Hello and welcome to this gratitude for your body meditation.
The body scan meditation is a powerful technique.
This will help you re-establish contact with the body and it's essential for developing both concentration and flexibility of attention.
The intention of the loving-kindness body scan today is to help us be more loving and kind to our bodies.
This includes sickness,
Physical aches and pains,
Arthritis,
Cancer,
Back pain,
Knee pain,
Aging,
All the physical phenomena we experience in our body.
Using the loving-kindness body scan today,
We meet each part of our bodies with great respect and gentleness as best we can.
This loving-kindness practice for your body is like taking an internal shower.
It helps to remove some of the inner blockages to the body and helps both the mind and body feel more at ease.
Meeting each body part with loving-kindness is a way to reconnect and make friends with your body.
Breathe that knowing in now.
To begin this meditation,
Breathe in and breathe out.
Sitting relaxed in a seated position,
Meeting the moment in dignity,
Sitting upright,
Begin to quiet your mind.
Your bare feet flat on the ground.
Give attention to your breath.
Breathing in and breathing out.
It's all right to lie down if you like.
That works as well.
It's common to find that your mind is wandering when you're doing this kind of body scan meditation.
Just notice this when it happens.
Watch and observe where your attention has gone and then gently bring it back to the region we're focusing on in your body.
As you move through your body,
If you notice pain,
Pay attention to precisely what the qualities of the sensations are.
Then treat and offer the sensation with as much kindness as you can,
Sending it love as you keep going with this meditation.
This body scan practice teaches us how to respond to unpleasant sensations by acknowledging them and moving on without getting stuck or making up a story about them.
In certain parts of the body,
It's common not to feel any sensation at all.
Simply allow your attention to remain in those areas for a few moments.
Relax,
Be at ease,
And then move on.
We'll begin now.
Breathe in and breathe out.
Close your eyes and settle into your body now,
Gently noticing the general sense of the position of your body and the flowing sensations just as they are right now.
You can trust that you already have all you need to be present and mindful as you do this loving kindness body scan.
Now,
Take three deep breaths.
In and out.
Bring your attention to the feeling of your body breathing.
As your body is breathing in,
Feel the expansion of your chest and abdomen.
You may want to put one of your hands over your abdomen.
Bring your attention to your hand and feel it move.
Feel it rise and fall as the breath flows in and out.
Then,
Rest in the natural flow of your breath.
There is no need to control the breath in any way.
Allowing yourself to relax,
Letting your focus be on the direct changing sensations you're experiencing in your body.
Release any judgment about your body.
You're not thinking about the body,
But rather directly with sensations you're feeling the body from within.
Take some time now to feel your body as a whole,
From your head to your toes.
Noticing the places that are in contact with the floor,
The bed,
Or the chair you may be in.
Next,
Transfer your attention to the top of your head and let everything else go.
Everything else go.
Just be with your head.
Put your full awareness here,
And without looking for anything in particular,
Feel any sensations present in this space.
Pressure,
Tingling,
Cold,
Warmth,
Anything you become aware of,
Notice it.
Pay attention to feelings associated with this space.
With your experience as you're in this area of your body.
Is it pleasant?
Unpleasant?
Perhaps it's just neutral.
Once you acknowledge the feelings that arise in you,
Turn your mind toward thoughts of loving kindness.
Repeat this phrase.
May the top of my head be at ease.
If you're experiencing pain in this area,
You might say,
May my head be free of pain,
Free of any tightness or pressure.
May my head be relaxed and at ease.
Visualize your head while you repeat one of the phrases.
Or just rest with the feeling of kindness towards your head.
Just flow loving kindness to this space in your body.
We'll move now from your head,
Bringing attention to your eyes.
Noticing sensations,
Movement,
And being aware of any color or light in this new area of your body.
Do your eyes feel tired or heavy?
If you have,
Do your eyes feel tired or heavy?
If you have eye problems,
Can you in this moment meet that difficulty with kindness?
Perhaps feeling a sense of gratitude for your eyes,
Even for your eyeglasses for allowing you to see the world.
And move around a bit more easily.
Send loving kindness phrases to your eyes.
May I appreciate my eyes.
May my eyes be healthy and well.
May I accept them in whatever condition they are in this moment.
May I see my life with clarity and balance.
Now,
Let's shift our awareness to our ears,
To our ears feeling appreciation for being able to hear.
Say out loud,
May my hearing be clear and crisp.
If you have ear issues of any kind,
You might say,
May I have gratitude for the technology that has created support to allow me to hear.
To allow me to hear.
Now,
Shifting kind attention to your nose,
Feeling the air coming in and out of the tip of your nose.
Be grateful that you are able to breathe.
Perhaps feel air in the back of your throat.
And rest in gratitude.
Bring your attention to your lips,
Jaw,
Mouth and tongue now.
Appreciate how they all work together.
In talking,
Expressing,
Breathing,
Chewing,
Smiling.
They are a gift.
Our bodies bring us so much.
Let's hold it in gratitude now.
If you feel any tightness or tension in your jaw,
Relax that space now.
