I'm Dr.
Lisa Ulfrey.
Thank you for being here.
If you're coming to this practice feeling depleted,
Exhausted or rung out,
You are absolutely in the right place.
And I want to begin by saying this.
Whatever you're feeling right now is valid.
And you don't need to perform.
And pretend to be okay here.
This is a body scan practice.
It's one of the most widely researched approaches in mindfulness.
And what it asks of you is very simple.
Just your gentle attention moving through the body.
No fixing.
New striving.
No need to relax on demand.
We're simply going to pay attention together with kindness.
Please make yourself as comfortable as you can.
You might like to lie down.
On a bad day.
On a sofa.
Or even a yoga mat.
Or you're welcome to sit.
Whatever allows you.
To feel that your body is supported.
Let your eyes close or soften your gaze downward.
If you prefer to keep them slightly open.
That's okay too.
Allow your body to become still.
Notice the weight of your body.
Wherever you're resting.
The places where you make contact with the surface beneath you.
Your heels,
Your legs.
Your back,
Your shoulders.
Let the surface support you fully.
You don't need to hold yourself up right now.
Take a moment to arrive.
Not to do anything yet.
Simply to be here.
In this room.
In this body.
And in this moment.
Bring your attention now to your breath.
Simply observing it as it is.
No need to deepen it or change it.
Just noticing the natural rise.
And fall.
With each breath in.
Notice the chest or belly rising very slightly.
With each out breath,
Feel a gentle release.
A small,
Quiet letting go.
If your mind is busy right now.
If there are thoughts circling.
Things you haven't finished.
Things you're worried about.
Well,
That's completely fine.
That's the mind doing what minds do.
Simply notice that the mind is busy.
And bring your attention back gently.
To your breath.
You'll likely need to do this many times.
That is the practice.
Now we're going to begin moving our attention through the body.
We'll move slowly from the feet upward.
And there's no hurry.
Let's begin.
By bringing your attention to the soles of your feet.
Notice whatever sensations are present.
Warmth or coolness.
Tingling or numbness.
Or perhaps very little sensation at all.
There's no right answer.
Just notice.
Now slowly move your attention to your toes.
The top of each toe.
The spaces between them.
If the mind wanders.
Gently guide it back with great kindness.
As you might guide a small child who's wandered off.
Without frustration.
Simply and gently.
Coming back.
Now move your attention to the tops of your feet.
Your ankles.
Notice any tension here.
And without forcing it,
Simply breathe into this area.
On the out-breath.
See if there's any possibility of softening.
Just a little.
Now we'll move up.
To your shins and your calves.
The long muscles at the back of the lower leg.
These carry us through the day without much acknowledgement.
See if you can offer them a moment of kindness and attention.
Your knees,
Heavy and still.
Your size.
The large muscles there.
Perhaps holding tension you weren't aware of.
See if on the next out breath.
Your thighs can simply.
.
.
Release.
Into whatever surface is beneath you.
Bring your attention now to your hips and pelvis.
For many of us.
Particularly when we're stressed or exhausted.
This area carries a great deal.
Notice whatever is here without judgment.
Simply attention.
Now move your attention to your belly.
Notice it rising and falling with each breath.
If you tend to hold tension in your stomach.
Which is a common response to stress.
See if it's possible to soften it here.
Just slightly.
Not forcing.
Just gently inviting.
Now to your lower back.
The place where so many of us carry the weight of what we are holding.
Breathe here.
And as you breathe out,
Allow the back to feel supported.
By whatever is beneath you.
You can let it rest.
Moving now to your chest.
Notice the rise and fall of breathing here.
Simply notice.
If there's any feeling of heaviness or tightness.
We're not trying to fix it.
Simply acknowledge.
Sometimes simply being witnessed even by ourselves is enough.
Now let's move to your shoulders.
And here I want to invite you to pause a little longer.
Burnout so often lives in our shoulders.
The hunching forward.
The bracing.
Notice where your shoulders are right now.
And see if there's any possibility of letting them drop.
Even a little bit away from your ears.
Your upper arms.
Your elbows.
Your forearms,
And your hands.
Open and resting.
Let us notice the palms of your hands.
The fingers.
The spaces between them.
Hands that have done so much.
Today.
Now let's gently bring your attention to your neck.
Your throat.
Where we speak.
Where we hold backwards.
Notice if there's any sense of tightness here.
And breathe with it.
Compassionately.
Your jaw.
One of the primary places that we brace against stress.
See if the teeth can part very slightly.
If the tongue can rest gently in the mouth.
Rather than pressing against the roof.
Just a little softening.
The muscles around your eyes.
Your forehead.
See if the brow can smooth very slightly.
Not performing.
Just simply allowing what might naturally soften to soften.
The scalp.
The top of the head.
The whole of the face at rest.
Now take a moment to sense your body as a whole.
From the soles of your feet to the top of your head.
This body that carries you.
That has kept you going.
Even on the days when that felt almost impossible.
If there's one thing I'd like you to take from this practice,
It's this.
Burnout is what happens when someone has given and given and given.
Without sufficient rest or replenishment.
You are depleted.
And this.
This practice that we're doing right now.
This is replenishment.
Stay here as long as you like.
There's nowhere you need to be right now.
When you're ready.
And there's no rush.
Begin to deepen your breath slightly.
Begin to notice the sounds in the room around you.
Perhaps.
Don't wiggle your fingers and your toes.
If you're lying down.
Roll gently onto your side before you sit up.
Give yourself time.
Don't rush back into the world.
And when you do open your eyes,
Do so slowly.
Letting the light come in gradually Thank you so much for practicing with me today.
I hope this has offered you.
A moment of genuine rest and care.
Take good care of yourself.
And I'll see you next time.
