Body Awareness

This track will support you in bringing you kind and curious attention to the sensations in your body.

Transcript

This is a guided body scan.

Let those around you know you wish to be left to yourself for about half an hour.

Turn off your phone,

Wear warm,

Loose-fitting clothing,

And arrange to be in a quiet,

Comfortable place.

You may lie on your back,

Sit in a chair,

Or position yourself in another stable posture that will support you for the duration of the session.

Do your best to remain awake,

Alert,

And still.

If you feel the urge to move,

Notice it,

Be with it for as long as possible.

Then,

If you need to move,

Do so mindfully,

Paying full attention to the impulse to move and the movement itself.

When you notice your attention has wandered,

Gently return it to the instructions.

Allow this session to be a compassionate exploration of how you are in this moment.

Be curious and observe,

Neither resisting nor indulging your experience.

Follow the instructions to the best of your ability and trust that you are cultivating new ways of being with yourself and in the world.

In choosing to engage in this practice,

You are giving yourself the gift of kind attention.

Allow yourself to receive this precious gift.

Begin by bringing your attention to the flow of the breath,

The rising and falling of your abdomen.

Explore the subtleties of the breath,

The rate,

The depth,

The temperature.

Listen to the expansion with each in-breath and the contraction with each out-breath.

Perhaps you can notice the first sip of the in-breath and the last whisper of the out-breath.

Perhaps you can rest in the space between the in-breath and the out-breath and rest again in the space between the out-breath and the in-breath.

Allow the breath to fill you and empty you,

Empty you and fill you.

When you are ready,

Shift your attention to your left big toe.

You may wish to imagine breathing into and out from your left big toe.

There is no need to struggle to create this image.

It is enough just to attend to your left big toe and note the sensations there.

Send your attention to include your left little toe and all the toes of your left foot,

Noting without preference sensations of coolness,

Warmth,

Moistness,

Itching and numbness.

Allow your attention to move into the sole of the left foot,

Feeling into the muscles and tendons that shape the arch of the foot.

Let the breath and attention move up into the top of the foot and the ankle and for a moment attend to your entire left foot and on the next out-breath allow your left foot to dissolve and massage the breath and attention into the left lower leg like a familiar gentle touch moving from the surface into the muscles and bones of the left lower leg and on the next out-breath allow your left lower leg to dissolve and move your attention into the left knee,

Feeling into the muscles that move the knee,

The tendons that support the knee and the knee joint itself,

Noting the degree of flexion,

Extension,

Stiffness and mobility of the knee and on the next out-breath allow the left knee to dissolve and breathe the attention into the left thigh,

Investigating the various regions of the thigh,

The posterior thigh making contact with the floor or the chair,

The outer and anterior thigh making contact with your clothing and the inner thigh perhaps making contact with the other leg.

Be curious about the relative sensitivity of the various areas of the thigh,

Breathing and opening to yourself just as you are in this moment and now on the next out-breath allow the left thigh to dissolve and move the breath and attention into the left buttock and hip moving from the surface through the layers of muscles and deep into the hip joint and on the next out-breath allow the left buttock and hip to dissolve and breathe your attention into your right big toe,

Expand your attention to include your right little toe and all the toes of the right foot,

Feeling each toe individually and noting both the spaces between the toes and the areas of contact of adjacent toes.

Let the breath and attention move into the sole of the right foot,

Exploring the shape and structure of the foot.

Allow the attention to move upward into the top of the foot and the ankle and on the next out-breath allow the right foot to dissolve and focus your attention on your right lower leg,

Exploring the flatness of the shin bone and the curve of the calf muscle and on the next out-breath allow your right lower leg to dissolve and become aware of your right knee,

Investigate the structure of the knee,

Sensing stability,

Instability,

Smoothness and roughness,

Experiencing the sensations of the knee and allowing it to be as it is and on the next out-breath allow the right knee to dissolve and move the breath and attention into the right thigh,

Feeling into the posterior thigh,

The outer thigh,

The anterior thigh and the inner thigh,

Simply noting the sensations and on the next out-breath allow the right thigh to dissolve and massage the attention into the right buttock and hip,

Feeling into the sinews of the muscle and into the spaces of the hip joint and on the next out-breath allow the right buttock and hip to dissolve and breathe your attention into the pelvis,

The bowl of the pelvis,

Feeling the expansion and contraction of the breath here,

Expand your attention to include your anus and genitals,

Noting warmth,

Coolness,

Sensitivity and numbness,

Simply allowing your experience and on the next out-breath allow your pelvis,

Anus and genitals to dissolve.

Now rest your attention on the familiar rising and falling of the abdomen,

Feel the rhythm of the in-breath and the out-breath,

Feel the rhythm of the in-breath and the out-breath,

Remember to allow yourself to be just as you are in this moment.

Soften and open to your experience of yourself.

