Day 5: Body Scan Meditation | 21-Day Meditation Challenge

Body scanning brings attention to body parts and body sensations. It starts from the top of your head to your toes.
By mentally scanning yourself, you become aware of every part of your body and notice pain, soreness, tension, or general discomfort.
Helps lessen anxiety, Decreases stress levels, Improves sleep quality, Reduces chronic pain, Improves self-awareness, Helps you relax, Improves focus.

Transcript

Hello and welcome to day 5 of our free 21 day meditation challenge. I'm Andrew and I hope you enjoyed the Trotac meditation that we did yesterday. Let's start right away with day 5. Let's find a place where you feel safe, Where you won't be disturbed, Sit in a comfortable position, Where your spine is straight, Your back is nice and tall and where you can sit for some time without feeling any discomfort. You can rest your hands on your lap, On your legs or wherever it feels comfortable. And when you are ready, You can close your eyes. We are going to start by taking a deep inhale for 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 and a slow exhale for 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1. Inhale for 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 and exhale for 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1. One more time, Deep inhale and a long exhale. Now let your breath go back to a natural pace. Today we will introduce a new practice called the body scan. It's literally what you understand in these words. We scan the whole body in order to reconnect with us, With the present moment, With how we feel in this very moment, If there is something we detect in our body that isn't usual. Today we do this practice right after a breathing session and before any other practice. It's a great way to be in the now and to be one with your mind and your body. So keep your eyes closed and we will start the scan from the top of your head. So how does it feel up there? Are you feeling any tension in the back of your head? If so, Try to relax your shoulders. Can you feel the presence of your hair? Is your skull feeling itchy? Do you have a sense of lightness or heaviness in your head? Just relax your shoulders. Take a deep inhale and a slow exhale, Try to relax your body. Moving into the forehead and the face, Consider your eyes, How important they are to you, The thing that they are taking, How they help you identify faces or internalize information and appreciate beauty, Can you feel any sensations around or in your eyes? The goal of doing a body scan is to simply be in the present moment, To reconnect with your body, To be one with your body, To listen to your body and not to hold any emotion or tension. Now connect with your ears, Admiring their dynamic shape, Their ability to listen, To hear. Can you hear anything in the room that you are in? Now connect with the nose and the mouth. Take a nice deep breath in through the nose and out through the mouth. Is there something that you can smell in the nose? Maybe there is like a special smell in the room that you are in. Can you taste something in your mouth? On your tongue maybe something that you ate or drank recently? Moving down the spine, Feel the strength of these bones, The bones that keep your body erect and moving. Try to be aware of each vertebra if you can and the nerves encasing your spine. Be aware of the muscles and the skin of your back. Now connect with your arms, Bringing your attention all the way down to your fingertips. Working with the muscles here and the bones of the hands. Those arms and hands, They help you carry things. They help you grab things. They are actually an extension of you. Shifting your attention to the chest now. Noticing the gentle rise and fall of your chest. Feel the fresh air coming into your lungs. Feel your heart pitting in harmony with the rhythm of your breath. The connection between your heart and your lungs. Those lungs bringing oxygen and your heart carrying it to all parts of your body and sending back to the lungs all that is no longer needed. Can you feel your heart beat without touching your chest? Bringing your attention to the abdomen now, The core of the body. Feel the slight rise on the in-breath and how it flattens, Raising all tensions. Be aware of your stomach, Perhaps feeling sensations of digestion. Moving down into the legs now. Try to feel the strong bones here and the muscles that help you walk. Feel your thighs and how great support they are when moving down to your knees and the core. Feel this extension down to your ankles and feet. Now let's take a deep inhale and a slow exhale. And we are now going back slowly all the way up to your head. Being aware of each part of your body. And when you have reached your head, You take a deep inhale and a slow exhale. Deep inhale, Feeling the air coming in and a slow exhale, Feeling the air coming out of your body. Inhale and exhale.