Today,
I will be guiding you through a body scan meditation,
Where you will be invited to move your attention systematically through your body.
Just follow along with my voice,
Noticing what's present for you moment to moment,
And bringing curiosity and a gentle acceptance to whatever you find.
There's no right or wrong way to feel in this practice.
Whatever you experience is just fine.
You're not going to try to make anything happen or change anything.
Just simply becoming aware of what you notice as we move through the regions of the body.
The guidance offered here is just an invitation.
If at any point you want to open your eyes,
Shift your body,
Or modify or stop the practice,
You're welcome to do so.
It's also okay to move your attention to another part of your body,
Or to your breath,
Or stop altogether if you're feeling any discomfort,
Or if you begin to feel sleepy.
Just notice the feeling,
And return to where we are in the body scan any time.
Let's begin by finding a position that's comfortable,
A posture that reflects your intention to be alert and awake for this practice.
You can do this body scan sitting,
Lying down,
Or even standing.
Take a few gentle,
Slow breaths once you get settled,
And ensure that your posture is upright but not too stiff.
If you're sitting in a chair,
Letting the hips settle and feeling the feet on the floor,
Letting the spine be straight but not rigid.
If you are in another posture,
Letting yourself feel the contact with the surface that is supporting you,
Closing your eyes if that's comfortable,
Or taking a soft downward gaze.
And beginning to notice that your breath is moving in and out of the body,
Taking a few deep breaths here to settle in.
Now,
Narrowing your attention and directing it to your feet,
Exploring any sensations you may have in the toes,
The soles of the feet,
The tops of the feet.
Becoming aware of any sensations like warmth or coolness,
Tingling or pressure.
Or you might not be aware of any sensations in the feet,
And that's fine.
Just noticing that there are no sensations there.
Simply being interested and curious about this part of the body.
You may notice that your mind will wander off,
As minds do.
Gently and kindly bring the attention back to the area of the body you are exploring.
Letting the attention now shift to the ankles,
The lower part of the legs,
Shin bones,
Calf muscles,
And just noticing what there is there to discover.
Now becoming aware of the knees,
Kneecaps,
Tendons,
Muscles.
Perhaps sensing tightness,
Or perhaps comfort,
Or nothing in particular.
Moving attention to the thighs,
Sensing the weight of the strong bones and muscles here,
The contact with the chair or the floor,
On the backs of your legs,
Simply noticing what's here for you in this moment.
Now gently letting go of attending to the legs,
And resting attention on the large bones of the hips,
The pelvis,
Tailbone,
And where you feel contact with your seat.
Just noting any sensation in that area of the body.
Moving now into the lower back area.
There may be some tightness or tension,
Perhaps heat or coolness,
Pain or discomfort.
This is an area where many people hold tension,
So take your time here,
And meeting what you find with friendly curiosity and compassion.
Focusing your attention here,
And letting the breath flow easily and effortlessly.
Moving up now through the middle and upper back,
The spine,
The muscles,
And the bones that hold you upright,
The shoulder blades,
Sensing the width and length of the back,
And learning to be with the sensations just as you find them,
Noticing without changing anything.
Moving your attention now to the belly,
Perhaps noticing the sensations of breathing,
Or digestion,
Or hunger,
Or fullness.
Noticing if there is any constricting or holding in this area,
And breathing into it gently.
Every time the mind wanders off,
Kindly bringing the attention back to wherever we are in the body scan.
Now becoming aware of the ribs,
The muscles in between the ribs,
Perhaps sensing the subtle movements of the ribcage as the lungs expand and release with each breath.
Exploring the region of the heart,
Perhaps aware of pulsation or heat,
Or of the rising and falling of the chest as breath flows in and out.
Becoming aware of the chest,
Sternum,
And collarbones.
What sensations are felt here?
Moving attention now to the tops of the shoulders,
Taking your time in this area that sometimes holds tension,
Bringing curiosity to the shoulder sockets,
The joints connecting the sternum to the arm bones.
And gently letting go now of attending to the shoulders and directing your attention to your upper arms,
Elbows,
Lower arms,
The backs of the hands,
The palms,
Fingers and thumbs.
Becoming aware of the position of the hands and the sensation of contact with another surface.
Sensing the temperature of the hands,
What's here to be felt and just gently noticing.
Letting that go and now coming to the region of the neck,
The front and back and sides of the neck.
Sensing the muscles and small bones,
Noticing any tension,
Tightness,
Openness or ease.
Perhaps aware of the organs in the throat,
Organs that support digestion,
Respiration and speech.
And shifting attention up into the head,
Sensing first into the jaw,
Maybe being aware of tightness or clenching in the jaw,
The chin or the teeth.
Shifting attention to the mouth,
Lips,
Teeth,
Tongue,
The roof of the mouth,
The sides and back of the mouth.
Aware of any sensations of warmth or coolness,
Moisture or dryness.
Now becoming aware of the nose,
Sensing the streams of air flowing in and out of the nostrils.
Noticing the cheekbones and the skin and muscles of the face.
Shifting attention to the region of the ears,
The ability to hear in this very moment.
Noticing any sensations in the outer ears and inner ears.
Attending now to the eyes,
The bones around the eye sockets,
The eyelashes,
Eyebrows,
And the small muscles around the eyes that we don't often realize are constricted.
And noticing the forehead spanning across from one temple to the other,
Aware of any tension or smoothness.
And bringing some awareness now to the head itself,
All of the tiny muscles of the scalp,
The bones of the skull protecting our brain.
Aware of the sides of the head,
The back and the crown of the head.
Now inviting awareness to the entire body,
From the top of the head down to the toes,
The front of the body,
The back body,
The sides of the body,
And sensing the skin.
Simply resting in the awareness of this breathing body,
Not needing to do anything,
Just being with the body exactly as it is right now.
As we come to the close of this practice,
Appreciating that you have taken the time to pause,
To cultivate your capacity to be more fully present for your life,
And to replenish yourself in this way.
Gently opening your eyes,
Or lifting your gaze as you become aware of your surroundings.
Taking a few moments to gently stretch or move as needed.
Thank you for practicing this body scan today,
And bring this newfound awareness into the next moments of your day.
