Day 18: 55-Minute Body Scan Meditation

This Mindfulness Meditation Challenge is designed to help you build a meditation habit and incorporate mindfulness into your daily routine. You can access this whole challenge through the playlist at the bottom of my profile on Insight Timer.

In this track, I am going to guide you through Body Scan meditation. This practice increases body awareness, reduces physical tension and pain, promotes relaxation. For best results, practice this meditation once a day for at least a week.

This meditation was recorded during one of the live events on Insight Timer. So, if you find this meditation helpful, you can support my work through a small donation.

Image Credit: By Leolo212 via Pixabay

Transcript

Hello,

Welcome to this mindfulness meditation challenge.

So let's start with today's practice.

Body scan.

The name of the practice is body scan.

This practice has multiple benefits.

So I would just quote three of them.

So the first benefit is it increases our body awareness.

You know what is happening inside of our body.

Most of the times you are just aware of maybe upper body.

Then lower body gets neglected and we are going to become aware of our whole body.

Okay.

Second benefit is that it helps with,

You know,

Physical tension and pain because even if you will scan your body right now,

Then also you will realize that,

You know,

Your facial muscles are tense,

Maybe your jaw is tensed,

Your shoulders are tense.

So different parts of our body carry tension and it is not required for me to sit here.

This tension in my shoulders is not required.

So it is the stress that our body is holding.

It relieves all of that.

It also helps with physical pain.

And the third benefit was that it promotes relaxation.

And it is very common for people to fall asleep during this practice.

So if you do so,

It's completely normal.

It is a very common experience.

Even the first time when I did this practice,

I fall asleep halfway through.

It is a wonderful practice if you are not getting sleep.

Although sleeping is not the motive,

Relaxation is not the aim of any of the mindfulness practice.

If you do fall asleep,

Then it's okay.

Once or twice,

It's okay.

Or initially when you are learning the practice,

Then it's okay.

But try to make minor changes when you are going to practice it.

Meaning some of the changes can be,

Don't do this practice after you just,

You know,

Ate food.

Okay.

Or,

You know,

Ate a lot of food,

Because then we feel sleepy.

So we want to like,

Avoid that kind of a state doing meditation,

Doing this particular meditation especially in this state,

Right?

And another thing that you can do,

If you're feeling if you notice that you're feeling sleepy or you doze off a little in between,

Then become mindful of the sleepiness itself.

So how does this state of drowsiness,

Of sleepiness feels like,

Where in your body are you feeling it?

Because everything,

We feel somewhere in our body.

So how does it feel like,

You know,

Is it very strong?

Is it very dull?

So that kind of,

So stay with it.

And when we actually practice mindfulness of sleeping or that sleepiness state,

We become more aware because mindfulness is the opposite of sleepiness.

And other thing that you can do is try doing this practice sitting,

Okay,

Instead of lying down,

Especially if you like fall asleep again and again,

Whenever you do the practice,

Okay?

Because usually this practice is done like lying down or,

You know,

Lying on a decliner or on your bed.

So that is the usual position.

But if you are falling asleep again and again,

Then you can try doing this sitting,

Okay?

Another thing,

You can even do this with open eyes,

If you fall asleep.

If you are falling asleep again and again during this practice,

Then you can,

You know,

Try these things.

And if your intention is actually,

You know,

To get rest,

Supposedly you are not able to sleep at night,

You know,

Insomnia and stuff,

And your intention is the very same and this practice helps you do so.

So yeah,

It's okay.

You can fall asleep.

But at that time,

Keep in mind,

You are not cultivating mindfulness when you fall asleep.

If there are just,

You know,

Mini like you dozed off and then you come awake,

Then that awakeness is like mindfulness.

But other than that,

If you are using it specifically to fall asleep,

Then it is to fall asleep,

Not to cultivate mindfulness.

So this is one experience,

Okay?

One common experience that you might have during this practice.

I'm just telling you because sometimes doubt creeps in the practice that,

Okay,

Am I doing this right?

Or I fall asleep,

Then I shouldn't continue the practice,

I should leave it or,

You know,

Things like that.

So I just want to normalize what happens.

Another thing that happens is,

Yeah,

Numbness.

So sometimes when I ask you to redirect your attention to a part of your body,

Then you might not feel anything,

Okay?

So you might not feel any sensation in that part of your body.

And that's completely natural.

So not every part of our body has some sensations.

