offering a compassionate view towards your body, the experience in it and your breath. Allow yourself to be comfortable on a chair or lying down

Transcript

Welcome,

My name is Helena Stufstil and I invite you to have a comfortable position.

You have the option to lie on the floor,

On your back and you can keep your hands gently resting on your body,

Whether they are on your thighs,

Your belly or you can be also on your heart center.

But if you want to stay on a chair,

Please feel welcome by placing your feet on the ground,

Sitting comfortable.

You can keep your hands directly on your thighs or again on your heart center or any place that you might feel comfortable as long as you keep your elbows close,

Shoulders relaxed and align yourself if you need to,

To add or adjust support on your lower back.

But you're keeping the rest of your back fully relaxed and separated from the support of your chair.

Find yourself comfortable taking three slow and relaxing breaths,

Inhaling through your nose,

Exhaling,

Gently release,

Whether you want to do it directly from your nostrils or gently releasing from the mouth.

Inhaling,

Exhaling,

Allowing yourself to just settle on your chair or in your posture,

Settling your mind and also your breath.

And continue with your breaths,

Noticing your inhalations and maybe align your exhalations to go slower and deeper.

Once you notice yourself completely settled,

Allow yourself to just bring a warm and hearted attention to each part of your body.

In any way,

Whether you want to move from one side or another,

Any part of your body that is bringing your attention,

Just allow yourself to notice and receive it with a kind of compassionate way,

Establishing a friendly support,

Appreciating every part of your body,

Having to have a relationship of support,

Friendship and love for your body,

Just as it is for all the work that it has done for you,

For all the achievements,

For all the lessons that you have received in your life.

I will remind you that you can always bring your awareness in a gentle curiosity,

It can even be an innocent curiosity,

Just like at the view or perception of a child,

Allowing yourself to feel wonder for your body.

Find yourself at ease,

With comfort and at peace with any part of your body,

Any particular part of your body.

Inviting yourself for just bringing maybe some gratitude towards any part of your body with no judgment or any reaction to any unpleasant reaction,

Any unpleasant sensation in the part of your body.

Maybe you can allow yourself to soften any feeling,

Experience,

Just sympathy,

Compassion or any struggle,

Allowing yourself to just be just as you are,

Supporting yourself just as you are and accepting yourself just as you are.

And let that feeling or sensation to spread throughout all your hands,

Fingers,

Feet,

Skin,

Any corner of your body,

Just as easy or maybe difficult that it can be,

Allow yourself to spread your awareness,

Your attention through your breath.

Even noticing that any sensation that you can receive,

It might be positive,

Maybe negative or maybe neutral,

It might be possible that you don't feel any sensation and that's ok,

You don't need to produce or elaborate,

Just allow yourself to receive and accept.

You start beginning by just bringing your awareness towards your toes,

Noticing your feet,

Right to left,

Maybe letting the toes to gently relax and place your attention directly towards your left foot,

Noticing your toes,

The first one to the last one,

Right to left,

Left to right,

Left to right,

Noticing any sensation like the toenails,

The tip of your toes,

The space between your toes,

Whether your toes are warm or cool,

Maybe you can notice the weight,

Any pressure,

Any sensation,

Feel yourself comfortable,

Perhaps there's nothing.

And remember that there is no need for moving any part of your body,

Just allow yourself to notice any sensation just as it is.

If at any moment you find some tension,

You have always the option to release with a gentle wiggle movement and come back to your breath,

To stillness.

Notice the surfaces,

The contact,

Again,

Maybe it can be an experience,

Whether you're starting your day or maybe finishing,

Maybe you can notice your feet,

These are fully relaxed,

We can be tired,

That's okay,

Allow yourself to just send some gratitude to all the experience,

To all the miles,

To all the effort that your foot has on for you.

And if there is any discomfort,

Just allow yourself to be open to receive with no refusal and send all your compassion,

Inhaling and through your exhale send that warm sensation towards your toes,

Maybe you can soften and relax even more,

Maybe with a sensation as melting.

Notice your whole foot,

Feel comfortable,

In gratitude and in peace.

And continue with your awareness,

Moving gently towards your ankle,

Notice the connection of your foot,

The heel,

The tissue,

Skin,

Any sensation,

Noticing the internal part of your ankle and the external,

The complex sensation of your joints,

The space between your joints,

Any tissue,

The difference of tissue,

The temperature,

Maybe the contact of the clothes or maybe the groundness,

Maybe the space.

And gently start moving your awareness towards the connection of your shin and your calf,

The awareness of how it spreads the muscle,

Coming bigger,

Maybe noticing the sensation of some pressure or any other sensation that just comes to you,

That you can feel and receive.

