Body Scan

This MBSR body scan will help you relax and reconnect with the experience and wisdom of your body. It consists of gentle verbal guidance with no background music. You can do this body scan sitting or lying down, in the morning or when you want to fall asleep.

There is no ending bell.

Transcript

Welcome to the body scan.

This is a period of time that you can devote completely to yourself and to cultivating your own well-being.

You're giving yourself the healing gift of your full attention.

Attention that is infused with curiosity and compassion towards your own body.

The body scan can be practiced in a warm and protected place where you feel comfortable and secure and at a time when you won't be interrupted.

Dress in loose and comfortable clothing that allows for easy natural breathing.

You can do this practice while lying on your back on a carpet or mat or on your bed.

If this isn't comfortable for you,

You can also do it in a seated position or in any other posture that feels right for you.

It's really your attitude and your attention that matters most,

Not the way you're lying or sitting.

Just choosing a posture that feels relaxed and supportive and allows the breath to flow freely.

The body scan is intended to help you to be fully present and awake to your physical sensations,

Whatever they may be.

Some of the sensations you experience may be pleasant and some may be unpleasant or even painful.

You may notice that in some areas of the body there's no sensation at all.

Just be with whatever you may be feeling from moment to moment,

Doing your best to notice the actual sensations themselves.

Become aware of preferences for some sensations and the normal tendency to want other sensations,

Especially painful or uncomfortable ones,

To be different from the way they are right now.

Remember there is no right way to feel while you're doing this.

The way you're feeling is simply the way you're feeling right now.

Also notice any tendencies to try hard to relax.

Any striving to be in a state of mind and body that's different from what's here and now may actually create more tension.

Instead,

Be gentle with yourself,

Allowing yourself to simply be aware of what's happening in each passing moment.

Acknowledging and meeting what's happening within yourself,

Looking at it clearly and being present with it as it is.

During this practice,

At times the mind may be calm and clear and at others it may be restless and distracted.

Follow the guidance as best you can,

Watching your body and the activity of your mind as we go along.

See if you can let judgmental and critical thoughts simply come and go without having to believe them or make them go away.

Just being curious about all aspects of your experience,

Thoughts,

Emotions and whatever sensations may be present.

So lying on your back now,

If that's comfortable,

On a mat or a thick rug or up on your bed,

Allowing your eyes to close gently,

Letting your arms lie alongside the body,

Hands open towards the ceiling,

If that's comfortable for your body,

Allowing the feet to fall away from one another.

And now sensing the entire body,

Opening up your awareness to take in the full length of your body,

The width of it,

The weight of it on the floor or the seat.

Noticing points of pressure or contact,

Perhaps at the heels or the buttocks or the upper back,

The back of the head.

And now noticing the fact that you're breathing and bringing your attention to the natural flow of the breath in and out of the body,

Perhaps placing your hands on the belly to sense the gentle expanding and contracting of the belly with each breath.

Seeing if you can sense these sensations from outside the body and also from within the body.

And on the next breath,

Allowing your awareness to move down through the abdomen,

Down through the left leg and all the way down to the left foot.

And finding the left big toe,

Holding this part of your body in awareness.

What sensations are present here?

And now expanding your awareness to include the other toes on the left foot,

Perhaps noticing sensations of warmth or coolness.

The sensations of a sock on the skin or perhaps the touch of the air against the skin.

Investigating the sensations in the toes with an attitude of openness and curiosity.

Now taking in the sensations in the rest of the foot,

Letting your awareness move to the ball of the foot,

The arch and the heel of the foot.

Perhaps noticing the pressure of the heel against the floor and the top of the foot.

What's present in these parts of the body?

Allowing your awareness to move now into the ankle,

Perhaps circling the ankle,

Taking in any sensations at the skin or any sensations beneath the skin.

Could be sensations of tightness or looseness,

Pressure or tension or relaxation.

Being present to whatever is here.

Now moving up into the lower leg,

The shin and the calf muscle on the left leg.

