Hello and welcome.
My name is Cheryl Bailey from Grit and Grace Meditation and today I'm going to be sharing with you a body scan meditation.
This meditation will take approximately 20 minutes to complete.
And so I invite you to go to a place where you won't be interrupted and then when you're there come into a comfortably seated position.
You can sit in a chair or on the floor,
Whatever you're most comfortable with,
And shift until you become fully relaxed.
You can place your hands at your side or gently rest them in your lap.
And I invite you to close your eyes fully and if you're not 100% comfortable with that,
Just create a soft gaze on the floor just a few feet in front of you.
And you will begin by taking three long slow deep breaths in through the nose and out through the nose,
Signaling your body to come into a relaxed state.
Settle in and ground down.
You can return your breath to its natural rhythm and state.
And remember during this meditation you don't need to do anything to control your breath.
Just let it be natural.
Feel the earth beneath you holding and fully supporting you.
And leave whatever was happening outside of this room for later.
Drop your to-do list and be here right now in this very present moment.
Just turn your attention inwardly and focus on your breath.
Notice your breath as you breathe in and as you breathe out.
Tune into your bodily sensations and just accepting everything that you feel.
Welcoming everything and resisting nothing.
Notice all the sounds that are happening around you.
Tune into the sound that's the farthest away.
Now notice the sound that's closest to you.
Know that sounds are not a barrier to your meditation practice.
You can just welcome in all the sounds around you.
Begin to notice that the world inside of you and outside of you is slowing down.
During this meditation thoughts may come up and your attention may drift away.
The moment that you notice your attention has drifted.
Just return to your breath.
Come back to your breath as many times as you have to.
I invite you to set an intention for today's practice.
This intention can be something you'd like to see unfold within your life.
Maybe it's a form of healing.
Maybe it's believing or trusting more in yourself.
Maybe it's a letting go of something or someone.
Maybe this letting go has to do with a conflict or a grievance of some form or emotional turbulences that you are experiencing.
Maybe it's releasing any stress or tension you may be holding on to.
Whatever it is,
Set that intention and invite that into your practice today.
Invite that into your body and into your heart.
Lift your attention to your whole body without moving any muscle and with your eyes remaining closed you will do a body scan.
Notice all the gentle sensations that come up or that you become aware of as you move from the top of your head to the tips of your toes.
Notice your whole body.
Feel it alive with sensations.
Feel the texture or the pressure from the cushion or chair that you're seated on.
Maybe you feel the sensation of your clothes resting on your skin.
Let's be the observer of these sensations.
Notice any feelings or sensations that are in the body that are coming up for you and don't create a story around this.
Bear witness to what's happening in your body.
Maybe you feel a sense of tightness,
Feeling of cool or warmth.
Just sit with sensations that are present.
I invite you to bring your attention to the top of your head.
Release any tension that you're holding onto in your scalp.
Notice your face and soften all the muscles throughout your face.
Feeling and releasing any tension you hold in your forehead and the furrow in your brow.
Run through the corners of your eyes,
Through your cheeks and your ears and through your jawbone.
Unclench your teeth and relax the tongue in your mouth.
Tuck your chin in slightly and allow the back of your neck to lengthen and soften through your throat.
Pull your shoulders away from your ears and relax them down your back.
Feel your attention to your right arm.
Relax through your upper arm,
Through your elbow and your forearm.
Release any tension through your right hand and all the fingers.
Now move your attention to your left arm,
Creating ease through your whole left arm.
Relax through your upper left arm,
Elbow and forearm.
Relaxing through your left wrist,
Through your left hand and all your fingertips.
Releasing any final tension through the tips of your fingers.
Move your attention to the front side of your body.
Relaxing through your chest,
Your heart center and your belly.
Drift your attention to the back side of your body and relax through your shoulder blades,
Releasing any tension in your upper,
Middle and lower back.
Follow your energy down the spine and soften through your pelvis,
Hips and buttocks.
Bring your attention to the lower half of your body.
Notice your right and left legs.
Soften and relax through both of your legs.
Relax your attention to your right leg and relax the muscles through your thigh,
The front of your knee,
The back of your knee,
Your shin and your calf.
Relaxing your ankle,
The top part of your right foot and the sole of your foot.
Relax and relax all of the toes on your right foot.
Move your attention to your left leg.
Relax all the muscles through your left thigh,
The left front of your knee,
The back of your knee,
Your shin and calf.
Soften through your ankle,
The top part of your foot,
The sole of your foot.
Relax and relax all the toes on your left foot.
Breathing in and breathing out.
Feeling that if your thoughts have drifted away,
Just come back to the breath.
Turn your attention to your whole body.
Notice the various physical sensations that are present in your body.
Maybe you feel slight stiffness or tightness.
Perhaps a dull or throbbing pain.
Just sit with those sensations and notice what shows up bearing witness to all of these sensations.
Welcome in whatever you feel.
Be patient and kind to yourself.
Really be relaxed and let your breath remain easy.
Fully surrender to this moment right here,
Right now.
Continue to focus on your breath and notice the gentle rise and fall of your belly as you breathe in and as you breathe out.
Right now.
病.
With your eyes closed,
Gently begin to bring awareness back into your body.
You can begin by deepening your breath.
You can wiggle your fingers and your toes.
Releasing your body and your state of mind as you sit for a few moments before this meditation comes to an end.
When you're ready,
You can gently and slowly open your eyes and come back into the space.
I invite you to carry this sense of peace with you throughout the rest of your day.
I thank you for joining me in this meditation and have a beautiful day.
Namaste.
