Welcome to this body scan mindfulness practice.
Take a moment now and come to a seated position or lie gently on the floor.
You can gently close your eyes if that feels comfortable for you or gently soften your gaze.
Take a moment now and feel your body lying or sitting on the ground.
Feeling into the areas of contact at this very moment where your feet are touching,
The legs,
The back,
The arms,
And the head.
You might also notice your breath,
The rising and falling of your chest,
Your breath entering and leaving your body.
The intention here is to just check in.
Check in with these areas of your body in a non-judgmental way,
To simply notice what's there and what's not there.
There's no right or wrong,
Just what is.
Today we're starting with the feet,
Feeling into your feet,
Noticing where your feet are touching the ground,
Feeling into the toes,
Or maybe the sensations in your feet,
Tingling,
Pressure,
Temperature.
Now move your attention to your ankles and lower legs.
What is here to feel?
Maybe pressure of your calves against the mat or perhaps the fabric on your skin.
If you've noticed your mind has wandered elsewhere,
Gently and without judgment,
Return it back to your legs.
If you find it helpful,
Imagine that you're breathing into your lower legs,
Almost as if your attention could ride on your breath.
Now as we let go of the attention on your lower legs,
We will move it up to our knees and our thighs.
What is here to feel?
Maybe it's pressure,
Temperature,
Or the position of your legs.
Maybe there's numbness or tingling,
Or maybe even nothing at all.
Noticing that thinking about an area or picturing it in our mind is different than feeling it.
With your next breath,
Let go of the thighs and move your attention to your lower trunk,
The pelvis,
And the belly.
Noticing any sensation that's present in this moment.
Maybe feeling your breath within your belly.
Letting go of the lower trunk and now feeling into our upper,
The stomach area and the chest.
Noticing the inhale and the exhale.
Noticing the front of the body and the back,
The spine against the floor or the chair.
Moving our attention now to our hands.
Feeling into them,
The pressure within the palms,
Perhaps warmth.
Noticing the individual fingers or what position your hands are in as they rest.
When you're ready,
Move your attention to the wrists and up the forearms.
What do you notice?
Spending a moment now and moving our attention to our elbows and upper arms.
Noting the sensations here,
The pressure,
The touch,
Or perhaps the warmth.
If your mind has wandered off,
Gently bring it back.
Bring it back to this moment,
To this body.
As you inhale,
Move your attention to your shoulders and the back of your neck and then into your head.
Feeling into your jaw and your face.
Noticing the mouth,
The nose,
Cheeks and eyes,
Your forehead.
Your entire face.
Now open your awareness to include your entire body,
Lying or sitting here.
In this moment,
Breathing in and breathing out.
If it helped,
Breathing from the crown of your head all the way down into your toes.
Noticing all the sensations in your body and allowing them to just be there because they already are.
I am breathing in.
I am breathing out.
With your next inhale,
Gently start to wiggle your fingers and toes,
Inviting life back into your body.
And when you're ready,
You can open your eyes from bottom to top.
Taking a moment to feel the effects of your practice.
Sending yourself a little thank you.
Thanks for practicing with me today.
