Body Scan

This Body Scan mindfulness meditation is typical of MBSR, MBCT, MBRP and other mindfulness courses, but with a little more guidance, ideal for distracted minds!

Transcript

Welcome to the body scan.

Finding a place where you'll be undisturbed and you can lie on your back if that's comfortable for you to do so.

If you are going to lie down,

Feel free to raise your knees and bring your feet up to your bottom if this takes the pressure off your lower spine.

Just allowing your eyes to close gently and taking a few moments to get in touch with the movement of your breath.

Feeling the breath in the body.

Seeing if you can sense a whole in-breath and a whole out-breath.

One breath at a time.

You can always return to the breathing if you become lost or confused at any point during this meditation.

When you're ready bringing your attention to the physical sensations in your body.

Particularly noticing sensations of touch or pressure where your body makes contact with the floor or the bed or ground beneath you.

Just seeing if you can let go.

The intention of this practice is not to change anything or to try and make anything in particular happen.

We're not even trying to feel relaxed and calm.

This may happen or it may not.

But instead the intention of this practice is as best as possible just to bring our awareness to the sensations that we feel.

To focus our attention on each part of the body in turn.

And if we find our mind wondering,

This is quite normal.

Our job is just to gently bring the attention back to the awareness of the body.

If the attention wanders a hundred times your role is just to simply bring the attention back a hundred times in a gentle and compassionate way.

Giving up judgments of right or wrong,

Good or bad.

Just noticing what's happening in each moment is enough.

So maybe bringing your awareness now to the physical sensations in your abdomen.

Becoming aware of the sensations as you breathe in and breathe out.

Noticing the expansion on the in-breath.

The contraction on the out-breath.

Belly stretching slightly as we breathe in and releasing as we breathe out.

Noticing the slight pause between breath and breath.

Taking some time to notice how it feels to breathe in your abdomen.

And having connected with the sensations here,

On an out-breath letting go of this part of the body and taking your awareness down through the body to the toes of the left foot.

Focusing first on the big toe of the left foot and noticing all the sensations we're able in that toe.

Then allowing your attention to move through each of the toes in turn.

Down to the little toe of the left foot.

Just bringing a gentle curiosity to each sensation as it arises.

And if no sensations are present right now,

Just bringing your awareness to that absence of sensations.

Being curious to whatever arises.

Perhaps noticing the contact between toes or the space between them.

Maybe there's a sense of tingling or warmth.

Maybe no sensations at all in particular.

Keeping your awareness there,

Whatever is or isn't present.

Returning to this part of the body if the attention wanders elsewhere.

When you're ready,

Maybe even playfully,

Imagining that the breath could go all the way down to the toes of your left foot as you breathe in.

In through the nose or mouth.

Down the body and into the toes of the left foot.

And then we breathe out from the toes all the way back out the body,

Out the nose.

Sending your breath in this playful way right down to the toes and then allowing it to come back all the way out through the body on an exhale.

Just as best as you can,

Playing with this if you'd like to.

And continuing for a few breaths.

So it might seem strange or feel a little difficult at first.

Just do the best you can at imagining breathing into the toes of your left foot.

When you're ready,

Letting go of the awareness of the toes and expanding the attention out to the sensations all across the bottom of your left foot.

Bringing a gentle and curious awareness to the sole of the foot on the left side.

To the ball of the left foot.

The instep.

And the heel of the left foot.

Just feeling the sensations there,

Whatever they are.

Maybe you can feel pressure against footwear or ground,

Temperature.

And then expanding this awareness to include the top of the foot.

All the muscles and bones and tendons in between.

Having a sense of whatever can be detected in the left foot right now.

Expanding this awareness up to include the ankle of the left foot.

And then on an out-breath releasing this part of the body from our awareness.

And extending the attention up to the calf and shin of the left leg.

The sides of the left leg.

Feeling any clothing rusting against our body.

Or even maybe the movement of air if there's any skin exposed.

Sensations in the muscles.

Expanding this awareness up to include our left knee.

Back of the knee.

Sides of the knee.

The kneecap.

As best as you can detecting whatever sensations are in your lower left leg and knee.

Moving your awareness like a spotlight throughout the body.

Sending the breath into each area as you go.

Spotlight of your breath moving throughout the body.

The breath awareness highlighting each area in turn.

Sending the breath down to this lower leg and releasing on an out-breath.

