Welcome to this body scan meditation.
I'm your guide,
Adriene Jarrett.
Body scan techniques are commonly used within yoga nidra practices,
Also known as conscious sleep.
But on their own,
They can be really powerful restorative practices,
Which you may find helpful easing stress and anxiety,
Or to bring you to a state where you can sleep.
Preferably,
You'll be in a space where you won't be interrupted for the duration of this practice.
However,
Motherhood is full of imperfection,
So if your baby does need attending during this,
Please take a slow,
Deep breath as you get up to transition to a more alert state,
And know that you can come back to this practice at any time.
To begin,
Please lie down in a comfortable position.
If you're using this to help you get to sleep,
You might want to be in bed.
Otherwise,
You can be on a mat,
On the floor,
Or a rug,
Anywhere you'll find comfortable.
Ideally,
You'll be on your back,
And you can put a pillow under your knees for support,
And cover yourself with a blanket to keep warm.
However,
If you're pregnant,
Or you do not find lying on your back comfortable for any reason,
Please line your side with a pillow between your knees,
And sufficient cushions to support your head,
Keeping your spine in a straight line.
Ultimately,
The most important thing is that you are as comfortable as you can get.
If you need to pause for a moment to get adjusted,
Please do.
When you're ready,
Start to breathe in through your nose,
And back out through your nose.
And as you inhale,
Feel your belly expanding out.
And as you exhale,
See if you can make it slightly longer than your inhale.
Start to incorporate slight pauses between each inhale,
And each exhale.
And here,
In the cozy cocoon you've made for yourself,
You are comforted,
Safe,
And warm.
Now bring your focus to the area of your forehead between your eyebrows,
And take a deep breath here.
And as you exhale,
Relax all of the muscles and the skin on your forehead.
I will now begin to label different areas as we scan your entire body.
When I name a place,
Please draw your attention to that area.
Take a breath,
And just like you did with your forehead,
Try to relax that area farther.
If at any point you get distracted,
Simply bring your attention to the area that you're looking at.
I'm going to bring your attention back to my voice,
Your body,
And your breath,
And continue.
Now bring your attention to your jaw.
Check in that you're not clenching your teeth together,
You've got a slight opening of your mouth.
Lips can stay closed.
And you're shifting down to the front base of your neck.
Keep breathing.
Bringing your attention across to your right shoulder,
Right elbow,
Right wrist,
Back of your hand,
Palm of your hand,
Your thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
And pinky finger.
Now drawing your attention back up your arm to the base of the front of your neck.
Shifting across to your left shoulder,
Left elbow,
Left wrist,
Back of your hand,
Palm of your hand,
Left thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
And pinky finger.
And drawing your attention back up your arm to the base of the front of the neck.
And shifting down slightly the center of your chest,
And across to your right side of your chest,
And back to the center of your chest.
Over to the left side of your chest,
Center of the chest,
And down to the area above your navel,
The area below your navel,
Your pelvis region,
Front of the right hip,
Back of the right hip,
Your right knee,
Right ankle,
Top of the foot,
Sole of the foot,
Your big toe,
Big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
And your little toe.
And drawing your attention back up to the center base of the pelvis.
Now shifting across to the front of your left hip,
Back of the left hip,
Left knee,
Left ankle,
Top of the left foot,
Sole of the left foot,
Your big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
And your little toe.
Tracing your attention back to the front of the pelvis,
Back up to the area around your belly button,
And the center of your chest,
Your throat,
And your third eye.
And now just take a moment here to take a deep breath in,
And relax your entire body.
Feel your body as one unit,
And just breathe here.
And you can stay here,
Breathing in and out for as long as you want or can.
Otherwise,
Drift off to sleep,
Or slowly start to wake up your body,
Wiggling fingers and toes,
And slowly make your way back out.
Thank you so much for joining me today.
Thank you so much for practicing this short body scan practice with me today,
And I look forward to practicing with you another time.
