Simple Meditation And Body Scan

This practice is adapted from my book, "Embodiment and the treatment of eating disorders: The body as a resource in recovery" (WW Norton, 2020). Recovery is based in empirically supported treatments and enhanced by embodiment practices. This meditation guides you through the body and your body is truly seen in a step-by-step, gentle process. This meditation can help you consider how the work you are doing might show up in an embodied way.

Transcript

Hi, This is Catherine Cook-Atone, Author of Embodiment and the Treatment of Eating Disorders, The Body as a Resource in Recovery. Meditation 8. 1, Simple Meditation and Body Scan. Begin by finding a comfortable seated position. Be sure your feet are grounded on the floor and your sitting bones are connected to your chair. From grounded feet in a connected seat, Extend through your spine, Reaching through the crown of your head, Keeping your chin neutral. If you like, Soften your gaze or close your eyes. Bring your awareness to your breath, Noticing each inhale and exhale. Breathe here for several breaths. Consider adding a narrative. Breathing in, I know I am breathing in. Breathing out, I know I am breathing out. If you notice that your mind is thinking, Simply label it thinking and return to your breath. Breathing in, I know I am breathing in. And breathing out, I know I am breathing out. Allowing your breath to continue, Bring your awareness to your feet. Simply notice your feet and their connection to the floor. There is nothing to fix or change. Simply breathe and notice your feet. Next, Notice your ankles. Notice your lower legs, Your knees. Notice your upper legs. Breathe here for several breaths, Noticing your feet, Your ankles, And your legs. Nothing to do here but just notice, Being with and noticing. Now, Move your awareness to your sitting bones, The connection to the chair, Your core, And extended spine, All the way through to the crown of your head. There is nothing to fix or change and everything to simply be with. Breathe and notice your sitting bones, The connection to the chair, Your core, And your extended spine. Notice from the sitting bones all the way through to the crown of your head and breathe here. Gently move your awareness to your shoulders, Your upper arms, Lower arms, And hands. Breathe here, Noticing your shoulders, Noticing your upper arms, Noticing your lower arms, All the way down to your hands. You might even notice each of your fingers, Each one on your hands. Maybe you notice the first, The second, The third, The fourth. Maybe you notice your thumbs. Breathe and notice your fingers and your thumbs. Now, Bring your awareness to the palms of your hands. Breathe here and just notice the palms of your hands. Gently take one hand and then the other and place them over your heart. Bring your awareness to your hands and your heart. You may notice your heart beating. You may notice your breath. Rest your awareness here, Noticing your heartbeat, Noticing your breath. Now, Consider any work you've been doing, Maybe in therapy, Maybe some progress that you've made, Maybe a setback that you've had. As you consider this work, Do you notice any shifts in your body? Take a moment and consider this work. Really let it settle into your awareness. Something you're working on, Something that's going well, Maybe a setback you choose. Get a good sense of it. Almost let it land into your whole body. Yeah. And then really let it land into your body. Now, Once again, Notice any shifts in your body. Do you notice a change in where you are feeling sensations or emotions? Maybe a shift in your breath or your heartbeat. Maybe there's a new lightness or a heaviness, A contraction or an expansion. Just notice. Nothing to fix, Everything just to notice and be with. Allow for whatever you notice to be present and okay just as it is. It might be a decrease or an increase in sensation. You might feel substantial shifts and changes and you might notice nothing. Whatever you notice, Allow it to be. Now, Bring your awareness back to your breath. You might add a narrative here saying to yourself, Breathing in, I know I am breathing in and breathing out, I know I am breathing out. Take several breaths here to connect back with this present moment in your breath. Just breathing, Just connecting. When you are ready, Slowly bring your awareness back to this room. You might slowly open your eyes, Lift your gaze and find one thing on which to anchor your awareness. And then as you are ready, Slowly broaden your awareness to the whole room and to this moment. Taking a big breath in and a big breath out. One more breath in and one more breath out. Thank you for practicing.

Reviews

Very nice, thank you!