Breath Based Body Scan

A breath based body scan led by Vidyamala Burch, founder of Breathworks. For relaxation before bed or at any time of the day. Designed for those struggling with pain or illness, but also suitable for anyone looking to calm the mind and find relaxation from sinking more deeply into the body.

Transcript

To begin this breath-based body scan,

Adopting as comfortable a position as possible.

Most people prefer to do it lying down,

But if this is uncomfortable for you,

Then by all means do it sitting in a comfortable chair,

Or even standing.

And if you need to adjust your position during the meditation due to pain or discomfort,

Then feeling free to gently do so.

I'll lead the meditation as if you're lying down,

So adapting the instructions for yourself if you're sitting or standing.

Allowing your body to settle down onto the bed or floor as much as you can.

Place your arms at the sides of the body,

With your hands very gently resting on your belly.

Perhaps covering yourself with a light blanket if this will help you feel more warm and comfortable.

Allow your shoulders to rest back towards the floor with your face soft and the eyes lightly closed if this is comfortable,

And your hands soft.

Have your legs outstretched.

Or if you've got a lower back problem,

You may prefer to put some pillows or cushions behind each knee to take the strain off the lower back.

Or you can bend the knees with the feet flat on the floor hip width apart in the semi supine position.

Just whatever's most comfortable for you at this time.

As you begin to settle,

Can you give your weight fully up to gravity?

Letting gravity to gently draw your body down towards the floor and the earth.

And now we're going to move through the whole body,

Resting awareness in each part,

Getting a sense of how the natural rhythm of the breath echoes throughout the whole body.

Starting by tuning into the movement of the breath beneath the hands.

Can you feel your belly swelling a little on the in breath and subsiding a little on the out breath?

Being careful not to alter or force the breath,

But rest your awareness within the natural movements of the breath.

And what about the chest?

Can you feel the ribs expanding on the in breath and retracting on the out breath?

Can you get a sense of the lungs filling and emptying within the chest with each breath?

Between the chest and the abdomen,

There's a large muscle called the diaphragm that rests across the body from side to side and front to back at this level.

On the in breath,

The diaphragm broadens and flattens down inside the body.

And on the out breath,

It relaxes back up to rest beneath the lungs again,

Shaped a little like an umbrella or a parachute.

The diaphragm moves ceaselessly from the moment of birth to the moment of death.

And as it broadens and flattens within the body on the in breath,

It gently pushes down on the internal organs,

Which causes the belly to swell outwards.

And as the diaphragm relaxes back up inside the body on the out breath,

The internal organs subside back into the body again and the belly subsides.

Can you get a sense of this movement beneath your hands as they rest on your belly?

Check it's a receptive movement and that you're not forcing the breath in any way.

And can you get any sense of an echo of the breath down on the pelvic floor?

This is the diamond shaped area between the anus at the back,

The urinary organs at the front and the buttocks on either side.

The echo of the breath will be very subtle,

So don't worry if you can't feel anything at all.

But over time,

You may become receptive to a very subtle broadening and opening on the in breath and retracting and toning on the out breath,

With the whole pelvic floor area a little soft and relaxed.

This won't be a physical or muscular movement.

It's utterly receptive,

More of the nature of an ocean swell.

And now coming to the buttocks.

Allow your awareness to inhabit the buttocks.

If you notice they're tense,

Then you might also notice how it's quite natural to relax and soften tension when we become aware of it,

Allowing the buttocks to be soft against the bed or the floor.

And allowing awareness to inhabit the lower back,

The middle back and the upper back as they rest on the floor or the bed,

Following their natural curves and shape.

And now seeing if you can get any sense of the breath in the whole back of the body.

As the diaphragm moves within the body,

It involves the back of the body as well as the front of the body.

Being curious about what you can feel in your back with the breath.

Maybe you can feel the echo of the breath in the lower back.

What do you notice?

If you've got any pain or discomfort in your lower back,

Can you allow it to be massaged by the breath,

A breath that is saturated with gentleness and kindliness,

Bathing the lower back in tenderness,

Responding to your own discomfort as you would naturally respond to a loved one who is hurting?

And can you feel a movement of the ribs in the back of the body,

Expanding on the in-breath and retracting on the out-breath,

Perhaps reflecting for a moment on how the ribs and the lungs are as much in the back of the body as the front of the body?

Maybe this is a new idea for you.

But becoming aware of the movement of the breath in the back of the body is naturally calming.

Can you get a sense of this?