Allow your attention to circle backward into your low back,

Noting sensations of tautness,

Suppleness,

Knottedness and sensing the expansion and contraction of the breath here.

Let the attention move into your mid and upper back,

Explore the space between the shoulder blades.

Now attend to your entire back from the base of your head to the sacrum,

Noting points of intensity,

Areas of ease,

Regions of ache.

Allow the attention to move along the ribcage and into the chest and breasts,

Exploring with curiosity and compassion the sensations here,

Open,

Defended,

Empty,

Warm,

Vulnerable,

Breathing into the chest and meeting your experience.

Allow the attention to move into your heart,

Noting variations in sensation,

Rhythm and emotion with each heartbeat.

Stay with your experience,

Breathe and open.

Now fill your entire torso with breath and attention,

Your heart,

Your chest,

Your back,

Your abdomen and your pelvis.

Feel the breath filling you and emptying you,

Emptying you and filling you.

And on the next out breath,

Allow your entire torso to dissolve.

And bring your attention into your hands,

Breathing into and out from your fingers.

Note the spaces between the fingers,

Become aware of your thumbs and the palms and the backs of your hands.

Breathe your attention into your hands.

Now move your attention into your wrists and forearms,

Noting the sensations in the muscles,

Tendons and bones.

Let the attention move into the elbows,

Noting the position and mobility of each elbow.

Begin to explore your upper arms,

The large muscles of the biceps and triceps,

Noting the degree of tension,

Suppleness,

Strength and ache.

Move your attention into your shoulders,

Feeling into the large muscles that connect the arms with the torso.

Explore the backs of the shoulders,

The sides of the shoulders and the fronts of the shoulders.

Breathe your attention into the entirety of both arms,

Shoulders,

Upper arms,

Elbows,

Forearms,

Hands,

Fingers and thumbs.

And on the next out breath,

Allow your arms to dissolve.

And move your attention into your neck,

The portion of your body that connects your head with your torso.

Attend to the back of the neck,

The sides of the neck and the front of the neck.

Feel from the surface into the muscles and structures of the neck and then into the throat.

Explore the movement of the breath in the throat,

Flowing,

Catching,

Swirling.

And move the attention into your face.

Become aware of your lips,

Gums,

Teeth and tongue.

Explore the curve of your mouth and the set of your jaw.

Allow your attention to move into your cheeks.

Explore the sensations of the inner and outer cheeks.

Attend to the space between the mouth and the nose,

Perhaps feeling the flow of the breath here.

Move your attention to the bridge of your nose and then into the interior of your nose,

Noting the tickle of the breath here.

Sense the subtleties of the breath,

The temperature,

The moisture,

The flow.

Expand your attention to include your eyes,

Noting dryness,

Moistness,

Dullness and brightness.

Include the structures which support the eyes,

Noting tension,

A sense of fatigue,

The effects of a smile.

Allow your attention to rise into your forehead,

Exploring the interplay of smoothness,

Furrowedness and the touch of your hair.

Breathe your attention into your face as a whole,

Note your expression and meet yourself with kindness.

Move the breath and attention into the back of the head,

The sides of the head,

Including the inner and outer ears and then up to the top of your head.

Now attend to the inner structures of the head,

Including the brain,

Breathing into and out from your entire head,

Your skull,

Your brain and your face.

And on the next out breath,

Allow your head to dissolve.

Now focus your attention on a spot on the top of your head about the size of a quarter,

Like the blowhole of a whale.

Imagine breathing into and out from this spot.

Breathe in through this spot,

Down through your head,

Neck,

Arms,

Torso and out through your legs and feet.

And then breathe in through your feet and up through your legs,

Torso,

Arms,

Neck and out through the spot at the top of your head.

Really allow your experience,

There is nothing to figure out or get right.

Allow the breath to wash over you in waves.

Breathe in through your head,

Out through your head,

Neck,

Arms,

Torso,

Arms,

Torso,

Arms,

And out through your legs.

Allow the breath to fill you and empty you,

Empty you and fill you.

Breathe in through your head,

Out through your legs,

Out through your head,

Out through your legs,

Out through your head,

Out through your legs,

Out through your legs,

Out through your knees and feet.

This will help you feel Thank you.

Rest here for a moment longer.

Gently roll onto your left side.

As this session comes to an end you may wish to note the state of your body,

Your mind,

And your heart.

Thank yourself for your willingness to open to yourself just as you are.

With committed practice this opening will continue at its own pace,

And you will discover the stillness,

Wisdom,

And peace that reside within you.

As you move into the activity of your life,

Do your best to remain in the present moment.

If you become caught up,

Simply follow the breath to the stillness,

Wisdom,

And peace that are always available.

May you experience the loving awareness that is your essential nature.

Reviews

Nice scanning, I like the soothing feeling of it.

A wonderful inward scan. Really helpful!

Love the simplicity of this

Excellent. Educational. Healing practice.