Sending the breath up to the upper left leg and to the hip and thigh.

Noticing any points of contact or pressure here.

Anywhere that it touches,

Support beneath you.

Noticing what sensations can be detected in the upper left leg right now.

Throughout this exercise it's inevitable that your mind will wander from time to time.

What it does,

Just noticing this.

Gently but clearly bringing the awareness back to the physical sensations that are present right now.

Then letting go of the upper left leg as we breathe out.

And sending our tension right down,

The right leg down to the toes of the right foot.

And beginning again with the big toe.

And the little toe.

All the toes in between.

Noticing the temperature or pressure here.

Any sense of energy in the toes.

Breathing right down your body and into the toes of your right foot.

It works for you just playfully getting a sense of the breath moving through the body and filling the toes of the right foot on an in-breath.

Releasing on an out-breath.

And noticing the energy in the toes.

Noticing the awareness extends to the bottom of your right foot.

The ball,

The instep,

The heel of the right foot.

Allowing the attention to expand all over the bottom of the right foot and up to the top of the right foot.

Whole foot and the ankle.

Just bringing awareness to whatever is present here.

Not expecting any particular sensations or looking for any particular thing to come into awareness.

Just noticing what's here right now.

Before rising the awareness up to the lower right leg.

The shin,

The calf.

Again noticing any movement of air or touch of pressure.

Feeling of clothing against skin.

Sensitive to whatever's there.

Expanding this awareness up to the right knee.

Inner knee,

Sides of the knee and the kneecap.

Bringing your full attention to this part of the body.

And then on an out-breath.

Letting go of the knee and rising the awareness up to the upper right leg.

All the way up from the hip to the knee.

Inside the groin to the knee.

All around.

Noticing any sensations of temperature or pressure.

Any sensations at all.

And on an exhale.

Letting go of the upper right leg.

And bringing your attention to your hips and waist.

To the pelvic girdle.

Bringing to the fore all the organs within the pelvic girdle.

The hips.

Feeling the support beneath you where the body makes contact with whatever you're lying on.

Always free to come back to the breath.

If you become lost or want to rest from scanning through the body.

Just taking care of yourself in this situation.

And then when you're ready moving your awareness slowly to the abdomen.

Once again feeling it rising and falling with each breath.

Noticing the uniqueness of each breath in this part of the body.

How each in-breath is followed quite naturally and effortlessly with an out-breath.

And how without any effort each out-breath is followed by an in-breath.

Noticing whatever sensations are in this area.

And then as we exhale,

Letting go of the belly and bringing to the fore of your attention awareness of the ribcage and upper chest.

Just feeling whatever sensations are arising here.

Noticing how this too moves with the breathing.

Each breath different to the last.

What are the qualities of this breath?

Just noticing as many sensations as you can in each moment.

Bringing your awareness around to the back of your body,

The lower back.

It's an area many people feel intense sensations sometimes.

Without needing to label these sensations,

However intense they may be.

Just being aware of the particular qualities of whatever sensations are present in your lower back right now.

Remembering that if at any time you wish to return to the awareness of the breath,

You can do so.

Just come back to the guidance around the body whenever it feels right for you.

Having a choice if there's intensity,

Whether you explore the intensity with your awareness.

The heart or centre of it or the periphery.

Or whether you take your attention elsewhere,

Maybe back to the breath.

Or adjust your posture in a mindful and present way.

Noticing the intention to move,

The movement itself and the new posture and how that settles.

Just staying still and observing.

Releasing this part of the body from awareness now,

Letting go and bringing your awareness now to the middle and upper back.

Notice how this part of the body is involved in the movement of the breath.

Lying down,

Feeling the places where your upper back touches the support beneath you.

Being aware of any tension or discomfort.

Just experiencing sensations as just sensations.

Giving up stories about them.

As best as we can.

And then raising the awareness up to the shoulders.

Another area some people find intensity.

Just noticing if the out-breath can release what's being held here.

Just being aware of what's present in the moment.

Not trying to change anything.

Just noticing as we breathe with the body.

And again if you notice your thoughts wandering.

Just being present to that and returning to the body and the physical sensations whenever it occurs.

Gently and compassionately guiding your awareness back again and again to the body.

Sending the awareness down the left arm.

All the way down to the fingers of the left hand.

Noticing the temperature of your fingers.

Any sense of space between them or touch.

Any tingling or energy in your fingers.

The back of the hand.

