15-Minute Grounding And Body Scan

This 15-minute practice is to support and guide you into the present moment through a grounding and body awareness.
Grounding and body scan practices are considered foundational in mindfulness meditation, supporting to cultivate presence, focus, and embodied awareness.
This practice begins by connecting you with your senses and to anchor you into the here and now. From there, you will be guided into a gentle body scan, bringing focused, non-judgmental attention to different areas of your body.
This practice is ideal for beginners and anyone wanting to practice mindfulness.
You can return to this practice anytime you want to reconnect with your body and to the present moment.
Background music: ‘Ease’ by Chris Collins (indiemusicbox)

Transcript

Begin by finding a comfortable resting position, Either on a chair, A cushion on the ground cross legged, Or even lying down. Taking your time here and adjusting your position as needed. This is your meditation and you can move however you choose. Maintaining a comfortable straight spine and with your hands and arms resting gently and effortlessly where they feel most comfortable for you. And when you feel ready, Softly close your eyes or you may choose to keep your eyes partially open and softly focusing on a point in front of you. If you have closed eyes, Gently connect to your senses of sight and notice what you can see behind closed eyes. Noticing any colors, Lights or even shapes behind your closed eyes and simply noticing. If you have your eyes partially open, Gently and slowly scan the space that you are in and noticing what you can see with your sense of sight. Connecting to your breath, The natural rhythm of your breath and perhaps you can feel the subtle sensations of each inhale and exhale through your nose. Noticing the rise and fall of your torso as you breathe in and out, Simply noticing. And gently bringing your awareness to your clothing against your skin. Noticing how it moves on your body as you breathe or perhaps noticing the temperature of the day and noticing any warmth or coolness. And taking this gentle awareness to feel your feet connect to the ground beneath you and your body's contact to the ground or seat beneath you. And feeling into where your body may feel supported and this could be the chair that you're sitting on or the cushion or even the ground beneath you. And taking a moment here to connect a little further and noticing if your body perhaps feels a little heavier. Gently bring your awareness to your sense of hearing, Allowing any sounds to naturally come forward to you from outside and far away and without having to force anything here. Bringing that awareness inside the space that you are in. Perhaps there is the absence of sounds, Simply allowing that to be a part of your awareness as well. If your mind becomes distracted by thoughts, Gently acknowledge those thoughts and continue to come back to your anchor, Your home base. Your anchor could be connecting to the feeling of your natural breath or to your body's connection to the ground beneath you. Choosing whatever works best for you and know that experiencing thoughts during meditation is very normal. Bring your attention to the crown of your head and begin to open your curiosity to any sensations that may be present on the very top of your head. Perhaps you may notice the beginning of some subtle tingling, Pulsing or a gentle sense of presence. Then gently move this open curiosity and awareness down to your forehead, Into your brow and the little muscles around your eyes, Your eyelids, Down to your cheeks, Across your nose, Your mouth and down to your jaw, Observing if your jaw feels tense or relaxed and perhaps allowing your teeth to unclench here. Shifting your awareness and move down your neck slowly, Vertebrae by vertebrae, Down to the tops of your shoulders and down your shoulder blades and bringing a soft attention to the inside of your shoulders. Noticing any physical sensations, Perhaps pleasant or unpleasant, Moving your attention down your arms into your hands, Noticing the play of sensations there in your hands. Gently move your awareness to your chest, Noticing any sensations around your chest, Greeting any sensations with open curiosity. Slowly move down to your belly, Breathing in and out here. Moving your attention down to your pelvis, To your hips, Thighs, Knees, Calves, Down to your feet, Tuning into any sensations in your feet, Perhaps tingling, Pulsing, Vibrating, Perhaps there's the feeling of pressure in your feet. Simply noticing, Gently opening the lens of awareness to feel into your whole body energy simultaneously, Aware of the sensations from crown to feet and from feet to crown, Perhaps noticing any sensations such as tension, Tightness, Perhaps even the absence of sensations. Any feelings, Emotions, Tingling, Vibrating and just simply noticing. And for a few moments, Allow yourself to bask in the presence of your body, Witnessing, Listening with open curiosity and ever so gently rest your attention back to your natural breath, Feeling the rise and fall of your belly and chest as you breathe. Noticing any sounds in the space that you are in and any sounds from outside the space that you are in, Feeling your body connect and touch the ground or chair beneath you. And if you haven't already, Gently open your eyes and slowly scan the space around you, Connecting back to the room that you are in, Allowing your body to mindfully move as you need. Continue to take all the time you need here. No need to rush before continuing with your day.