Hi,
My name is Annette Erickson and I'm your mindfulness trainer today.
We are going to do a body scan exercise.
Closing your eyes gently and settling your body into a comfortable position.
Bringing your attention to the top of your head.
Noticing if you can feel any feelings or sensations.
Maybe it feels a little tingly,
Or maybe pressure,
Tightness,
Or maybe nothing at all.
Now we are going to manually scan our whole bodies from head to toe.
You may feel some strong sensations,
Or you may feel weak sensations,
Or none at all.
Don't worry,
Anything you feel is fine.
Remember that there is no right or wrong with mindfulness practice.
We are just training our attention and noticing.
Just remain curious no matter what you feel.
Keep paying attention as we move from one area of the body to the next.
Putting your whole attention on the top of your head,
The crown of your head.
Scan around the skull.
Drop down any holding on.
Relax the forehead tensions.
Noticing any tension or tightness in the small eye muscles.
Let go of any crippling or armoring of these muscles.
Scanning across your cheeks,
Nose,
And lips.
Your chin.
Notice any tightness in the jaw.
Relax your jaw.
Noticing your neck.
Relax your neck and your throat.
Now put your attention across your shoulders,
And just feel if your shoulders are tight or tense.
We usually hold a lot of tension here,
So drop it down.
Relax your shoulders fully,
And let any tension drain out of your body.
Now notice your upper right arm.
Your lower arm.
And relax the whole arm.
Putting your attention on the hands,
The palms.
You may feel a little warmth here,
Or subtle pulsing.
And now attention to your fingers and fingertips.
Perhaps you feel a slight tingling in the fingertips.
Now notice your upper left arm.
Your lower arm.
And relax the whole arm.
Now coming to the upper back.
Relax the upper back.
Scan your attention down your spine.
And down to the lower back.
Let go of any tension you feel.
Drop it down and out of your body.
Your whole back is fully relaxed.
Now to your chest.
We often hold a lot of tension and stress in the chest and stomach when we are anxious and emotional.
Really notice how your stomach feels.
Take your time.
Let go of any tension or holding on.
Take a deep breath in,
And slowly breathe out.
Fully relax the stomach.
Notice where your body is touching the chair.
Noticing your thighs sitting on the chair.
Relax the thighs.
Feel the cloth of your clothing against your thighs.
Notice your lower legs.
Relax the lower legs.
Now feel your ankle.
The tops of your feet.
The soles of your feet.
And finally your toes.
Let all tension drain out of your feet.
Now noticing your whole body at once.
Keep your attention on the whole body.
Noticing everything at once.
Hold that feeling and awareness for a moment.
Now ask yourself,
Could I feel anything on my face?
Which part?
Eyelids?
Mouth?
Jaw?
What was the easiest part of my body to feel?
What part was the hardest?
How do you feel now?
Congratulate yourself for taking a few minutes out of a busy day to self-calm and relax.
Thank you.
