Relaxation Body Scan with Visualisations

This is a simple relaxation exercise that incorporates a full body scan with guided visualisations. A chance to let go and just be.

Transcript

Body scan with visualisations.

Find a comfortable and warm place to lie down,

Using a light blanket to cover yourself as you may feel cold once you relax.

Place cushions or bolsters under your head to support your neck and under your knees if this might be helpful to protect your lower back.

Rest your body in an open position with your arms by your side.

Allow your eyes to close gently.

Take a moment to settle yourself in this lying down position.

Now take two or three deep breaths.

Breathe in and out.

Breathe in and out.

Breathe in and out.

Having connected with the breath,

Gently touch base with the sensation in the parts of your body which are in contact with the floor.

Feeling the floor beneath your body.

Supporting your body.

And on each out-breath,

Imagine yourself melting into the mat,

Allowing it to hold you in this moment.

Now tune in to the sensations of your feet.

The heels resting on the ground,

The toes,

The soles of your feet,

The tops of your feet,

The Achilles tendon,

The ankle.

And you can give thanks to this part of your body that is so often taken for granted and yet which carries you around all day.

A moment of gratitude.

Now take in the full sensation of your feet,

Both feet in this moment of deserved rest.

Now gently moving up the body,

Bring your focus to your shins,

Your calves,

Your knees.

Here again,

Take a pause,

Just a moment of gratitude for this important joint which allows us to be flexible and mobile.

Now moving up to your thighs and allowing the muscles to relax as if the flesh is simply sinking into the mat,

Soft and loose.

Now bring the spotlight of your attention to your pelvis and your lower abdomen and lower back.

Notice any tightness,

Any tension,

Any discomfort.

Again,

See if you can allow yourself to sink into the ground and with each exhale release any tension that you might feel in this part of the body which often holds tightness.

Breathing in and breathing out,

Releasing tension.

Now moving up the body again to your belly and your chest and your upper back.

And as you breathe in and out with each inhale and exhale,

Take in the full miracle that is our skeletal structure protecting our inner organs.

This amazing body,

Your amazing body.

Now gently moving up to your shoulders,

A place we often keep very tight.

And see if you can breathe into the tension or burning sensation if there is any.

From here gently shift your focus down your arms,

Slowly down the arms to both your hands.

And spend a little while here with the fingers and the thumbs,

Our busy,

Busy hands.

See if you can sense each articulation,

The knuckles,

The small delicate bones across the backs of the hand,

The softness of the palms,

The padding at the root of the thumb.

Giving your hands a moment to relax right now.

Then moving up,

Back up to the wrists,

The forearm,

The elbows,

Upper arms,

Biceps,

Triceps,

Right into the armpits,

Back to the shoulders.

Now proceed to the neck,

The face,

The jaw,

The mouth,

Inside and out.

Notice whether your teeth are clenched or whether there is tension in the jaw.

If you notice any of these tensions,

Try consciously to release them.

Scan the space between your lips and your nose,

You might feel like a little gentle bit of air.

And your cheeks,

Your ears,

Your eyes,

Your forehead,

Any frowning can be left behind.

Spread your awareness from the top of your head right up to the back of your skull.

And remember,

There's no other place for you to be right now.

Nothing you need to do.

No one you need to please.

No one else other than yourself that you need to be.

And you don't need anything else other than what you have right here.

All you are doing in this moment is relaxing.

Nothing more,

Nothing less.

If and when you become aware of any tension or uncomfortable sensation,

Try breathing into that part of the body.

Simply bring your awareness into it and taste the sensation.

Become more familiar with it.

You will probably find that after a while the discomfort disappears.

Now as you feel the body on the floor,

Imagine letting go of any uncomfortable or worrying thought,

Feeling or sensation.

Whatever feels toxic or disruptive to your well-being,

Visualise it sinking into the earth,

Which is wide and receptive.

It can easily carry your burdens.

You do not have to hold all of this by yourself.

Visualise it sinking into the earth,

Which is wide and receptive.

It can easily carry your burdens.

You do not have to hold all of this by yourself.

Just let go,

Down into the ground.

Imagine a beam of warm sunlight reaching into any knots of tightness you may feel,

Wherever they are in your body.

Imagine the beam of light reaching in and softly melting the knots away,

Untangling them,

Loosening them,

Just as muscles loosen when they relax.

And with each in-breath,

Fill yourself up with what feels good to you.

And with each out-breath,

Let go of what feels bad.

Breathing in to nourish yourself,

And breathing out to release.

Breathing in,

Breathing out.

You could conjure up the picture of gentle rain falling on you and washing your troubles away,

Letting them sweep down your body and dissolve into the ground.

Or you could conjure up the image of a soft breeze caressing you,

A wave of fresh air filling your lungs with a sense of wellbeing and bringing you a waft of the sweet scent of flowers.

Bringing whatever image suits you with each breath.

Your attention can be seen as dark clouds rising up from your body and floating away into the sky,

Carried away and blown away by the wind.

Find an image,

A visualization that suits you in this moment.

Creating imagery that helps you release tightness,

Tension,

Discomfort,

Worry out of your body and filling yourself up with whatever feels nourishing,

Kind,

Loving,

Fulfilling.

With each breath,

Each inhale and each exhale.

Now imagine a warm glow in your chest,

In your heart center.

Feel the warmth slowly and steadily spreading throughout the body,

Deep and wide,

To the top of your head and to the tips of your toes,

All over this body that you have just scanned mindfully.

Sensing the warm glow out from your heart center to every little bit of your body.

Spreading,

Radiating,

Reaching.

And as this glow spreads,

You are giving your body thanks.

Mindfulness combined with kindfulness.

Let yourself bask in the warmth for a few moments.

Now,

Very gently reconnect to the outside world,

Feeling the whole body in contact with the floor.

Tuning into sounds or smells around you.

Gently wiggling your fingers and your toes and very slowly and gently opening your eyes and coming to sitting.

Take two or three deep breaths as you sit.

And before you get on with your day,

Pause for a moment to see how you feel at the end of this practice and congratulate yourself for taking this time out to look after yourself,

Knowing that you deserve it.

And when the bell goes,

Gently standing up and getting on with your day.

Reviews

Wonderful! I will practice again held my attention. thank you

Great visualizations and progression

Good pace. Thanks for sharing this. Bookmarked. 👍

Thank you. This is a lovely meditation to start my day. 🕊