Any sensations here at the skin,

Perhaps the sensations of clothing against the skin or the pressure of the calf against the seat or the floor.

And moving on up to the knee now,

Noticing sensations at the kneecap or perhaps the soft skin on the back of the knee.

Noticing the posture,

The bend in the knee at this moment.

Any other sensations in this part of the body?

And as you continue to explore the sensations in the body with an attitude of curiosity and interest,

You may find that certain sensations that you encounter are difficult to focus on.

It may be painful or uncomfortable.

And knowing that this is completely natural and also knowing that it's always a possibility to bring your attention back to the sensations of breathing and allowing it to rest there until you're ready to rejoin the body scan at whatever point feels comfortable for you.

And now exploring the sensations in the left thigh.

Perhaps sensing the weight and the strong muscle of the thigh.

Noticing sensations at the skin and also perhaps beneath the skin within the muscle of the thigh.

Possibly noticing sensations of pulsing or circulation.

And now broadening your awareness to take in the entire leg.

The upper leg,

The knee,

The lower leg,

The ankle and the foot.

Sensing the full scope of this part of the body and breathing into this part of the body.

Directing your breath into and out of this part of the body.

Now directing the focus of your awareness over to the right leg and all the way down the right leg until you find the toes on the right foot.

What sensations do you find in this part of the body?

Expanding your awareness now to take in the rest of the right foot.

Any sensations on the bottom of the foot or the top.

And noticing if there are places in the foot where there are no sensations available at all.

Now moving up into the right ankle.

What's present in this part of the body?

This complex structure of small bones and muscles.

Moving up into the right lower leg.

Sensations at the skin.

Sensations beneath the skin.

Tuning into sensations that are obvious and clear and perhaps also being open to sensations that are quite subtle.

Just seeing what's present with an open and curious mind.

Letting your awareness move up into the knee now.

Circling the knee.

Noticing any sensations in this part of the body.

Perhaps there are pleasant sensations.

Perhaps there are unpleasant sensations.

And for now setting those labels aside and simply noticing the actual sensations that are present.

Moving up into the right thigh now.

What's here?

What sensations are available to you in this part of the body?

And now broadening your focus to taking in the sensations across the right leg.

From the tip of the toes to the top of the thigh.

Holding this entire leg in awareness and simply breathing into this part of the body as you hold it in kind and curious awareness.

Now moving your awareness to the tailbone,

The base of the spine.

Perhaps feeling the pressure here of weight,

Of contact.

Aware of sensations at the buttocks and the lower torso,

The anal region,

The genital region and the pelvic bone.

Noticing sensations in the muscles,

At the skin and perhaps deep within this part of the body.

Being open and kind and curious to whatever you may notice.

And moving your awareness now up into the lower abdomen,

The belly.

Perhaps sensing the movement of the breath in this part of the body.

Letting your awareness rest on the breath for a few cycles as you explore the sensations here.

Now letting your awareness move to the back,

The lower back.

This part of the body that offers us so much support.

Just sensing how you feel it now.

What sensations you may notice.

Noticing that here there may be sensations of warmth and comfort or sensations of aching and pinching.

Being kind and accepting of whatever is present.

Now letting your awareness move from the lower back to the middle back and up into the upper back,

The ribcage and the back of the shoulder blades.

And taking in all the sensations in the back.

Now bringing your awareness to the front of the body and the upper abdomen.

Perhaps noticing any sensations in the organs,

Sensations of digestion,

Whatever may be present.

And reconnecting with the sensations of breathing in the upper chest.

Noticing the sensations at the skin and the muscles and even deep within the lungs themselves.

And moving now into the heart space.

Noticing perhaps sensations of the heart beating,

If that's accessible to you.

And also noticing any emotions that are present.

Knowing that this is a place in the body where we can often connect with our emotions.

Simply being aware of whatever physical sensations are present and accessible to you in this part of the body.

Now moving up into the shoulders.

Noticing any sensations in the front of the shoulders,

The tops or the back.