Some also feel numb or some also feel like,

You know,

There is no sensation present.

So at that time,

Just focus on that numbness.

So just become aware as to how does that numbness feel like,

Okay?

How does that numbness in this particular part of your body feels like?

You don't have to like,

You know,

Feel any sensation.

There is no have to in mindfulness or in meditation.

So meet whatever is happening right now,

Meet the reality,

That's it.

Also if it happens like most of your body part feel numb,

Then in that case,

Maybe if you want to,

If you don't want,

It's perfectly fine,

You can be with the numbness and if you want to,

Then you can just,

You know,

Wiggle your toes or just,

You know,

Shake that body part a bit so you feel some sensations.

So the third thing that happens is,

You know,

Those sensations like pain,

Especially with people who have like chronic pain or who are maybe in acute pain at this moment,

Or you know,

That sensation of itchiness that comes when we are meditating.

So our body does all that stuff that will distract us from the practice.

So if these things happen,

It's similar to what we did in mindfulness of breathing.

So note,

Okay,

So say to yourself like pain in my forehead,

Okay,

And then come back to that body part wherever,

You know,

I am guiding you on,

Yeah,

And try to follow the instructions again and again,

If your mind keep on getting,

You know,

Fixed on that particular sensation because it might be strong,

Then in that case,

You can take a break from the instructions and become aware of just that part,

Shift your awareness to that part and just be with that part for some time.

And you will notice that it will dissolve on its own or it will become easy or it will become manageable enough that you can return your focus to the body part that we are on.

And if the pain intensifies a lot or the sensation,

The difficult sensation intensifies a lot,

Then what you can do is you can soften around it.

So like,

Imagine that your breath is going into that part.

So when you are breathing in,

Suppose that your breath is going into your forehead,

The tissues of that part,

And then,

You know,

You soften around it.

So you don't try to just soften it,

But around it,

Okay.

So it just,

We are,

You know,

Giving it some ease,

Showing us some compassion and just,

You know,

Breathe into that part and out of that part and letting go of whatever you don't need anymore.

Okay.

So I'm not just trying to get rid of the sensations,

But it's just allowing our muscles to relax if they want to.

Yeah,

I think these are the usual thing that happens.

Also,

Yeah,

You can also make any physical adjustment during the practice if you want to.

Okay.

So just move a little if you're having pain in the back,

You know,

Take some support or things like that.

So that's perfectly okay.

Yeah.

And at any moment,

If it becomes very,

Very overwhelming,

Then have an anchor.

So in this case,

Your anchor can be your breath,

Okay,

Or the sounds around you.

So anything that makes you feel calm and,

You know,

Safe.

Okay.

So having that said,

Let's start the practice.

Okay.

Now look around you,

Take in the environment in which you are.

Now allow yourself to settle in a comfortable posture.

Typically,

This practice is done lying down.

So if you are lying down,

Let your arms rest alongside your body with your palm facing upwards.

If you feel comfortable,

You can gently close your eyes or soften your gaze.

Now bring your awareness to the sounds around you,

Connecting you to this present moment.

Notice the heels of your foot meeting the ground,

Letting your feet relax.

Notice the support beneath you,

Letting go of the weight of your body.

Now bring your awareness to your breath.

You don't need to change it in any manner.

Just notice it moving in and out,

In and out.

Now let your awareness expand into the whole body,

Feeling your body from head to toe.

As you notice your body,

Observe any areas of tension or any strong sensations that come up into your awareness.

Take your time to make any adjustment in your body to be as comfortable and relaxed as you can.

Now take a deep breath in and a breath out,

Letting go of anything that you don't need right now.

Now take a deep breath in and a breath out,

Letting go of anything that you don't need right now.

Now take a deep breath in and a breath out,

Letting go of anything that you don't need right now.

Now take a deep breath in and a breath out,

Letting go of anything that you don't need right now.

Now take a deep breath in and a breath out,

Letting go of anything that you don't need right now.

Now take a deep breath in and a breath out,

Letting go of anything that you don't need right now.

Take a deep breath in and a breath out,

Letting go of anything that you don't need right now.

Now take a deep breath in and a breath out,

Letting go of anything that you don't need right now.

Now take a deep breath in and a breath out,

Letting go of anything that you don't need right now.

Now take a deep breath in and a breath out,

Letting go of anything that you don't need right now.

