Body Scan Practice

This a 30 minute Body Scan Practice - this practice helps us to cultivate the ability to notice and focus on body sensations and to anchor attention in the present moment. It also helps us to develop our ability to choose where to place attention and awareness. I hope that you enjoy it!

Transcript

Welcome to the body scan.

Making yourself as comfortable as possible,

Lying on your back,

Arms laying by your side,

Palms open to the ceiling if that feels right for you.

Allowing your legs to lie long,

Feet gently falling away from each other,

Or if it feels more comfortable bringing your knees up towards the ceiling and your feet flat on the floor.

As best you can,

Inviting a sense of wakefulness and alertness in this resting position.

Becoming aware of your whole body lying here.

Noticing the effects of gravity,

Points of contact with the floor or the mat beneath you.

Becoming aware of the air around you,

Noticing if it's moving or still.

The touch of clothes on your skin.

Moving your awareness now to the sensation of breathing.

Becoming aware of the rising and falling sensation as the breath enters and leaves the body.

Bringing your attention to your belly.

Noticing the rising and falling here.

The rising of the belly on the in-breath and the falling of the belly on the out-breath.

And if it feels right for you,

Placing the hands on the abdomen.

This inhalation,

This exhalation.

Allowing your hands to come back down by your side.

Moving your awareness now away from the belly,

All the way down your left leg into the left toes.

Becoming aware of the left big toe.

Noticing any sensations in the left big toe.

The little toe.

All the toes in between.

Spaces between the toes.

Sensing into the bottom of the left foot now.

The top of the left foot.

Feeling inside the left foot.

Becoming aware of any sensations here or no sensations.

That's okay too.

Noticing the quality of these sensations,

It could be a tingliness,

Numbness,

It could be heavy or dense.

Bringing your attention now to the heel of the left foot in contact with the floor or the mat.

Noticing what you find here.

Widening your awareness now to take in the whole of the left foot.

Being curious to what's here right now.

Any or all sensations.

And with the next out-breath,

Letting go of your focus on the left foot.

Allowing your attention to move to the left lower leg.

The bottom of the left lower leg in contact with the floor or the mat.

The top lower leg in contact perhaps with your clothes or the air.

Going inside that left lower leg now.

Being curious to any or all sensations here.

Shifting your attention to the knee.

Back of the knee,

Front of the knee.

Going inside the knee.

In a place where we store soreness or tension.

Becoming aware of the qualities of the sensations here.

They could be still or moving.

Tingly or numb.

Dense or vague.

And with the next out-breath,

Letting go of your focus on the left knee.

And moving your awareness to the left thigh.

Back of the thigh.

Front of the thigh.

Moving inside of the left thigh.

Perhaps becoming aware of the quadriceps muscles here.

And with the next out-breath,

Letting go of your focus on the left thigh.

And moving your awareness into the left hip.

As best you can,

Being curious to what you find here.

Experimenting with breathing into and out from this left hip.

Each out-breath,

Letting go.

Allowing this left hip to sink deeper and deeper into the mat or floor beneath you.

And gently escorting your attention now.

Press your body down the right leg,

All the way down into the toes of the right foot.

Becoming aware of the big toe on the right foot.

The little toe.

All the toes in between.

The spaces between the toes.

Sensing into the bottom of the right foot.

The top of the right foot.

Going inside that right foot as best you can.

Becoming aware of any or all sensations here.

Noticing the heel of the right foot in contact with the mat or the floor.

Noticing the effect of gravity here.

And expanding your attention now to take in the whole of the right foot.

Being curious to what's here right now.

And then with the next out-breath,

Letting go of your focus on the right foot.

And bringing your attention to the right lower leg.

The back of the right lower leg in contact with the floor or the mat.

The top of the right lower leg in contact with your clothes or the air.

Sensing inside that right lower leg.

Quickly moving your awareness now to your right knee.

Back of the knee.

Front of the knee.

Inside of the knee.

Becoming aware of the quality of sensations here.

Starting with what happens when you pay attention to the sensations here in the right knee.

And shifting your awareness now into the right thigh area.

The back of the right thigh.

Inside of the right thigh.

Going inside of that right thigh as best you can.

Being curious to what's here.

Breathing into the right hip now.

Noticing any or all sensations here.

Experimenting with breathing into and out from this right hip.

Each out-breath and letting go.

Expanding your awareness now to take in both the left and the right leg at the same time.

Being curious to what you find here.

Is there a sense of heaviness,

Lightness?

A sense of tenseness or relaxation?

And then narrowing your focus again.

Bringing your attention into the buttocks.

The buttocks in contact with the floor or the mat.

Noticing any sensations here.

Moving your attention into the lower back area.

Perhaps noticing the slight curve in the lower back.

Going inside of the lower back.

Breathing into and out from the lower back.

