Welcome to the Mindful Journey with Christine.
Thank you for joining me for a body scan where we'll be bringing a kind attention to different areas of the body and be with whatever sensations arise,
Whether the sensations are pleasant,
Unpleasant,
Or neutral.
It's human nature to grasp towards pleasant sensations and resist unpleasant ones.
For this practice,
Can we be with all that arises?
Can we accept our experience just as it is?
And sometimes we can't feel any sensations at all,
Or we feel numbness,
And that's okay too.
Can we notice what numbness feels like?
You are in control of your practice,
So if at any point you feel physical or emotional pain arising in any area of the body that's too difficult to be with,
You're always welcome to redirect your attention to the breath or do whatever you need to to feel safe in the moment.
The intention with this practice is to be present with our body,
Checking in in a non-judgmental way and welcoming all that arises.
This allows us to calm the body after a stressful day or even welcome a restful night's sleep.
I invite you to join me in easing into a comfortable,
Relaxed position,
Perhaps lying on your back,
Lying in your bed if you're settling into a restful evening.
You may want to put a pillow under your knees for support and a blanket over you for warmth,
Making whatever adjustments you need to make yourself just a little bit more cozy.
Allowing our eyelids to gently close,
Perhaps setting an intention for this moment.
Maybe it's,
May I be calm or may I sleep peacefully,
Whatever intention resonates with you.
Let's begin with some slow,
Deep breaths,
Allowing the breath to fill the belly and expand the body.
Breathing in deeply and relaxing as you exhale.
Breathing in deeply and relaxing as you exhale.
Imagining any tension in the body,
Releasing with each exhale.
Perhaps silently repeating your intention for this practice as you continue to breathe deeply.
Now,
Letting go of controlling the breath in any way.
Focusing our attention on our breath's natural rhythm,
Observing it wherever you feel it most in the body.
Perhaps the air flowing through the nostrils or the rise and fall of your chest or belly.
Gently guiding your attention to wherever you notice the breath most and resting here.
And resting here.
If the mind wanders,
Which it will because that's what the mind does,
We can gently guide our attention back to the breath,
Letting it be just as it is.
Experiencing its natural flow.
Now,
Gently moving our focus from our breath to our right foot,
Feeling any sensations within the foot.
Perhaps there's tingling,
Pulsing,
Tightness or relaxation,
Coolness or warmth.
Maybe you feel the contact with the blanket covering you or where your foot meets the surface that you're lying on.
Just noticing what sensations are arising for you and being with these sensations.
As they arise and dissolve.
And if there are no sensations,
That's okay too.
Just noticing any numbness or whatever your experience is.
There's no right or wrong with this practice.
Allowing yourself to let go of any judgment and just observe what's happening right now in this moment.
Kindly shifting our attention from our right foot to our right ankle.
Moving up to our lower right leg,
Noticing what's arising here in the calf and the shin.
Now moving to the right knee,
Feeling into the ligaments,
Tendons and cartilage.
What are you noticing?
Guiding our attention to our right thigh,
Feeling the bones and muscles of the thigh.
Are the muscles clenched,
Contracted,
Tense or relaxed,
Loose?
Gently shifting our attention to the right hip,
Sensing the hip from the inside out.
Noticing the pelvic area.
What are you experiencing here?
Now bringing your attention from the pelvic region down the left leg to the left foot.
And now the ankle.
Feeling into the lower left leg.
Observing the left knee.
And now the left thigh.
What's happening in the left thigh?
Moving up to the left hip.
Being with our experience here.
Now bringing a kind attention to the belly.
Are we holding any tension or tightness in the belly?
Or is it relaxed and loose?
Feeling into the lower back,
Bringing a curiosity to any sensations arising here.
Are they pleasant,
Unpleasant or neutral?
Being with any sensations that arise and welcoming them.
Noticing the chest.
Is this area feeling open or closed?
What sensations are we observing here?
Noticing the upper back.
Continuing up through the shoulders.
Perhaps relaxing with your exhale if you're holding any tension in your shoulders.
Moving to the upper right arm.
The elbow.
The lower right arm.
The wrist.
The right hand.
Perhaps feeling the life within the right hand.
Gently guiding our attention from the right hand all the way up the right arm across the shoulders to the upper left arm.
What is your experience here?
Moving to the left elbow.
The lower left arm.
The wrist.
The left hand.
Perhaps feeling the life within the left hand.
Bringing your attention back up through the arm and shoulders to the neck.
To the neck.
Noticing the neck and the throat with a sense of curiosity.
Shifting to the jaw.
Perhaps releasing any tension in the jaw as you exhale.
Moving to the mouth and the lips.
Perhaps inviting a smile.
Sensing what it feels like to smile.
Guiding our attention to the nose.
The nasal cavity.
Out to the ears.
The inner ears.
Moving up to the eyes.
And the area around the eyes.
Perhaps releasing any tension in the eyes.
Moving to the forehead.
Allowing any tightness to release here.
Noticing the scalp.
The top of the head.
The tip of the nose.
The tip of the mouth.
The top of the head.
Now expanding our attention to the whole body.
Allowing any sensations to arise.
Being with them just as they are.
Not controlling anything that arises.
And letting go of any judgment.
If any discomfort arises,
Allowing it to be present and silently note it as an unpleasant sensation.
Perhaps offering any pain a compassionate heart.
Placing your hands on the painful area or on your heart.
Silently offering,
May I be well in body and mind.
As you observe any discomfort,
Notice how the sensations we experience change from moment to moment.
Is the sensation becoming more or less intense?
Expanding or contracting?
It's okay if there's resistance to any unpleasant sensations.
Can we recognize what this feels like?
We can create a safe space for any physical,
Mental,
Or emotional reactions that arise.
Knowing that if it becomes too much,
We can always return our attention to the flow of the breath if we need to.
Continuing to bring an awareness to all that's arising in the body.
Observing the sensations with a kind curiosity.
In the words of Ajahn Moon,
In your investigation of the world,
Never allow the mind to desert the body.
Examine its nature.
See the elements that comprise it.
When its true nature is seen fully and lucidly by the heart,
The wonders of the world will become clear.
If you plan to continue your day,
Taking a moment to wiggle your fingers,
Wiggling your toes,
And when you're ready,
Coming back to the space where you are.
You're practicing.
If you're ready to sleep,
Letting go of listening to my voice.
Letting go of any external distractions.
Coming within and fading into a deep,
Restful slumber.
Thank you for your presence.
May you find calm,
Presence,
And peace in your life.