Now take a deep breath in and a breath out,

Letting go of anything that you don't need right now.

Now take a deep breath in and a breath out,

Letting go of anything that you don't need right now.

Now take a deep breath in and a breath out,

Letting go of anything that you don't need right now.

Now take a deep breath in and a breath out,

Letting go of anything that you don't need right now.

Now take a deep breath in and a breath out,

Letting go of anything that you don't need right now.

Now take a deep breath in and a breath out,

Letting go of anything that you don't need right now.

Now take a deep breath in and a breath out,

Letting go of anything that you don't need right now.

Now take a deep breath in and a breath out,

Letting go of anything that you don't need right now.

Now take a deep breath in and a breath out,

Letting go of anything that you don't need right now.

Now take a deep breath in and a breath out,

Letting go of anything that you don't need right now.

Now take a deep breath in and a breath out,

Letting go of anything that you don't need right now.

Now take a deep breath in and a breath out,

Letting go of anything that you don't need right now.

Now take a deep breath in and a breath out,

Letting go of anything that you don't need right now.

Now take a deep breath in and a breath out,

Letting go of anything that you don't need right now.

Now take a deep breath in and a breath out,

Letting go of anything that you don't need right now.

Now take a deep breath in and a breath out,

Letting go of anything that you don't need right now.

Now take a deep breath in and a breath out,

Letting go of anything that you don't need right now.

Now take a deep breath in and a breath out,

Letting go of anything that you don't need right now.

Now take a deep breath in and a breath out,

Letting go of anything that you don't need right now.

Now take a deep breath in and a breath out,

Letting go of anything that you don't need right now.

Now take a deep breath in and a breath out,

Letting go of anything that you don't need right now.

Now take a deep breath in and a breath out,

Letting go of anything that you don't need right now.

Now take a deep breath in and a breath out,

Letting go of anything that you don't need right now.

Now take a deep breath in and a breath out,

Letting go of anything that you don't need right now.

And it's completely okay if you feel a sense of numbness or if you don't feel anything.

Inhale deeply,

Connecting with the sensations in your right foot and as you exhale,

Release any awareness of your right foot,

Lifting your attention to both the calves,

Which is the space between your knees and ankles.

Feel the contact with the mat or floor beneath you.

Sense any heaviness,

Tension,

Pain or any discomfort that may be present in both of your calf muscles.

If you feel any discomfort,

Then approach it with kindness instead of resistance.

Explore the temperature or the sensations in this area.

Now take a deep breath in,

Being aware of the sensations in both the calf muscles and the shin area,

Which is above the calf muscles.

And as you breathe out,

Gently release the awareness of this area.

Now shift your focus to the knees,

Sensing the back of your knees,

The kneecap and the joint inside it.

Feel the skin around your knee.

If there is any discomfort in your knees,

Then simply observe it without any judgment.

Now to let go of this part,

Inhale,

Bringing your whole awareness to both these knees.

And as you exhale,

Allow your attention to flow away from your knees.

Now gently bring your awareness to your thighs,

The largest muscle that supports you.

Each time that you notice your attention has wandered,

Take note of what has carried you away in the first place.

And then gently bring your attention back to the body part,

To feel the connection of your thighs to the ground,

Letting your awareness expand to notice the entire circumference of your thighs,

Embracing any sensation that arise.

Inhale gently,

Feeling the sensations in both your thighs.

And as you exhale,

Release your focus from them,

Shifting your attention to the pelvic region,

Feeling the temperature.

Maybe there is some tightness in this area.

Notice what other sensations are present in this part of your body.

There is no need to judge or evaluate your experience.

Gently notice it.

If at any point you feel overwhelmed,

You can take refuge in your breath,

Noticing the flow of the breath.

Now allow your awareness to move to the hips,

Sensing any pressure or any sensations as they are in contact with the surface beneath you.

Now inhale deeply,

Connecting with the sensations in your pelvic region and hips.

And as you exhale,

Gently release your awareness of them,

Shifting your attention to your lower back,

Noticing the support you are receiving from the surface beneath you.

If you encounter any uncomfortable sensations,

Just breathe into them as if you are gently touching it with your breath and breathe out of them,

Releasing anything that you don't need to carry anymore,

Approaching each sensation with curiosity.

Now allow your awareness to travel up your spine.

So move from the base of the spine to the top where your neck is located,

Feeling the alignment of the vertebrae and any sensations around your spine,

Gently bringing your attention to the back of your neck.