Not needing to change anything,

Just bringing awareness to whatever is present.

And now allowing your awareness to expand,

To take in the entire torso,

From the hips and the pelvic area,

All the way up to the shoulders.

Feeling the full weight and size of this part of the body.

And now bringing your awareness once again to the shoulders and allowing it to move down both arms,

Through the upper arms and the lower arms and all the way down to the hands.

Noticing any sensations in this part of the body.

Noticing the posture of the hands,

What they're making contact with.

Bringing awareness to sensations on the back of the hands,

On the skin.

Moving up to the back of the fingers and the fingertips and the front of the fingers and the thumbs.

Letting your awareness move down through the fingers and into the palms.

What sensations are present here?

Now holding both hands in awareness and breathing into these hands.

Directing your breath in and out of these parts of the body.

Moving up now into the wrists,

These delicate and complex joints,

The back of the wrists and the underside,

The delicate skin in this part of the body.

Perhaps noticing sensations of pulsation in the wrists.

Moving up now into the lower arms,

Sensations at the skin,

Perhaps sensations of clothing,

Sensations in the muscle.

And up into the elbows and the upper arms,

The muscles and bones in this part of the body.

Perhaps noticing sensations in the shoulder sockets.

Expanding your awareness now to taking in both arms,

From the wrists all the way up to the shoulder sockets.

And directing the breath in and out of these parts of the body.

And moving across the shoulders and over into the neck.

Bringing awareness to the front of the neck,

The throat and the windpipe and the back of the neck,

The muscles and the spine as it extends up into the skull.

Any sensations at the neck right now?

And moving up into the scalp now,

The back of the head,

Up to the top of the head.

Perhaps noticing the sensations of hair against the scalp or the sensations of atmosphere against the scalp.

Whatever sensations might be present.

Moving down into the forehead,

Many small muscles in this part of the body.

And moving down to take in the facial features,

The eyebrows and the eyes resting in the eye sockets,

The bridge of the nose,

The tip of the nose.

Perhaps noticing the sensations of breathing right in this part of the body.

Noticing the temperature of the breath as it's drawn in and the temperature of the breath as it's released again.

Moving now into the cheeks,

The upper lip,

The lower lip and the mouth.

Noticing your expression,

The configuration of the muscles right now across your features.

Perhaps noticing what's tense and noticing what's relaxed and allowing these things to be just as they are.

Moving now into the mouth,

The upper jaw and the lower jaw,

The teeth and the tongue.

Noticing the position of the tongue in the mouth and any sensations that are present in the inside of the mouth and bringing awareness to the lower jaw,

The chin,

All the way back to the hinge of the jaw.

And now broadening your awareness to take in the entire head and neck.

Noticing whatever sensations are present throughout this part of the body and connecting with the size and the weight of the head and however it's resting in this moment.

And allowing your awareness now to expand through the rest of the body,

Letting it flow down into the shoulders and now taking in the arms and the hands.

Expanding now to include the torso,

The belly,

The pelvic area,

The hips and the legs and extending all the way down through the legs to the feet.

And now holding this entire body in awareness,

Sensing its full shape,

Its full weight,

From the tip of the toes to the top of the head.

And perhaps letting your awareness sweep through the body from the top to the bottom,

Allowing your awareness to gently move through the different parts of the body.

Letting the gentle light of awareness illuminate whatever sensations might be present.

Now tuning into the sensations of breathing again and noticing that the entire body is really breathing.

Bringing awareness to the fact that each breath is bringing nourishment to each part of the body and that the skin itself is porous and breathing.

Simply resting in open and gentle awareness of this full and complete breathing body and resting in this ability to be awake to your experience,

To know the language of sensations in this body.

Acknowledging your ability to take care of yourself in this way by attending consciously to the moment to moment experience of this body,

Mind and heart.

Simply resting in this experience of open and accepting awareness until you're ready to resume the activities of the day.

Thank you for your practice.

Reviews

Wonderful bodyscan. Soothing voice. Perfect pace. Namaste.