With a sense,

Touch and let it go,

Release,

Continue noticing your knee,

Gently you can notice the sensations around your knee,

The front,

Maybe the back,

The space that it takes your knee,

The ligaments,

The difference of tissues around your knee and maybe any experience around your knee,

Usually we might have some childhood accidents,

Some scratches,

Maybe you can remember some experiences,

Accidents,

Whether these experiences were good,

Bad or even just neutral,

Allow yourself to receive,

Appreciate and send your gratitude to the great effort that your knees has done for your whole body,

The strength and sensitivities on your knee,

How much has done for you,

How much you can also do for your knee,

Sending maybe some words of gratitude,

Kindness,

You can always with your breath send those words to the mind,

Your knee to be at ease,

Be well,

Maybe stronger.

Let just as your breath to flow with easiness,

Allow your body to also flow with awareness and easiness connecting each ligament,

Each part of your body.

Now I will remind you that at any moment in this practice if you are finding yourself and maybe your thoughts are taking you to a different direction,

Just place your attention back to your breath,

As many times this happens,

Place your attention back to your breath,

Come back home and start from scratch.

And if at any moment your attention is coming back,

Placing its attention to any part of your body,

That's ok too,

Maybe you can allow to soften or send all your attention as long as you need to fully relax,

To be at peace.

Continue with your awareness now towards your thigh,

Large thigh muscles,

Quadriceps,

The back of your legs,

Your hamstrings,

The connection of these muscles with the back of your knee,

The front of your knee and the side of your knees,

The difference of sensations with the tissues,

Maybe you can notice the weight directly,

The back of your legs,

The connection of your glute.

And remember that at any moment you find with some judgmental or any particular part of your body,

Allow yourself to just burst softly and gently breathe,

Offering kindness and compassion to your body,

Whether it's reflected on pain or whether it's reflected on an experience,

A past experience.

And continue with your awareness now towards your hip,

The side of your hips,

The connection with the glutes,

Tissue,

The skin and internal part of your body,

Bone,

The connection of the bones with your hip and appreciation for the support and groundness of your body.

And now bring your loving awareness to your entire left leg,

Making room for whatever you feel and sense and give more and more and more.

And then moving now directly towards your right side of your body and move once again your awareness directly towards your right toes,

Noticing the sensation of your right toes or your right foot and maybe you might find a different sensation from your left foot,

So allow yourself to just notice it with no comparison,

Maybe just experience it might be different.

Allow yourself to just find yourself at ease and you have always the option to wiggle your toes or continue on your stillness,

Sensing that part of your body.

Maybe you can notice the space between your toes,

The toenails,

The contact,

Whether it's with the ground,

Air,

Maybe the fabric can be the sock,

Notice the temperature,

Notice tingling sensations,

The energy running through your toes,

Maybe the experience of feeling grounded or even rooting,

Expanding towards the ground and maybe connecting with the earth,

Whatever you feel just notice,

Receive,

But also let it go.

Allow yourself to just release with your breath,

Just as easy it comes,

It also easy goes,

Just as your breath.

Continue noticing the full awareness of your whole foot,

The front of your foot,

The back of your foot,

The front of your foot,

The sole of your foot,

Toes,

Arches,

Heel,

The full experience of your foot and connecting towards your ankle,

The difference of tissue,

Skin,

Bone,

Leaving an awareness and releasing with total awareness,

Any sensation or maybe not once again,

Just let your compassionate way to just be present with any struggle or any business.

And continue with your awareness now,

Directly towards your shin and your calf,

The connection of your tissue and the difference from one side to another from the front and the back.

Maybe you can notice the different sensations from the front,

The back,

Maybe the sides.

Appreciate in every moment and every space.

Maybe you can notice some grounding,

Feeling,

Heaviness or maybe lightness,

Friendly relationship and the connection and the full effort of any system of your body,

System of your skin,

Tissue,

Blood work,

Energy.

And continue with your awareness now towards your knee,

The connection of the bone directly to your knee,

Any kneecap,

The skin and any sensation that it can bring you back towards the opposite side of your knee or your right knee.

Allowing yourself to just be restfully awake on your awareness,

On your breath,

Feeling free and at peace,

Bringing quality of emotions and experiences in this present moment,

Cultivating just more love towards your body,

Compassion towards your body.

Take one last deep breath,

Inhaling and exhaling,

Releasing and softening that area of your knee.

Continue with your awareness now with the connection once again with the muscle,

The front of your leg,

The upper part of your leg as quadriceps,

The back of your leg as hamstrings and the sides,

IT band.

Any other sensations are always welcome,

Softening the knee or maybe there is some tension.

Once again if you find that by moving gently release any sensation that it can be discomfort,

Once again allow yourself to move.

Your body has its own voice and its voice is always wise.

