Connecting To Your Body

Navigate this moving body scan, allowing time to connect to not only how the body rests but also its condition in navigating its world. Tune into the heart while engaging your body's intuition. Spend a few moments in mindfulness to be truly present in the body, able to better use its wisdom when needed.

Transcript

Welcome.

Please feel invited to sit,

Lie down,

Or even stand.

Honor your body and its needs today in whatever form those needs come.

We will spend some time today simply connecting with the body.

It is very common for life,

The running around,

The anxiety,

The soreness from yesterday's workout,

To disrupt our ability to stay grounded in and connected to our physical being.

Many folks may also be experiencing neurodiversity considerations,

The after-effect of trauma,

Or a host of other things that complicate their ability to fully feel their body.

For some,

The body is a scary place.

For others,

It is a comfortable yet neglected entity.

Perhaps for you,

Tuning into your physical experiencing is easy and you turn to this practice as a maintenance tool.

Wherever you step into this work from,

Know that you are seen.

Feel honored for taking this time to check in with yourself,

To ground,

And to be.

Bring your focus to your feet.

You can simply sense them or,

If it helps,

You can look at them or press them into the surface beneath you.

You might also notice the feeling of your sock or shoe pressing against your foot or notice that the sole or the side of the foot lays more firmly on the ground than other areas.

Wiggle your toes.

Maybe you wiggle them fast and then slow.

Perhaps you move all five toes on one foot up and down at the same time and then try moving them one at a time.

Can you widen the space between your toes?

And then let them relax back together.

Try circling your ankles a few times one way and then switch and circle the other way.

Maybe pointing and flexing the feet up and back,

Long and strong.

Up and back,

Long and strong.

While you continue to play and press and stretch,

Say to yourself,

These are my feet.

And maybe just reinforce again,

These are my feet.

Wherever you are,

Try reaching forward to give your feet a little pat.

Remind yourself,

These are my feet.

While you're there,

Try straightening your knees as much as is comfortable.

Do you notice a stretch?

How do the back of your legs feel right now?

It might help to keep a slight bend in the knees or do a gentle bounce in and out of the stretch.

Say to yourself here,

These are my legs.

Let's relax and let go of that stretch.

Sitting or standing comfortably,

Can you still keep in your mind the feeling of that stretch in the back of your legs?

Remember that sensation and where it was in your body.

Telling yourself again,

Those are my legs.

Those are my legs.

Let's introduce a gentle roll of the neck.

Moving,

If you can,

Your whole head around in a circle one way.

And after a few slow circles,

Switch and roll the other way.

If you struggle with any neck pain,

It's fine to simply roll forward inside.

Just going back and forth like a pendulum,

Skipping the backwards flexion entirely.

Notice where your movement is smooth,

Where your muscles are sore.

Notice if there are comfortable spots or crunchy spots.

Simply notice what happens as you move.

And when you finish your next roll,

Gently bring your movement to a close.

Tuning in here to any residual sensation.

Recalling what the movement felt like and where in your neck awareness was pulled.

And tell yourself,

This is my neck.

Next,

Cross your arms in front of you and bend at the elbows so that you are able to give yourself some pats or squeezes up and down the length of your arms.

Moving your hands up and down the length of their opposite arms.

If it helps,

You can use one hand to feel along the length of one arm.

And then switch afterwards and use the other hand to notice its opposite arm.

A gentle massage.

A tap.

As you explore,

Maybe it even feels nice to bend and straighten the elbows a few times.

Or introduce some wrist or shoulder circles.

Play with and experience your arms in any way that feels nice and that you have enough space for.

And after exploring here for a bit,

Let that go.

Relax down,

Relinquishing any movement or massaging.

But tune your mind in to any leftover sensation still in your arms.

Repeating the words,

These are my arms.

If you were able,

Place your hands behind you against your lower back,

Just above your bottom.

If this is too much for you,

Feel free to let go.

If this is not available to you,

Then you might choose to tune in to the sensation of your back.

Pressing into the chair,

The floor,

Or even a wall.

Notice that pressure,

That contact.

If your hands are on your back,

You can provide some light pressure into your muscles.

Kneading or patting.

Or you can simply try pressing your low back into whatever surface is behind it.

You might try bending side to side,

Ever so subtly.

Just to experience the feedback from some easy stretching and movement.

Continue to play here.

Experience.

Be.

And then relax.

Letting the movement and the doing go.

Tune in to the residual sensation that may be present here.

And tell yourself,

This is my back.

Let's place a hand on the belly and the other hand on the chest,

Just in front of your heart.

Try to tune in to any sensations that you have here.

Can you feel your body expanding and contracting as you breathe?

Do you notice your heartbeat at all?

Perhaps there is some gurgling or churning from the last thing that you ate.

You can choose to do this with stillness,

Or you might notice that you can focus better if you walk around a bit.

Keeping the hands on the belly and the heart as you move through space gently.

No intention or direction,

But simply to experience and stay as present as possible.

Feel free to keep your hands where they are,

But let go of any other movement you've brought into your experience.

Try taking a moment in stillness to tune into your torso,

Your organs,

Your muscles.

Thinking too about all of the nerves and blood vessels that connect out to every limb in your body.

And tell yourself,

This is my body.

Everything inside here is mine to govern.

It is mine alone to take care of.

Mine alone to cherish.

And mine alone to make decisions for.

This is my body.

My body is present.

My body is allowed space.

My body matters.

Relax here for a few moments,

Honoring your body in any other way that you need to today.

Noticing,

Gently moving,

Quietly accepting.

Knowing that simply the act of your presence in this exercise is a beautiful thing.

There are many experiences in life that make it difficult to truly feel and be present in the body.

If you found today's exercise challenging,

Then return to it often.

You might notice that in a few weeks,

The emotional or neurological blockages that prevent you from being in your body begin to diminish.

Maybe subtle at first,

But as you continue returning to the practice,

You will find it grow over time.

You can choose to journal in words or even pictures to track your progress.

And remember to allow,

As part of your journey,

A mindset of non-judgment to be present throughout your practice.

Allow yourself to only notice and be.

Notice if your sense of your body is strong or weak.

Notice points of strength,

Discomfort,

Or wisdom throughout your being.

Be in your body.

Be open to the thoughts and emotions that this experience brings up.

Allow that experience to be without placing judgment or assigning meaning.

Allow this practice of connecting to your body to allow you to disconnect from the world of what ifs.

If only for a few moments to be free from planning,

From worrying,

From being on the go.

Allow yourself to be present in the here and now.