Hello and welcome to your five senses body scan.
First I would like you to sit or lie down.
Get comfortable.
This means both literally and physically in your body.
Spine aligned.
Jaw relaxed.
Face relaxed.
And symbolically be at ease in your mind.
Don't try to force anything special to happen.
Just relax.
Be at ease.
Close your eyes.
Feel the natural state of your body.
Notice the natural state of your breath.
Not judging,
Just allowing it to be.
Feel the breath rising and falling.
The simple natural structure of the breath.
Easy and as it is.
Notice any discomfort.
And shift to make yourself more comfortable.
We'll continue breathing normally.
Not changing the breath.
Just letting it come as it is and flow naturally.
We're going to wake up the five senses starting with sound.
As you inhale,
Notice the most subtle sound in your environment.
You can probably hear the loudest sound around you,
My voice.
But start bringing your attention to the softest sound.
The faint sounds.
Your own breath.
Your heartbeat.
And the small movements of your body.
Simply be aware.
Don't resist the sound.
On your next inhale,
What are you seeing?
Even with eyes closed,
You may see light coming in through your eyelids.
Or just darkness.
That's also a type of seeing.
Sometimes you see swirling colors or points of light when your eyes are closed.
Simply be aware.
Don't resist what you see.
On your next inhale,
Let's wake up your sense of taste.
There's always some sense of taste,
Even if it's neutral.
Simply be aware.
Don't resist what you taste.
On your next inhale,
What can you smell?
Even if there is a strong aroma like perfume,
Bring your attention to the subtle aroma.
The fabric of your clothing,
The quality of the air.
Simply be aware.
Don't resist what you smell.
On your next inhale,
Bring your attention to your sense of touch.
You may become aware of the sensations of sitting or lying down.
The way the chair,
The cushion,
The mattress,
Or the mat feels under your body.
You may notice your clothes resting on your skin.
Simply be aware.
Don't resist what you feel.
Now,
Become aware of the sensation of air flowing into your body.
The rise and fall of the belly as the air moves in and back out.
Not trying to breathe in any particular way.
Simply be aware of the process of breathing itself.
Our attention is normally like a bright floodlight encompassing the entire body.
Shift your attention to a very small spotlight that moves deliberately down the body.
Rest your awareness on the toes of the left foot.
Just noticing sensations.
Extend the attention to the rest of the left foot.
Just taking it in as it is in this moment.
If the attention drifts,
Bring it back like a spotlight to that point in the body.
Allow the attention to focus upon the left ankle.
Simply be aware of it as it is.
Bring the spotlight of your awareness to the calf of the left leg.
Simply be aware of it as it is,
Resisting nothing.
Bring your awareness now to the left thigh.
If the attention drifts,
Bring it back like a spotlight to that point in the body.
Become aware of the toes of the right foot.
Extend the attention to the rest of the right foot.
Just taking it in as it is in this moment.
Move the attention to the right ankle.
Just the right ankle.
Simply be aware of it as it is,
Resisting nothing.
The right lower leg.
The calf.
The shin.
Noticing any sensation that's there.
Awareness of the knee.
The right thigh.
If the attention drifts,
Bring it back like a spotlight to that point in the body.
In this case,
The right thigh.
Bring awareness now to the pelvis,
The hips,
The buttocks.
If there is sensation,
Simply be aware of it as it is,
Resisting nothing.
Bring your attention to the lower back.
If there is sensation,
Simply be aware of it as it is,
Resisting nothing.
Bring the attention to the front part of the torso.
The abdomen.
Be aware of the breath as the belly rises and falls.
Move your awareness up the torso to the ribcage.
Lungs,
Heart and upper back.
Become aware of the shoulders.
That narrow spotlight of awareness moving down the left arm,
Down into the fingers of the left hand.
Slowly tracing a line up again through the elbow and the shoulder.
Become aware of the muscles and the tissues inside.
Experiencing the left arm as a whole.
Allowing the attention to move across the chest to the right shoulder,
To the right arm,
Extending down into the fingers of the right hand.
Tune into what you feel.
Simply be aware of it as it is,
Resisting nothing.
Bringing awareness all the way up to the shoulder.
Experiencing the right arm as a whole.
Now become aware of the neck with all the muscles,
Bones and the breath passing through it.
If there is sensation,
Simply be aware of it as it is,
Resisting nothing.
Moving the attention up into the head,
The jaw,
The chin,
The teeth,
The tongue,
The roof of the mouth,
The lips.
Notice any sensation in the face,
The cheeks,
The nose,
The eyes.
Be aware of the ears,
The sides of the head,
And to the extent it is possible,
Be aware of the brain inside the head.
Now expand that spotlight of your awareness so that it includes the entire body again.
Expanding from the head down to include the neck,
The back,
The shoulders and arms,
The hips,
The thighs,
Right down into the tips of your toes.
Becoming aware of this amazing vehicle in which you live.
This whole body that is breathing and functioning in this moment,
Thinking,
Feeling,
Imagining,
Yet still present,
Still here.
If you feel any tension,
Tightness or discomfort in any part of your body,
You may take your attention to that part of your body.
Allow that feeling to be there.
Breathe through that sensation.
Now you may wiggle your fingers and toes.
Wake your body back up.
Now with greater awareness of all the sensations that are present within your body.
Shift and move your body and as you feel ready,
Taking your time,
You may slowly open your eyes.
This is how we practice the five body senses scan.
We awaken the senses and then move the awareness like a spotlight through the body.
Now we can return to our day with greater awareness.
I hope that you've enjoyed this body scan and that you have a beautiful rest of your day.
