This is a short body scan meditation.
Settle into a comfortable sitting position,
Either on a straight back chair or lying on the floor.
Allow your back to adopt a dignified and comfortable posture.
If sitting,
Place your feet flat on the floor.
If lying down,
The legs should be uncrossed.
Gently close your eyes or soften your gaze.
Take a moment to consider your intention for this practice,
Whether to sustain your attention,
To cultivate your wise attention,
To come home to the breath and the body.
Bring your awareness to your breath and breathing.
Allow your mindful,
Wise attention to ride the breath like a wave for the full duration of the in-breath and the full duration of the out-breath.
And there's no need to control the breath.
Just allow the breath to breathe itself.
If the mind wanders away,
Whenever you notice that it has,
Just gently escort it back to where you last left off on your scan.
And when you're ready,
Bring your awareness to your feet.
The whole of the left and right foot together,
Including all the toes.
Feel the sensations that are present in this part of your body.
Notice temperature,
Coolness,
Warmth.
Allow your awareness to settle into this region of your body,
Breathing in and out of this area as best you can.
See if you are able to bring a quality of curiosity to your practice.
And when you are ready,
Expand your awareness to include your lower legs,
The calf,
Shin,
Knee,
And the soft underside of the knee,
Including the sides.
Notice any sensations that are present in this region of your body.
Or if there's any lack of sensation,
Just notice that too.
See if you can invite in a quality of allowing whatever your experience to be just as it is,
As if you had chosen it right now,
Being renewed in each moment as best you can.
Now bring your awareness to the changing patterns of the physical sensations in the lower part of your leg.
See if you can compare what your lower leg feels like as it's bathed in your mindful awareness compared to the rest of your body.
Notice how your lower leg feels as compared to the rest of your body.
Now allow your awareness to expand to include the upper part of your legs,
The thighs and hip and pelvis,
Including your backside and tailbone.
See if you can imagine a bowl in this region of your body,
And with each in-breath filling the bowl,
And with each out-breath it empties.
If your mind wanders away to planning,
Imagining,
Drifting,
Daydreaming,
Or you find yourself evaluating,
Judging,
Interpreting this experience,
And that takes your awareness away momentarily,
Just notice that your awareness is no longer on the body.
Gently escort it back,
Perhaps even congratulating yourself as this is the mindfulness.
This is the difference between being in the moment and thinking in the moment.
Now you can expand your awareness to include your abdomen,
Upper torso,
Your back,
Including your spine,
The chest,
The shoulders.
Expand this further to include your arms,
Including the biceps,
Forearms,
Hands,
Fingers,
Thumbs.
Settling in to include the awareness of your body from the shoulders down.
As best you can,
Bring a quality of gratefulness to all the vital organs housed within this region of your body,
Breathing in and out of this area now,
Noticing any sensations or feelings that are here.
If you find your mind is distracted by other sensations within the body,
Or by thoughts,
Feelings,
Or you are particularly restless,
Just notice this too.
Let it be just as it is in each moment,
As best you can,
And redirect your awareness back to where you last left off.
And when you feel ready,
Expand your mindful awareness to include your neck,
The back of your neck,
Your face,
Including your jaw,
The cheeks,
Nose,
Eyes,
Eyebrows,
Eyelashes,
Forehead,
Top of head,
Back of head,
Sides,
Including the ears,
And all the hairs on your head,
As best you can.
Expand this awareness to the space just above your head,
And allow your awareness to flow down your whole body,
Back to your feet and toes.
Settle into this moment,
With each breath being present in this moment,
Coming home to the breath,
The body,
And your presence,
Just being here,
Right now.
And as best you can,
Bring a quality of patience or compassion to your awareness to experience the inevitable wandering as an opportunity to practice mindfulness and to cultivate your awareness.
Continue this practice on your own over the next few minutes.