So noticing the sensations in the back part of your neck,

Noticing if there is any sense of tension or tightness or maybe ease in this area,

Being aware of the entire length of your neck,

Where it supports your head.

Now inhale deeply,

Connecting with the sensations in the back area and your neck.

And as you exhale,

Letting go of any tension in this area.

Now shift your focus to your belly,

Observe it expanding and contracting with each breath.

Notice the subtle movement of your diaphragm,

Become aware of your internal organs,

Which are responsible for nurturing you,

Noticing the state of your stomach.

Is it full or empty?

Now redirect your attention to your chest,

Observing the rise and fall of your chest as you breathe.

Now turn your attention towards the sensations within your chest cavity,

So inside your chest.

Notice if there is tightness or if there is a lot of energy in this area or maybe there is a lot of spaciousness.

If you encounter sensations related to any difficult emotion,

Approach them with gentleness.

Let them be,

It's okay.

If you feel like you can even breathe into your chest,

Feeling the spaciousness and out of your chest,

Releasing any tension or difficult sensation that you don't need anymore.

Now before we move on,

Acknowledge the presence of the lungs and your heart,

Your beautiful loving heart in this space.

Now inhale deeply,

Feeling the sensations in your chest for one last time and as you exhale,

Allow your focus to gently dissolve.

Now guide your awareness to your shoulders,

Allowing your awareness to move down from your shoulders through your upper arms all the way to your fingertips,

Feeling the sensations in your upper arm,

Your forearms,

Your elbow and now directing your attention to your hands,

Observing the sensations within your hands.

Maybe there is tingling in your fingers,

You might feel warm or cool,

Maybe you are squeezing your fingers tightly,

If so,

You can let go of them,

Noticing the sensations in your palm,

Maybe the sensation of air touching your hands.

Now inhale deeply,

Becoming mindful of the sensations in both your arms and as you exhale,

Release them from your awareness.

Now shift your attention to your neck,

Observing the sensations present inside your throat,

Noticing if there is any sense of constriction,

Dryness or maybe there is swirling energy present in this region,

Simply observing whatever is present without trying to change anything.

If any sense of discomfort arise in your throat or there is any tension,

Then just becoming curious as to what does this feel like,

Are the sensations solid or maybe they are flexible like liquid or gas.

Now take a deep breath in,

Attending the sensations in your throat and as you exhale,

Gently release them from your awareness.

Now move on to your jaw,

Notice any sensations in this area,

You might notice that the muscles automatically relax when you pay attention to your jaw.

Now scan your face,

Feeling the facial muscles,

Muscles around your eyes,

In your cheek and in any other area,

Noticing any tension that your facial muscles might be holding.

As you notice them,

You might see that the muscles automatically let go of the tension.

Now inhale deeply,

Directing your attention to the sensations in your face and with the out-breath,

Allow the sensations to gently fade away from your awareness.

Now shift your awareness to your forehead,

Noticing any sensations across this area.

Maybe there is tightness in your temples or pain in your forehead,

Allow the muscles to let go of anything that they don't need anymore.

Now direct your attention to the back of your head,

Noticing the point of contact with the surface beneath you,

Finally redirect your attention to your scalp,

Feeling the top of your head,

Noticing any warmth,

Coolness or any neutral sensations.

Now take a deep breath in,

Feeling your head and as you exhale,

Let go of your awareness on this particular area.

Finally,

Sense your entire body as a whole,

From the top of your head to the tips of your toes,

Acknowledging any shifts or changes that might have happened as a result of this practice.

Take a moment to reflect,

How does it feel like after tuning into the different areas of your body.

Now as we conclude this body scan,

Place one or both of your hands on your heart and say thank you to your body.

Now take a deep breath in and out,

Letting go of this practice,

Gently wiggle your toes and fingers to come awake,

Feel free to stretch if you would like to and whenever you feel ready,

You can gently open your eyes,

Reconnecting with the world around you,

Okay,

How was your body scan for you or how was the session for you and if you guys,

You know,

Found this useful then I would really appreciate any donation or I would love for you to check out my profile,

To check out my content and yeah,

If this resonates with you,

I would be honoured if you guys can check out my work and you know,

Leave a review or something.

Okay so,

This session has come to an end,

So thank you so much everyone for tuning in,

Sending my love and healing to all of you.