Body Scan Meditation

The Body Scan is an important element of mindfulness practice and is taught as if you were in an MBSR class. As you focus your attention you develop a deeper connection with your body, relating with self-compassion, openness, curiosity, and acceptance. This practice is beginner-friendly.

Transcript

Settling into a posture that feels supportive for the body scan. You may find that it's supportive to lie down, Or to sit on a cushion or a chair, But knowing that at any time you can adjust your posture as necessary. So inviting the body to take a posture that allows for a sense of ease, As well as alertness, A sense of awakeness. And as we move through this body scan meditation, You may come across areas in the body where there are sensations that are unpleasant, Or pleasant, Or neutral, Or non-sensations. And just allowing yourself to become aware of any sensations or non-sensations that arise as we explore, Without any sense of judgment, Or analysis, Or criticism. Instead, Inviting a kind attention, A soft and steady gaze, Wherever the focus may be in the practice. And if you come across an area that doesn't feel like a welcome area to explore, There's no need to dive all the way in. So you can decide not to explore it, Dip in and dip out, Or just explore around the edges. And so as we begin this practice, Bringing a kind attention down into the toes. There's nothing we need to do here. We don't need to move the toes or measure the toes, Just sense what's here, What's alive in the toes. The spaces between the toes, Becoming aware of any sensations that are moving through the feet. And you may become aware of the sensation of the feet resting on the floor, Feeling their weight, Their connection, Moving up into the ankles, Just circling this kind attention around the right ankle, The left ankle, Both ankles, Aware of their connection to the feet. And continuing up into the calves and shins, Sensing what's here, What's known in this moment, And feeling into the knees, Front of the knees, Sides and the back of the knees, Maybe aware of pulsing or aching, Or maybe no sensation at all, Just meeting what's here, Broadening up into the upper legs, Aware of their connection to the knees, Sensing, Exploring into the hips, Aware of this ball and socket joint, And then holding the awareness of this entire right leg from the hip down into the toes, And the entire left leg, Both legs. If at any time the mind wanders somewhere else, Just redirect it back to wherever we're exploring in the body, Knowing we can always begin again, Meeting this moment, And landing attention in the hips, And perhaps aware of the connection with your cushion or the floor, Whatever you're resting on, And feeling their weight, And bringing attention to the pelvic region, The genitals, The buttocks, Moving into the lower back, The abdomen, The home of digestion and assimilation, Maybe aware of some movement here, Or maybe not, And perhaps aware of the rise and fall of the belly with the breath, Moving into the middle back, Aware of the rib cage wrapping around the sides of the body to the front of the body, Holding and protecting the lungs, Sensing the lungs expanding and contracting, Breath by breath, Moment by moment, Allowing the breath to flow naturally, Coming and going, And shifting awareness into the upper back and chest, And turning attention to the rhythm of your own heartbeat, And broadening to become aware of this entire torso with all of its many organs, Working together, Integrated, Whole, Just as it is, Sensing this aliveness that's moving through the torso, And shifting up into the shoulders, Sensing anything around the shoulders, The armpits, Transitioning into the upper arms, The elbows, Just sensing, Leading down into the forearms, The wrists, The hands, Sensing what's here in the hands, Maybe aware of their weight wherever they're resting, Noticing where they're making contact, Maybe they're resting on your lap, Or maybe they're on the floor, Or on your belly, Just becoming aware of where the hands are settling, Sensing the fingers and thumbs, Maybe becoming aware of any warmth or coolness in the hands, Or maybe not, Maybe a pulsing, What's here, What's alive in this moment, And then zooming out and holding this entire right arm from the shoulder down into the fingertips with awareness, And the whole left arm, Both arms, Without any judgment, Just this kind attention, Passionate gaze, And then lightly resting attention up in the neck and throat area, Maybe aware of the sensation of swallowing, Or the sensation of breath, Or any other sensations, Shifting up into the jawline, Becoming aware of the teeth, Tongue, The roof of the mouth, The lips, All the little muscles around the mouth, Sensing the cheeks, The muscles around the eyes and eyebrows, Forehead and temples, Aware of the eyes, If they're closed, Just taking in light and shadows, Or if you decided to keep them open, Taking in your surroundings, Becoming aware of all the little muscles around the scalp, The skull, The brain, The ears, Taking in sound, Becoming aware of what sounds are entering moment by moment, Maybe sounds within your own body, The sound of my voice, Or sounds within the room, Sounds beyond the room, Just taking in sound for a moment, And bringing attention to the nostrils, The nose, Taking in breath, Releasing breath, Each breath, Inviting the next fresh new moment, Bringing this awareness to the entire body, From the top of the head, Down into the fingertips, The toes, The length of the spine, Connected and whole, Sending the breath to every little bit within this body, Every little piece, Taking full breaths in and out, Imagining as if we could breathe and fill the entire body with our breath, And as you release the air, Allowing the body to settle, To land, Maybe a little bit heavier in that space it's in, Feeling that connection, That anchoring, And taking your time to transition here, Allowing for some movement in the body as it feels natural, Maybe starting with small movement and gradually allowing the movements to become larger in your own way, Eventually blinking the eyes open if the eyes are closed, And taking in your surroundings with the same care and attention, And taking your time as you transition into your next new moment.