The palm of your left hand.

Any sense of warmth or coolness.

Sense of clumminess or moisture.

And then taking this awareness of your fingers and hands.

With your breath extending that awareness up to your wrist and lower arm.

Detecting whatever sensations are here right now.

Feeling where your clothing touches your body.

Or maybe feeling your arms touch the ground beneath you.

Just noticing each independent sensation.

Allowing your awareness to rise up to the elbow of the left arm.

The inner elbow and the outer elbow.

And your upper arm.

Gently moving your attention across the body.

To the right side and the right arm.

Down to the fingers of the right hand.

Feeling each finger separately.

Noticing if there is any urge to move them.

Just holding them in stillness and noticing the sensations of tingling or temperature.

Noticing if there is any fingers that you can't detect any sensations on.

Just being curious around whatever you notice.

Or guiding the awareness to the palm of your hand.

Let's include the back of the hand and the wrist as well.

Before,

On an out breath,

Bringing the awareness up to the lower right arm.

The forearm and the elbow.

The upper arm.

And on an out breath,

Letting go of the right arm entirely.

And bring the awareness to the back of your neck.

Noticing how your head is connected to your body here.

Whether there is any tightness or tension.

Noticing if there is any sense of temperature or pressure in your neck.

Or any areas that are harder to detect sensation.

Being aware of your throat.

Maybe even the air moving in and out of your throat.

Slightly cooler as it enters the body and warmer as it leaves.

Bringing your awareness around the back of your head.

Seeing if you can feel the hair on your head.

And the pressure where your head is held up by the support beneath you.

Being aware of your left ear.

And over your head to your right ear.

All of your scalp.

Detecting whatever sensations are present in this moment.

The forehead.

Exploring sensations down your face.

The eyes and eyebrows.

The eyelids and the eyes in their sockets.

Noticing the colours behind your eyelids if they are closed.

Cheeks.

Nose.

Noticing the change in temperature of your breath as you breathe in and out.

Feeling any sensations in your lips,

Teeth,

Gums,

Tongue.

Any sensations of moisture or dryness in the mouth.

Or in your jaw.

Being aware of any tension or any holding here.

Finally bringing your awareness to the very top of your head.

And again seeing if we can playfully imagine the breath coming in through the top of our head as we breathe in.

And going all the way down our body.

Right down to the abdomen as you breathe in.

Filling your abdomen with air and imagining that the breath as you breathe out.

Going out from your abdomen all the way down to your body.

Down and out of your toes at the bottom of your feet.

And then on an in-breath.

Playfully imagining that the breath could come up through the toes and all the way through your body to fill up your abdomen as you breathe in.

And as you breathe out releasing the air from the abdomen.

And imagining that the breath could shoot out through the body all the way up and leave through the top of our head.

Just imagining this breath awareness sweeping your body.

Noticing all the sensations as it goes.

Breathing in through the crown of the head.

Filling the abdomen.

And breathing out through the toes at the bottom of the body as we exhale.

Imaginatively breathing in through the toes at the bottom of the body.

Filling the abdomen.

And breathing through the top of the head as we breathe out.

Just taking a few moments to breathe awareness throughout your whole body.

Sweeping the body with awareness.

Just spend a few moments being aware of your body as a whole in this way.

And when you're ready,

Very slowly and gently while still maintaining awareness of your body.

Maybe beginning to move the body a little.

Wiggling the fingers and toes.

Gently stretching.

Allowing your eyes to open.

And your awareness to include the room.

Noticing the sounds and smells around you.

And present your immediate experience.

Remembering that you can return to this place of awareness and gentle presence at any moment.

It's as close as your breath.

Reviews

Nice pace, calming

Well done. Thank you

Excellent body scan- loved the breathing visualisation at the end, and the calm pace. Perfect ! Will come back to this one.

Wonderful thank you

Fantastic body scan. Thank you. Particularly felt the breath coming in from head and out of toes....Nice technique

Really excellent. Allowed full body breathing and awareness. initially thought pace was too fast, but it then felt playful and nice.

Really lovely morning body scan...

Thank you, Devin - a refreshing start to the day.

Delightful, thank you.

I really enjoyed the whole body breathing towards the end of this meditation and will use this in other meditations that I do.

This is, quite simply, the best body scan I've ever done. Fantastic.

Very nice! Thank you.

Thank you! Namasté.

Very good body scan. It will make my favorite scan list.