And trusting on your own voice and sensing some gratitude,

So rest always listening,

Listening always to your body.

No human body is without pain,

Maybe there is always going to be an area that is going to be consistent with the experience of the sensation,

Its comfort.

So just allow yourself to wrap around that area softening,

Appreciating,

Allow yourself to recognize that every challenge is always an opportunity for healing,

Bringing more compassion and awareness towards your body.

Continue with your awareness now towards your glutes,

The side of your hip,

Pelvic area,

The space between your legs,

The space between your legs and genitals,

The soft tissue,

The difference of tissue,

Any sensation,

Humidity,

Temperature,

Maybe dryness,

Scaleness,

Maybe itchiness,

Whatever it feels on your body just notice.

Maybe you notice the contact of the floor or maybe the chair,

Finding ground there,

Finding yourself once again spreading all that awareness and always connected towards your toes,

Your feet,

Expanding even more,

Setting comfortable and at peace.

Inhaling,

Exhaling and if there is any judgment on of needs or uneasiness just allow to also express yourself with your hands,

Maybe you want to keep one hand in that part of your body,

Maybe just one hand over your heart.

And being kind with yourself with that uneasiness,

Find yourself just hearing your own voice and your own body.

And continue with your awareness towards your lower back,

Notice a sensation,

Maybe holding some stress or tension,

Maybe just easiness,

Maybe you can find the support very comfortable,

I notice the sensation of muscles,

Maybe organs being supported by this area of the body,

Any sensation as tension or discomfort allow yourself to just breathe expanding belly,

Fully relax maybe with a sensation of melting,

Grounding even more,

Acknowledging the hard work with your whole spine and lower back.

Inhaling,

Exhaling and I would remind you that at any moment if you need to adjust gently your posture please feel free,

Continue with your awareness now to the whole spine,

Vertebra by vertebra,

Noticing the curvature of your spine,

The easiness and the natural flow of your spine,

Fully supported,

All the muscles of your back,

The space between your shoulder blades,

The muscles covering and your organs,

Fully supported,

Maybe you can notice your ribs,

Notice the sensation of breathing.

Move your awareness now towards the interior of your body,

Noticing the organs,

The stomach,

The body processing,

The liver,

Kidney,

All the organs and take extra attention for any part in this area that it might just bring your awareness as discomfort,

Any recurrent sensation,

Discomfort,

Maybe movement,

Maybe tingling sensations,

Maybe sounds,

Just allow yourself to just notice and be conscious and amazed by the experience of every single system inside your body working in community,

In harmony,

With pain,

With easiness and with gratitude,

Offering some compassion towards that area of your body,

Inhaling deeply,

Exhaling softening that part of your body.

Continue with your awareness now towards your chest,

Maybe you can notice your diaphragm,

Your lungs,

Your expandant ribs,

The space between your ribs and your arms,

Armpits,

Pectorals,

Sternum,

The interior of your chest and your heart center.

Notice the sensation or any expression inside this part of your body,

Maybe love,

Compassion or again maybe some discomfort for receiving or maybe accepting and whatever it is,

Feel free to just find yourself at ease.

Maybe there's gonna be a gentle sensation of judgment,

Maybe some tension,

Maybe a sensation of resistance,

Whatever it happens in this moment or any other experience,

Allow yourself to always connect with your breath,

The compassionate and open experience of breathing deeply,

Just as it is,

Inhaling,

Exhaling and wherever you're feeling any experience or sensation,

Allow yourself to just release,

Just as a bird flying to the sky using your breath,

Just as it comes,

It also goes completely free.

And notice the sensations around your throat,

Maybe you can notice a pulse,

Maybe you can notice emotions,

Maybe you can notice something that you wanna express outside from your body,

Maybe to someone else,

So allow yourself to just inhaling and through your exhale,

Maybe you can soften,

Maybe you can send those words directly from your breath and whatever is holding inside you,

Allow yourself to fully release,

Inhaling,

Exhaling.

In this moment you are here,

Present and wishing just well,

Gratitude and peace towards your body and maybe outside your body,

Allowing that awareness and compassion to also be spread towards your toes and your feet and towards the whole earth,

Feeling gratitude,

Feeling always supported by Mother Earth.

Continue with your awareness now towards your shoulders,

Noticing your shoulders fully relaxed and supporting your neck,

Supporting your arms,

Supporting your throat,

And this any sensation,

Maybe some easiness or some tension,

Allow yourself to gently relax by maybe adding some movement,

Do it gently and with awareness and maybe just thinking and just moving mindfully and come back to your stillness.

With any experience that it might come to your life,

Breath and your body,

So with feel ready with awareness and compassion to receive and when it's necessary to always release.