Set the tightness free.
What is the position of your tongue at this moment?
Notice that.
Allow any tension or tightness in this area to melt away.
Feel your entire face and the muscles in this area relaxing.
Send loving kindness to this area and your entire self.
Allow your lips,
Jaw and mouth,
Even your tongue,
To be relaxed and healthy.
Slowly now,
Move from your head to your neck.
Noticing any sensation in this space.
Sending loving kindness phrases.
May I meet any stiffness in my neck with kind attention.
May my neck move with ease.
Let's bring our attention to the shoulder area.
Noticing the top of our shoulders.
And what you feel there.
Take a nice,
Deep breath.
And as you exhale,
Let your shoulders come down and release.
May my shoulders be relaxed and at ease.
Now,
Move your attention to the top of your head.
Noticing any tension or tightness in your neck with kind attention.
From your shoulders,
Shift down your arms,
Feeling any sensation and aliveness in this area.
Appreciate again how they all work together.
Notice any tightness you might feel here.
Wherever there is tightness,
Observe it.
Release it.
And let it melt away.
All the while,
Holding kind,
Loving thoughts and gratitude for your body.
Notice any sensations in your hands.
Perhaps they're warm or sweaty or cool.
Vibrating or pulsating.
Once again,
Sending love,
Kindness,
Words of gratitude to this area of our body.
Even fingers individually.
Send them love and kindness.
Letting your arms and feet rest on your shoulders.
Letting your hands go.
Shift slowly now to your torso.
We're finding appreciation for our internal organs now.
Our heart and lungs,
Stomach and intestine.
Bringing kindness and awareness of gratitude for all of their many functions.
Having patience for the parts of this area of our body that may give us difficulty at times.
May my heart be strong.
May my breathing be peaceful.
May my stomach be at ease.
Say these words out loud or in your mind with me.
During times of unpleasant sensations,
May I remember to send myself kindness.
May I send any fear or worry that I may have kindness at all times.
And when all is working,
May I be grateful.
We're shifting attention now from the front of our bodies to the back.
Slowly moving from the top of shoulder areas down the spine to the lower back.
Again,
Noticing any sensations in this area.
Any feelings or emotions that arise.
Let them come forward.
Meet all those sensations with kind awareness.
Moving your attention to the left side of your back,
Notice any pain or tightness.
See if you can bring kindness to these parts that are uncomfortable.
And try to soften into any pain or discomfort that you might be feeling.
Do the same now with the right side of your back.
Starting at the top of your shoulders and slowly work your way down to your lower back.
Again,
Noticing what comes up.
Do you have a story about your back pain?
Are you holding yourself in a certain way?
Meeting all sensations with kindness.
Let the story go.
Release the pain as best you can and bring in patience,
Kindness.
Making space for whatever is happening within your back now.
Just observe it.
All the muscles here are relaxing.
Tension is melting away as you bring kindness to your back.
Send loving phrases now with me.
May I bring kind attention to my back.
May I bring kind attention to my back.
May my back pain be released.
May the holding or tension in this space soften and open.
Let's gently and slowly move to our hips and pelvis.
Noticing sensations of solidness here at the point of contact with the chair or floor or bed you're resting on.
May my hips and pelvis and buttocks be healthy and relaxed.
Be healthy and relaxed.
Opening to any sensation arising in your thighs,
Knees or ankles now.
Move to this area.
Feeling the muscles,
The skin,
The bones.
Bring your kind awareness to your legs.
Holding gratitude in this space.
May my legs be healthy and well.
Showing kindness towards your legs,
Even if you're having difficulty with them.
We move our attention now to the tops of our feet and the soles.
Noticing sensations.
May my feet be healthy and well and carry me with ease.
We send more loving and kind messages now.
Kindness phrases now to our feet.
Noticing any tightness,
Pain or discomfort in any of your joints or body parts.
Feel the sensations here and offer kindness to your entire body.
As best you can,
Soften and allow all the tension to release.
Imagine your breath now traveling down through the body.
Sending gentle,
Loving kindness to any areas of tension or discomfort.
Your breath passing through that space releases that tension.
As you're focusing in any area of your body,
Say these words.
May this area of my body be at ease.
May the pain be released.
May this part of my body be healed.
Now,
You can simply let your whole body rest.
Your entire body is relaxed now.
It is full with loving kindness energy you have sent.
And it will respond.
It will receive.
As we bring this guided meditation to a close,
Repeat these words with me,
Either out loud or in your mind.
May I be free of pain.
May I be free of fear.
May I appreciate my body in this moment.
Practicing with kind attention on the body,
Allows us to relax in such a way that we drop into a space deeper than pain or discomfort.
Deeper than our personalities or our stories.
Staying present in the moment,
Aware of the very nature of your being and your wholeness is your work as you go forward now.
As you're ready,
Begin to let go.
Go forward now.
As you're ready,
Begin to open your eyes and gradually move your body.
Coming awake back to the present moment.
A body now full of kindness and love.
Healed and rejuvenated.
Ready to go forth.
