This is a guided body scan meditation.
Seeing this as a time for you,
A time for being with yourself,
For yourself,
A time for looking after yourself and supporting your own health and well-being.
So finding a place where you can lie down on your back,
On the floor,
On a mat,
Or on a bed,
And letting your arms be by your side,
The feet fall away as you lie on your back.
Letting your eyes close if this feels comfortable for you.
If you have any difficulty lying on your back,
On the mat,
You may wish to bend your knees,
Or you can practice sitting in a chair.
The particular posture that you adopt is not as important as the attitude that you bring to the practice.
We are cultivating the possibility of being fully awake to our own experience,
Of being open and gentle with ourselves and our experience from moment to moment.
In this practice we are not trying to achieve any special state,
Or even trying to relax.
So seeing if it's possible to let go of this tendency that we all have to want things to be a certain way,
And then to judge how we are doing,
Seeing if it's possible to let go of the judgment.
Let things be as they are,
However they are.
Being gentle with yourself,
To experience your experience,
Not trying to create a particular experience,
But just being with what is.
Bringing your awareness to what you find as you bring your attention towards each part of the body in turn.
As I guide you through this practice,
Remember that my words are just guidance.
Only do what is right for you in each moment.
Make this practice your own.
So now settle into a position that is best for you for this practice.
Taking your attention to the places where your body comes into contact with what is supporting you.
Opening to the sensations of what is here.
The touch points of the heels against the floor,
The legs and back,
Shoulders,
Arms and head.
Noticing the sensations of pressure,
Warmth,
Weight of the body moving down.
Feeling the body being held and supported.
Letting the body sink into this support on each out breath.
Giving yourself over to the support of what you are lying on.
And now bring the focus of the attention to the sensations of the flow of the breath moving in and out of the body.
You can also choose to use sounds or the soles of the feet or other parts of the body as an anchor for this practice.
Returning to these sensations to centre your attention.
Here we'll be using breath.
It's important that you do what is right for you.
Noticing the flow of the breath into and out of the body.
Feeling the breath at the tip of the nose.
The flow of the breath at the back of the throat.
Movement of the breath in the chest.
Or right down in the abdomen.
Seeing if it's possible to follow the breath right through the whole breath from the nose,
The throat,
The chest and into the abdomen.
And returning out the abdomen,
Chest,
Throat and nose.
Noticing the sensations of the abdomen rising on the in breath and falling away on the out breath.
Not thinking about the breath but attending to the sensations that accompany each breath in and each breath out.
As you breathe out sinking a little bit more into the support of the mat on the floor.
Seeing your breath which is a stable and safe place which is always with you.
Which you can return to at any time.
An anchor linking you to the present moment whenever you find your mind has slipped away.
As you next breathe out letting go of awareness of the breathing.
Let it slip into the background and guiding the attention all the way down to the legs and into the feet and all the way down to the toes.
Focusing attention on the feet.
Noticing any sensations that are here.
No need to move or make them feel any different.
Simply becoming aware of what is already present here.
Perhaps tingling or numbness.
Warmth or coolness.
The sensation of fabric,
Of socks.
Maybe no sensations at all.
If so just attending to what is here.
The feeling and sensations on the toes.
The spaces between the toes.
The feeling of the top and bottom of the foot as it arches to the ankle.
Whatever you are experiencing here allowing it to be as it is.
Tuning into the sensations you find here.
Exploring them in a kind and gentle way.
Now letting go of the feet and bring your experience in a kindly way shifting attention to the lower legs.
Ligaments and tendons.
Muscles.
The skin and the bones.
What's going on in this area?
What sensations are you experiencing?
Allowing this to be a very alive exploration.
Sliding the focus of attention to the whole of the leg.
Noticing the knees and the upper leg.
The leg from the feet to the calves to the knees to the thighs right up to the hips and pelvis.
Now and throughout this practice letting go of any struggles.
Letting things be as they are.
And letting go of the legs and turning focus to the hips and pelvis.
A very sensitive area for many of us where we hold a lot of attention.
And if this is the case for you it's okay to return attention to the breath and come back to the meditation later.
But feeling the buttocks on the floor underneath.
The pelvis from left to right.
And the lower back.
Another place that we hold a lot of attention.
The feelings of clothing.
The skin and the surface of the pelvis and lower back.
Perhaps deep into the bone.
And now moving the attention further up the back to the middle and upper back.
From the diaphragm to the upper chest to the shoulders.
An area here with a lot of movement in breath.
The diaphragm moving up and down.
Perhaps the heart and the beating of the heart.
The collar bones and the shoulders.
And moving the attention back down to the front of the torso.
The belly.
The diaphragm again and the upper chest again.
And I'm feeling the movement of sensation here.
With curiosity and gentleness noticing what's present here.
At times you will notice your mind has wandered away from the body scan.
And perhaps has gotten involved with thoughts,
Plans and daydreams.
Very gently noticing that the breath.
Noticing that and bringing your attention back to whatever part of the body we are focused on.
It is the nature of minds to wander.
Gently and firmly directing the attention back to the body scan.
At this point attending to the abdomen and the upper chest.
And the sensations of breathing coming in and out.
Now allowing the awareness to fade from the upper chest and abdomen.
Moving the attention to the arms and the shoulders.
To the elbows,
The lower arms.
And into the hands and fingers.
The sensations of the tips of the fingers.
The posture of the arms.
The feeling of the muscles in the arms.
How does this feel here?
And moving the attention up along the arms to the shoulders.
And the back of the neck and the base of the skull.
Point at which a lot of people hold attention.
If that is the case for you just notice what that is like.
And moving the attention to the back of the skull.
Across the back of the head and forward to the forehead.
Notice any tightness and tension here.
Hair follicles maybe.
The feelings of air on the skin.
The feelings of pressure of the head on the ground.
Any tightness in the forehead and the temples.
And moving the attention to the eyes.
The eye sockets.
The temples,
The sides of the eyes.
The cheeks.
Nose,
Mouth.
Teeth,
Tongue,
Cheeks,
Inner cheeks.
Sensations of smell,
Taste.
The jaw.
Any tension or relaxed here.
And the ears.
Sensations of sound.
But also lots of other sensations.
Noticing whatever is here.
Now opening the attention to the whole body.
Turning to the breath as you breathe in and out.
Holding the entire body as the breath.
So breathing in and out with the head,
Shoulders,
Arms,
Torso.
Pelvis,
Legs and feet.
As you lie here letting go of any control of the breath.
Allowing the breath in its natural rhythm and the body to lie in stillness.
Residing in awareness of how things are for you at this moment.
And opening up to things just as they are.
This attitude itself is a healing expression of your care for the self.
And as we bring this practice to an end.
Taking care of yourself in the transition from this into your everyday life.
Allowing your next moments to be infused with a sense of kindly attention and care of the self.
Slowly wiggling the toes,
Opening the eyes.
Maybe stretching and moving.
A look around the room,
Around you.
Noticing the colours and shapes.
As this session comes to an end with the sound of the bell.