Inhale and exhale,

Continue with your awareness now towards your hands,

Noticing the sensation on your shoulders and send your awareness towards your left hand.

Notice the sensation directly from your shoulder connecting with your elbow and the space between the elbow and shoulder with biceps,

Triceps,

Continuing towards your wrists and connecting with your hand,

Noticing the hand from the inside to the outside,

The front of your hand and the palm of your hands,

The difference of tissue and sensation,

Maybe the top of your hand is receiving temperature and expression from the environment and maybe the inside is noticing the contact,

Maybe with the clothes,

Maybe with the crown,

Noticing the sensation of energy,

Thinking sensations,

The connection of your fingers,

Tip of your fingers,

Nails in the center of your palms,

Whether in this moment you're finding yourself expressing maybe you wanna receive or maybe you can give or compassion outside your body,

Maybe taking this moment for just noticing everything that the hand has done for you and for the work,

Giving more,

Sending more peace,

Spreading more awareness.

And continue moving once again your awareness towards your wrist,

Elbow,

Shoulder and continue moving your awareness towards the opposite side of your shoulder.

Notice the sensation of your right shoulder and the connection of the bone,

The connection of the tissue as the armpit,

Bicep,

Tricep and continue with your awareness towards your elbow,

The elbow and forearm and to your wrists.

Notice any sensation that it might be different from one side to another or maybe not,

So just take your moment for noticing the expression on each side of your hand.

Notice the sensation of the top of your hand,

Right hand,

The inside of your hand and your palm,

The connection of each finger,

The tip of your fingers,

Nails and the space between your fingers,

Wherever it arises just allow yourself to notice.

Feel free if you need to release any tension of your hands,

Maybe gently with me or staying on your stillness,

Inhaling,

Exhaling,

Softening with your breath.

Once again let's come back with your awareness moving towards your wrist,

Elbow,

Shoulders,

Noticing once again the throat,

The neck,

The back of the neck,

Maybe the sensation of breathing,

The sensation of the air,

The space inside your body,

The throat and the connection towards your lungs,

Your chest,

Heart,

Maybe you can notice the temperature,

Maybe the air can bring some tingling sensation,

Maybe some scratchiness,

Any sensation around your throat allow yourself to just fully relax,

Softening,

Maybe feeling even wider,

Spreading more awareness,

Inhaling,

Expanding belly,

Exhaling,

Notice the experience of breathing,

The experience of your throat,

The experience of the connection,

Notice your neck,

Your throat and all the support of your head,

Fully relax,

Completely aware,

For at peace.

Continue with your awareness now directly towards your face,

Relaxing your jaw,

Maybe relaxing your ears and noticing the sensations outside your body as noises,

Sounds,

Wherever it has been permanent,

What it just arises and disappears,

Just as bubbles or just air or just clouds and any connection outside your body,

Remember that sometimes we are not gonna be in full control but we can always be in control of our own reactions,

Of our responses towards the experience outside of our body.

Noticing the awareness and alertness on your face,

The skin fully relax,

Soft,

Your cheeks fully relax,

Mouth,

Lips fully relax,

Your tongue fully relax and take a moment for noticing the sensation on your mouth,

Maybe the air,

Maybe the taste,

Maybe the humidity,

Maybe some dryness,

It can be itchiness,

Any other sensation that is just bringing your attention,

Just send some kindness and appreciation for the experience of tasting,

Enjoying,

Feeling,

Smiling and continue with your awareness now towards your eyelids,

Eyelids fully relax,

Eyebrows fully relax,

Forehead fully relax and the nose fully relax,

Notice the sensation of breathing from your nose,

The sensation of the air,

Maybe something with sensation,

A gentle touch,

Maybe at the lip,

Maybe on top of your lips or maybe just a sensation inside your nose,

The sensation running through your nose almost at the connection between your eyes and continuing to your throat,

Breathing fully relaxed,

Fully aware and even at ease with open spaciousness.

And lastly just notice your scalp,

Your head,

Hair,

Temperature,

Feeling sensations,

Any experience or even thoughts coming through your head,

Allow yourself to just gently release just as you receive,

Inhaling,

Exhaling,

Take two rounds of breath at your own pace,

Your own time,

Noticing the sensation and always connected with gratitude,

Compassion and at peace with your own body,

For the presence and for the experience of having a physical body that might not be perfect but is just perfect as it is,

Allowing ourselves to always experience wonderful things and challenging things,

Always connected with love,

With compassion and at peace.

Thank you so much for allowing me to guide you in your practice,

It's been an honor and a joy to be here for you.

May the peace be always with you.

Reviews

What a lovely, gentle, kind, soothing voice and uplifting practice. Thank you. It was just what I needed today.
Blessings to you 🙏

Thank you. May the peace also be always with you Helena. Very calming practice.