This is a mindfulness body scan meditation from Beyond Mindful Living.
Making the time to practice this meditation is the powerful way of taking care of yourself and enhancing your health and wellbeing.
Through this practice,
Our attention becomes flexible and we can actively cultivate openness and curiosity toward our experience.
In this practice,
We will be focusing on the sensations arising in the body,
Moment to moment.
You are invited to be with the body as much as possible and to notice the activity of the mind as we go along.
At any moment your mind drifted away,
Gently and firmly bring your attention to your breath and follow the rhythm of your breath to stay present.
Enter this practice with open awareness,
Willing to see things as they are and letting go of the need to change anything,
Including the desire to achieve relaxation.
During our practice,
You might find areas in your body that you wish were different,
Areas that harbor sensations that are painful or hold any emotion that are challenging.
Simply being aware of all sensations,
Even the ones that are difficult.
We can recognize and acknowledge them,
What is here now.
Since whatever is happening now is just happening,
We can practice not fighting or resisting,
But rather acknowledging that life is making itself known moment to moment.
Now choose a comfortable position lying down on a bed or on a cushioned floor.
Wrap yourself in a blanket if that's comfortable for you.
You may find it helpful to close your eyes,
But do feel free to keep them open if you prefer,
Or to open them at any time during the meditation if you feel you are falling asleep.
Taking few moments to bring your awareness to the physical sensations in your body,
Especially the point of contact between your body and the floor.
Gently reminding yourself this is a time for falling awake rather than falling asleep.
This time to be fully aware of your experience as it is,
Not as you think it should be.
Letting go of the expectations and judgments.
Now bringing your attention to the sensations in your abdomen.
Being aware of the changing patterns in your abdomen as the breath moves in and out of the body.
Now bringing your attention down into your feet and all the way to your toes.
Being aware of the sensations,
You might notice a feeling of contact between the toes or perhaps feeling a tingling sensation or numbness.
Whatever you experience,
There is no need to judge or change anything.
See if it's possible to allow the sensations to be just as they are.
On your next inhale,
Feel or imagine that the breath could enter the lungs and pass all the way down the body,
Through the legs and into the toes.
And on your out breath,
Feel or imagine the breath flow out of the toes.
When you are ready,
On your next out breath,
Let go of the toes and bring your awareness to the sensation in the bottom of your feet.
Feeling the point of contact between the heels and the floor or the bed.
Bringing your awareness to expand into the rest of the feet,
Into top of the feet,
Into the ankles,
Into your bones and joints,
Welcoming the sensations,
What is here in this moment.
Tons at the level of the skin wear clothes touching the body.
At any moment,
Your mind drifted away gently and firmly,
Bringing your attention to your breath.
Follow the rhythm of your breath to stay present.
Letting go of any judgments,
Any expectations,
Letting go of any planning.
There is nowhere to go,
Nothing to do.
Just being here in this moment.
Now shifting your attention to the pelvic area,
Your buttocks and hips.
Become conscious of your lower back and abdomen.
Meaning the belly is rising and falling as you breathe in and you breathe out.
Bringing your attention to your chest,
The lungs and the heart.
Sitting here for a few moments,
Feeling the expansion of your ribcage.
Feeling the rhythm of your breath,
Breathing in and breathing out.
At any moment your mind drifted away,
Gently bringing your attention to your breath to stay present.
Gently shifting your attention to your shoulders,
Being aware of any sensations,
Perhaps heaviness.
We often store stress and tension in our shoulders.
Now moving to your fingers on both hands and your palms,
Being aware of any sensations.
Moving up to your arms and elbows.
Gently moving your attention to your neck and your jaw.
Holding your jaw,
Lips and cheekbones,
The muscles around your eyes.
Keeping your entire head in full awareness,
Being fully present with the breath.
Breathing in and breathing out,
Feeling the whole body.
From your toes to your knees,
Buttocks,
Lower back,
Chest and shoulders,
Hands,
Arms and the whole head.
And to your whole being,
Complete just as you are.
And now coming to the end of this practice,
Perhaps choosing to appreciate yourself for making time for the work that you've done for showing up,
Attending to yourself,
Offering care and kindness in a form of your attention.
Feeling with yourself fully,
Moment to moment,
Awake to this experience.
As you are facing the you
