Mindfulness Body Scan

A 20-minute guided mindfulness body scan that develops more awareness of your entire body.

Transcript

Find a comfortable position laying on your back.

Either on the floor,

On a couch,

Or on a bed.

If possible,

Keep your legs straight and uncrossed,

And your arms at your sides.

You can put a pillow under your head or your knees if that's more comfortable.

Close your eyes.

And for the next few minutes,

Give yourself permission to relax.

Put aside your worries,

Your frustrations,

And concerns.

Just notice what it feels like to lie down.

Notice the various points of contact your body has with the surface you are lying on.

Feel your whole body.

Now bring awareness to your breath.

Notice the rise and fall of your belly.

Make room for the breath in the belly.

Breathing in,

Belly rises.

Breathing out,

Belly falls.

Notice how your breath moves through your entire body.

It's normal to get distracted by a thought and have your mind wander.

Just notice it,

Let it go,

And gently refocus on the sensations of the breath.

Each breath softening,

Opening,

Releasing.

Notice the gentle rhythm of your breath.

Become aware of the pause between your breaths.

Let your belly float up and down.

Breathing in calm,

Breathing out tension.

When thoughts arise,

Gently refocus on the breath.

Be aware of the sensations of the breath in your nose.

Feel the cool air on an inhale and the warm air on the exhale.

Now notice your body in its position and what it feels like lying where it is.

As you are guided to different parts of your body,

Imagine breathing into each of these areas.

You can readjust yourself to get more comfortable if you need to.

Now begin to focus on the tips of your toes of your left foot.

Without moving them,

Try to feel each and every single toe and the space between each toe.

Imagine your breath flowing all the way to the tips of your toes.

And slowly move your awareness to the bottom of your left foot,

The ball of your foot,

Your arch,

To your heel.

You might notice what it is in contact with right now.

If you can't notice much of anything,

That's normal.

Just notice that too.

Move to the top of your left foot and the ankle.

And continue slowly through your lower left leg,

Your calf muscle,

Your shin,

And all around your knee.

Imagine your breath flowing into your knee.

Notice the connection from your knee to your thigh and hamstring.

And move up slowly to your left hip.

Continue to breathe into that leg.

And feel the contact your whole left leg has with the surface you're relying on and hold your entire leg in your awareness.

If you have any discomfort in that leg,

Slowly breathe into it.

Notice any difference in the sensation between your left and right legs.

One may feel heavier,

Warmer,

Or more relaxed.

Now move your attention to the tips of your toes of your right foot.

Without moving them,

Try to feel each and every single toe and space between each toe.

Imagine your breath flowing all the way to the tips of your toes.

Slowly move your awareness to the bottom of your right foot,

The ball of your foot,

Your arch,

To your heel.

You might notice what it is in contact with right now.

If you can't notice much of anything,

That's normal.

Just notice that too.

Move to the top of your right foot and ankle.

Continue slowly through your lower right leg,

Your calf muscle,

Your shin,

And all around your knee.

Imagine your breath flowing into your knee.

Notice the connection from your knee to your thigh and hamstring.

Then move up your leg slowly to your right hip.

Continue to breathe into that leg.

Feel the contact your whole right leg has with the surface you are lying on,

And hold your entire leg in your awareness.

If you hold any discomfort in that leg,

Just slowly breathe into it.

Now focus your awareness on both of your legs.

Notice any difference in the sensations between your left and right legs.

Imagine breathing down into both of your legs.

Now move your attention slowly to your hips and pelvic area,

And all the space in between.

Notice any tension you are holding,

And breathe into that area.

Each breath softening,

Opening,

Releasing.

Bring awareness to your tailbone,

And slowly travel up through all the vertebrae in your back,

Imagining the spaces in between,

All the connecting muscles.

Traveling through your mid-back,

Up to your upper back,

Imagining each vertebrae floating,

Yet supported by all the connecting tissues and muscles.

Continuing up to the base of your neck,

And the top of your shoulders.

Breathe into any tension or tightness you feel.

Notice the contact your back has on the surface you are lying on,

Feeling your shoulder blades pressing down.