And now allowing your awareness to inhabit your shoulders as they drop back towards the bed or the floor so they're fully supported.

And can you allow the arms to gently fall away from the shoulders,

Allowing your awareness to inhabit the upper arms,

The elbows,

The lower arms and the hands,

And allowing your awareness to flow inside the fingers and the thumbs,

Resting your awareness there for a few moments.

And now coming back up the arms and allowing your awareness to flow into the throat and back of the neck and the sides of the neck.

And allowing your awareness to inhabit the whole head and face.

Can you let your head be heavy,

Fully supported by the cushion or pillow it's resting on?

And what do you notice in your face?

If you notice tension,

Do you find it natural to soften and release in the light of awareness?

Soft lips,

Soft tongue,

Soft cheeks,

Soft eyes.

And now guiding your awareness down through the body to the hips and allowing the legs to gently fall away from the hips,

Letting the legs be fully supported by the bed or floor,

Whether you've got your legs outstretched or you're lying in a semi-supine position.

Giving the weight of your legs up to gravity and allowing awareness to flow into the front,

Back and sides of the thighs.

And now allowing awareness to flow down to inhabit the knees and the lower legs,

The ankles.

The soles of the feet,

The tops of the feet.

And can you invite awareness right inside your toes?

What do you feel there?

Maybe it feels intense or maybe it feels dull or numb.

Just noticing.

And now broadening out your awareness to inhabit the whole body altogether.

The legs,

The torso,

Front,

Back and sides.

The arms,

The neck and the head.

Can you get a sense of the breath in the whole body?

Very gently expanding on the in-breath and subsiding on the out-breath.

If you've got pain or discomfort,

Can you let these areas be gently massaged and soothed by the gentle rhythm of the natural breath,

Allowing the breath to be saturated with tenderness and kindliness.

As you rest within the natural and continual flow of movement in the body with the natural breath,

You may notice how sensations are also continually changing.

What you think of as pain or discomfort is actually changing sensations coming into being and passing away moment by moment.

And we ever only experience this flow of sensations one moment at a time.

Pain or discomfort is not as solid as we often think.

Can you get a sense of this as you rest within the breathing body?

Resting within a sense of change and flow in your whole body moment by moment as you allow the breath to be gentle,

Tender and kindly.

And now gradually bringing the short breath-based body scan to a close.

Opening your eyes and gently and carefully beginning to move the body,

Perhaps forming an intention to take this awareness of your body being more fluid and pliable with you as you gradually re-engage with the activities of your day.

Having your experience to be saturated with a kindly,

Gentle breath no matter what activity you're engaged in.

Reviews

One of the most beautiful, warm, soothing voices here. And I loved the bodyscan. Thanks, glad I found you.

Vidmalaya's body scans and meditations are the best I've ever done. Thank you 🙏🏽

delicious breath work that massage and soothe all muscles of the body + mind

This is great. It helped me to slow my chattering mind. I'll definitely come back to this

I always come back to this practice-a comforting companion when my body is in a funk. Thank you 🙏

Very well guided. I appreciate your refined articulation that, while precise and specific, felt very grounded and unforced, assuring me that you practice the presence and mindful inquiry that you teach…an aural cocktail that coaxed my mind nicely towards surrender to the body’s subtler voice. Thank you!

I liked the awareness of the breath in combination with the body scan. The body scan by itself looking for areas of tension kind of bores me, but looking for influences of breathing in the body engages me.

Lovely voice, clear instructions and bell to start / end. Simple.

Just wonderful.
The voice, rhythm, the information given during the body scan and the absolute tenderness throughout makes it a true moment of relaxation. This will become a tried and true for me, from the get go.
Thank you very much

She is very good. I managed to meditate instead of falling asleep, that often happens.

Thank you so much the feeling of peace and the sound of your calm voice. I’m sure will make a difference to my day. I look forward to returning to the space with you very soon thank you x

And and wonderful form of body scan thank you Pru. I am following your other work now. Ron

Very helpful, I was able to focus throughout the entire session

Wonderful practice! Worth doing every morning to help shift away from fearful holding of the body into awareness and acceptance.

A lovely meditation that helps you be more aware of yourself.

Great body scan with breathing to help guide through my body. Nice sprinkle of intention thrown in. Will re-play soon to see if I can stay more present. Thx

A unique body scan that held my attention during & refreshed me afterward

You have such a calming voice. Beautiful, helps me every time, thank you :)

Beautifully relaxing. I feel the compassion in your voice.

Wonderful! Reading your book now too, You are not your pain ☮🤙