Hi I'm Ali Mills and welcome,
You're so welcome to this body scan meditation designed for beginners.
So what's a body scan?
Your body scan or a body scan is a core practice of mindfulness where you can get in tune with all the parts of your body,
Your whole body as a complete human being and we work through all of our body parts slowly getting really curious and noticing what's there,
Any sensations,
Any tension,
Maybe discomfort and we begin to cultivate a sense of calm and ease to move through the body.
So if you haven't done already finding your quiet place where you can sit or lie down comfortably,
That's the key,
You want to be comfortable and allow your body to settle letting your arms rest by your sides or in your lap and close your eyes if that feels comfortable but again if not there's no way to get this wrong so you can have a soft gaze or rested vision before you take a few gentle breaths.
You are breathing in and you are breathing out just gently noticing and we're going to start our journey towards the feet,
The feet are the furthest part away from the head so notice any sensations in your toes,
Possibly the soles of your feet,
What's going on at the heels,
The tops of your feet,
The sides of your feet,
Have you got shoes on,
Is there any pressure or warmth,
They may be cold or tingling,
You're simply observing without trying to change anything and remembering that this is your experience so we'll all be having slightly different experiences.
Taking a breath,
Thanking your feet and moving up to your lower legs,
Your calves,
Your shins,
Your ankle bones,
Yeah they all are part of your lower leg and are there any sensations here,
Any areas of tension,
Can you feel your lower leg and if you want you can bring some movement to it,
That's up to you and let your breath soften your awareness as you gently thank your lower leg and move to the upper leg.
So here you've got your knees,
Your thighs and your hips and here you will be able to feel how your body is supported by the floor or the chair beneath you,
Whatever the support is.
Allow yourself to release any tightness if possible,
That you're doing this with no force or control,
Just a non-judgmental noticing of all those big muscles of your buttocks and thighs.
And remember it's usual for your mind to wander and if it does remember and come back to each body part as we move up your body to your lower back and abdomen,
Bringing awareness to all those areas around the lower part of your back,
Your stomach and your pelvis.
You may notice your breath here as you breathe in and out,
Your body may move and you may give a nod of appreciation to all the organs your lower body holds.
Observe any sensations or areas of tension and tightness with curiosity,
Saying goodbye now to your lower belly and lower body to move up towards the chest and upper back,
Your chest,
Your ribs,
Your upper back.
And you may notice you feel your breathing,
Your expansion and contraction with each breath more here than you did your lower body and the area around your heart as you breathe.
As we move on,
Bringing attention now to your shoulders,
Arms and hands.
You have the big muscles of the upper arms,
Your elbows,
Your forearms,
Your wrists,
Your hands and every single finger.
Slowly observe the sensations you may feel here before bringing your awareness back up your arms to your neck and your throat.
Notice any tightness or tingling or comfort or discomfort,
Allowing your neck to soften gently as you bring your attention to your face and your head.
Noticing your jaw.
Are you holding your jaw or your mouth?
We quite often hold tension here.
Your nose,
Is it warm or cold?
Can you notice the breath coming through the nose?
Your eyes,
Your forehead,
Is it soft or is it furrowed?
And feeling any sensations in the scalp or the top of your head.
Let your face soften and relax.
And just as we close here,
Congratulate yourself for following and being curious about your body as a whole.
So often we forget that we have this incredible body.
And when you're ready,
Bringing some more awareness out into the room around you.
Slowly open your eyes and returning to your day.
Carrying this new sense of awareness and calm with you.
Thank you for joining me.
Namaste,
Have a good day and bye for now.