Breathe into any tension you have in your back or shoulders,

Imagining any area of tension expanding,

Then releasing.

Gently move your awareness to your belly.

Notice the rise and fall as you breathe,

Letting your belly float up and down,

Breathing in belly rises,

Breathing out belly falls.

Feeling your ribcage expand on the inhale,

And fall on the exhale.

Move your awareness to your chest,

Your lungs,

Your ribs,

Noticing how they move on each breath.

Notice the feel of your heart beating.

Notice your collarbone.

Now hold your back,

Chest,

Belly,

Heart,

All in your awareness.

Now move your awareness to the tips of your fingers on your left hand.

Without moving them,

Try to feel each finger and the spaces between them.

Pay attention to the air around your fingers,

And the contact your hand has with the surface you are lying on.

Notice any sensations in your hand,

And imagine your breath flowing into the tips of your fingers.

Move slowly up your left arm to your wrist,

Your forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

To your shoulder.

Hold your entire left hand and arm in your awareness.

Notice any difference in the sensations between your left and right arms.

One may feel heavier,

Warmer,

Or more relaxed.

Now bring your awareness to the tips of your fingers on your right hand.

Without moving them,

Try to feel each finger and the spaces between them.

Pay attention to the air around your fingers,

And the contact your hand has with the surface you are lying on.

Notice any sensations in your hand,

And imagine your breath flowing into the tips of your fingers.

Move slowly up your right arm to your wrist,

Your forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

To your shoulder.

Hold your entire right hand and arm in your awareness.

Now hold both hands,

Arms,

Shoulders in your awareness.

Breathe into any area where you notice discomfort.

Imagine any area of tension expanding and releasing.

Bring your awareness to the base of your neck,

And slowly move up the vertebrae in your neck,

Imagining the spaces in between,

And all the connecting muscles and tissues,

All the way up to the base of your head.

Gently breathe in,

And gently breathe out.

Breathe in,

Calm,

Warm.

Breathe out,

Tension.

Notice the weight of your head on the surface you are lying on.

You may notice the hair on your head.

Gently move from the back of your head all the way up to your forehead,

Down to your eyebrows,

Your eyes,

And eyelashes.

Notice your ears,

Cheeks,

Nose,

Mouth,

Tongue,

Teeth,

And gums,

Jaw,

Chin.

And finally your throat.

Be aware of the sensations of the breath in your nose and throat,

Feeling the cool air on the inhale,

And the warm air on the exhale.

Now hold your entire body in your awareness.

Notice how it feels,

What it's in contact with right now.

Imagine your breath flowing into and filling your entire body,

Breathing in calm,

Breathing out tension.

If you notice any discomfort,

Breathe into those areas,

And imagine letting your breath expand them,

And then wash over your body.

Notice how you feel at this very moment.

You can bring back this feeling again whenever you need it,

Simply by allowing yourself to focus on your body with your breath.

Enjoy this moment.

Take a few more deep breaths,

And bring yourself back to the room by gently wiggling your toes and fingers,

Noticing the sounds in the room,

Slowly opening your eyes,

Feeling rested and peaceful,

Yet alert and refreshed.

Namaste.

Reviews

Thank you!

Very soothing voice. Thank you. Your pacing is just right.

I love the effects of doing body scans and this one is a perfect balance and consistent attention to the entire body, so wonderfully effective and relaxing, thank you.

Perfect!

I really enjoyed this body scan meditation, thank you very much. 🙏

Thank you so much for this rejuvenating body scan Catherine :)

Very helpful! Thank you 🙏🏾!

Very thorough scan and very relaxing. I was very refreshed for the day.

Catherine, thank you, for sharing this lovely body scan. Very calming and enjoyable listen. Namaste 🙏

Wow! This was beautiful.

This body scan is an excellent way to spend 20 minutes. Everything about it is just right: voice, pace, unobtrusive music. Thoroughly relaxing and worthwhile.

Restful. Thank you

Feeling very relaxed and peaceful. Thank you for this wonderful body scan🕉🙏❤️

Excellent, well-paced and soothing body scan

My go-to cure for an afternoon slump

Really relaxing and soothing

Lovely....thank you

Perfectly wonderful