Extending your attention now into the upper back in contact with the mat or the floor.

Being aware of the sensations of breathing here.

Noticing perhaps on the in-breath how the upper back presses down into the floor.

And releases on the out-breath.

And with the next out-breath letting go of your focus on the upper back and bringing your awareness into the pelvis region.

Becoming aware of any sensations here.

No sensations,

That's okay too.

Perhaps becoming aware of the organs here.

Sensations of reproduction,

Elimination.

Shifting awareness into the belly.

Noticing the rising and the falling of the belly on the in-breath and the out-breath.

Even if your mind has wandered as minds do,

That's perfectly okay.

Notice where it went and gently and kindly escort the mind back to the belly.

To the rising and falling.

Becoming aware of the small muscles involved in breathing.

Tuning in as best you can to the diaphragm.

The rib cage.

The work of the intercostal muscles here.

Becoming aware of the lungs.

Feeling with air on the in-breath and releasing on the out-breath.

As you breathe in and direct your breath through the whole of your chest area.

Allowing a sense of spaciousness for whatever emotions or sensations are arising.

Not a sense of having to get rid of anything or to make anything happen.

Simply allowing room for your experience here.

Allowing and letting be.

Turning your attention now into your chest area.

Size of the chest.

Front of the chest.

Becoming aware of any or all sensations here.

Allowing your attention now to travel all the way down your left arm into the fingers of the left hand.

Becoming aware as best you can of the left thumb.

The left pinky finger.

All the fingers in between.

Spaces between the fingers.

Feeling inside the left hand as best you can.

Becoming aware of the left hand in contact with the floor or the mat.

Any sensations here.

Bringing awareness now to take in the whole of the left hand.

And with the next out-breath letting go of your focus on the left hand.

Bringing your awareness to the lower left arm.

The elbow.

The upper left arm.

And into the left shoulder.

If it feels right for you allowing this left shoulder to surrender to the effects of gravity.

With each out-breath letting this left shoulder sink deeper and deeper into the mat beneath you.

Becoming aware of any sensations here in the left shoulder.

Experimenting with breathing into and out from the left shoulder.

Having your attention now to move across your body and down the right arm.

All the way into the fingers of the right hand.

Becoming aware of the right thumb.

The right pinky finger.

All the fingers in between.

Fingers between the fingers.

Going inside this right hand as best you can.

Becoming aware of any or all sensations here.

Focusing this right hand in contact with the floor of the mat.

Widening your awareness.

Taking the whole of the right hand now.

Noticing what's here.

Extending awareness into the right lower arm.

Right elbow.

Right upper arm.

And into the right shoulder.

Sensing in to what's here.

Breathing into and out from this right shoulder.

Each out-breath,

Letting go.

Becoming aware of the qualities of sensations here in the right shoulder.

It could be moving or still.

Sense of fizziness.

Numbness.

Soreness.

Allowing your attention to move into the neck area now.

Back of the neck.

Front of the neck.

Going inside of the neck.

Each out-breath,

Letting go.

Becoming aware now of any sensations in the back of the head.

Or it contacts the floor of the mat.

The top of the head.

Perhaps becoming aware of the hair.

And shifting awareness now into the face region,

Into the jaw.

Allowing the jaw to relax and soften.

Noticing any sensations you find here in the jaw.

Moving attention into the lips.

Perhaps noticing the air in contact with the lips.

It feels right for you,

Just allowing a gentle smile.

Going inside the mouth.

Teeth.

Gums.

The tongue.

Roof of the mouth.

Shifting attention into the nose.

Perhaps becoming aware of the air entering and leaving the body here.

Any sensations.

Feeling into the eyes,

The eyelids.

Perhaps noticing the small muscles involved in keeping the eyelids closed.

Could be a sense of lightness here,

Darkness,

Colours.

Becoming aware of the eye sockets and the eyeballs within them.

Moving your attention to the forehead.

Allowing the forehead to relax and soften.

The temples both at the same time.

The ears both at the same time.

Listening to any sounds in this moment.

Expanding awareness of the whole of the head now.

Becoming aware of the skull,

The brain.

For all sensations in the whole of the head region.

Allowing your attention now to travel to the belly.

To the rising and falling of the belly with the in-breath and the out-breath.

If your mind has wandered,

Gently escort it back to the rising and falling of the belly.

Each in-breath a new beginning.

Each out-breath a letting go.

Becoming aware of your whole body lying here.

In contact with the floor or the mat.

Your whole body from the crown of your head to the soles of your feet.

Front of the body,

Back of the body.

To the sides of the body.

Coming home to this body.

Coming home to this moment.

Reviews

Nice way of scanning and simply feeling our whole body👌😊

Excellent thank you. 🙏🏄🏻🙏

Very nice! A good, gentle voice to guide you over you body. Nice spacing between guidance and noticing.