May You Be At Ease - A Body Scan For Relaxation And Sleep

Let’s gently follow the body and invite relaxation through mindful attention and the breath, beginning at the feet and gradually moving toward the crown of the head. This soothing body scan is a simple way to pause, release tension, and find a moment of calm whenever you need it. Enjoy it as a relaxing reset while traveling by train or plane, during a midday siesta or power nap, or whenever you’d like to ease into sleep. Teenagers and young adults may also find it a welcome way to unwind and let go of the day’s stresses after a busy day at school.
Return to this practice whenever you need a little space to breathe, rest, and reconnect with yourself. And for a longer, more immersive relaxation experience, explore my Yoga Nidra meditation track.

Transcript

Welcome to this short body scan to bring relaxation anytime you need to unwind. You may begin lying down or seated, However is most comfortable for you. Begin by taking two or three longer than usual breaths in through the nose, Out through the mouth. Continue on your own for a couple more deep breaths to settle the body and engage the parasympathetic nervous system. When you're ready, Bring your awareness to your entire body, Just an awareness of your body in space at this moment. You may wish to notice the air, The space around your body, Noticing the outer limit of your physical body, The skin, Creating a container that holds all the vibrant aspects of your being and also just noticing that we are interrelated with that which is outside of our physical body as well. And now bring your attention to your feet, Both feet at the same time, Noticing the thing, The toes, The tops of the feet, The bottoms of the feet, The heels and the ankles, Noticing the shin areas, The calf muscles, Noticing the knees and going inward and noticing inside of your knees, Imagining the different parts and allowing them to fully relax. The tops of the thighs, The underneath area that is in contact with your sitting or lying area, Noticing the hips and the pelvic area and allowing this area to fully relax and become heavy, Noticing the whole lower part of the body, The legs that we have just traveled and letting them completely let go, Encouraging deep muscular relaxation. Moving up the body, Bring our awareness to the middle section of the body and however we are aware of those organs that are inside this vibrant part of the body, Bring our awareness inward, Deeply inward, Maybe allowing the stomach to relax, Both intestine areas, Noticing the diaphragm as it rises and expands and lowers itself in the breathing process, Bringing our attention as well to the fluids that are circulating in that most important area of the body where various systems come together, Bringing our attention to the ribcage, Protecting the vital organs including the lungs and the heart, Allowing those areas to fully relax while they are still hard at work. The heart is the most active and the strongest muscle of the body, So channeling some compassion to the heart that also contains compassion for our body, For our being, Noticing the movement of the lungs as they inhale and exhale. Maybe we even can hear the heart beating, Pumping blood throughout the body, Noticing the shoulders, Letting them fully relax away from the ears and also towards the back, Noticing the back, The entire back area with the backbone, The vertebrae holding the spinal column, The important role that this area has in keeping us erect. I invite us to channel gratitude to this entire area of our body from the front to the back, Maybe bringing a smile to our face in order to help invite that gratitude. Next, Noticing our arms, All of our fingers, If it seems appropriate you may flex and stretch your fingers, Reaching the fingers away from the palm like the rays of the Sun, Noticing the wrists and the forearm, The elbow joint, Going into the joint and just imagining the complexity of this area, Letting it relax fully. The upper arm now, Fully releasing the entire arm, Both arms, The left and the right, Just letting them fall limp to the side of the body, Bringing our awareness now to the neck, Moving up to the face and the head, Noticing whether we have any tightness or tension in the jaw, Loosening that with a breath or two, Noticing the ears, The cheeks, The nose, The eyes, Letting them fall backwards or relax into the sockets in the eyebrows and that area between the eyebrows where we hold attention. See if we can let that area relax and with the forehead as well and the whole crown of the head, Just breathing into all those areas and letting them relax, Noticing the back of the head, Either on your bed or floor, Just noticing how it relaxes and yet stays alert. Now bringing our attention inside the crown, Inside the skull, Noticing the brain, Just bringing some visual to that and allowing relaxation there as well and inside the mouth, Maybe noticing the fluids, The cheek on both sides and the lips, Allowing full relaxation of the entire head and cranium and bringing our attention to the crown of the head, The chakra that receives guidance through messages or light, The crown chakra, And then doing a personal sweep as quickly or as slowly as you feel from the crown of the head all the way through as if you were sweeping, Literally sweeping the body all the way down to the feet, Maybe wiggling the feet to let that sweep go out and back up on an inhale to the crown of the head and one last exhale letting all tension go, Then just lying in awareness of this amazing body that we have with all the functions and the systems that keep us alive involuntarily and from our heart center let's visualize a healing light, Whichever color makes sense to you and just allow that light, That color to emanate from the heart all the way in all directions throughout the body, To the toes, To the fingertips, To the tips of the ears and the top of the head and then allow yourself to just be still for as long as you can and when you are ready you may roll over to one side, Breathe in and breathe out deeply, Just notice what the body feels like after this short yet profound body scan. Thank you for joining me and may you have a peaceful, Easeful day.

Reviews

Soft gentle voice, very calming, very grounding. Excellent body scan and mindful 🧘 meditation!