This is a body scan,
A mindful meditation to reconnect to the body and ourselves.
So why might we do a body scan?
Body scan purposefully brings our attention to how the body feels without judgment,
And it offers us an opportunity for acceptance,
Friendliness,
Or even self-love.
Though the goal of the meditation is not to fall asleep,
Sleep or relaxation may occur.
So the body scan we're going to go through intentionally uses cross-lateral movement.
So we're going to alternate our attention from one side of the body to the next to engage both sides of the brain.
Sometimes when we're a little bit stuck or the brain is really fixed on something,
Helping from moving from right to left or left to right can help to rebalance.
Okay,
But if you go and it doesn't work for you,
No worries.
You can always repeat this body scan by yourself using any sequence that feels right for you.
And you can also increase the detail or how many points of the body you bring your attention to.
So feel free after the session to experiment and see what feels most supportive to you in the moment.
But if you're ready,
Go ahead and take any comfortable posture that's supportive of wakefulness.
So you can either be lying down or sitting.
And once you've found your cozy spot,
Close your eyes if you like.
So throughout this practice,
The mind will wander and it's totally normal.
See how kindly you can bring your attention back each time.
Begin to become aware of the sensations of breathing.
So starting at the belly,
Following each in-breath and each out-breath.
Maybe noticing the belly as it fills with air and gently how the belly deflates with the out-breath.
See how seamlessly you can follow this pattern of movement and any sensations it might bring.
So next,
We're going to be focusing on different parts of the body one by one.
And with each part of the body,
We bring our attention to.
Allow some time to investigate with curiosity the sensations you might experience.
The front,
The back,
The inside of that part without judgment.
So you can even imagine sensing or feeling the skin,
Muscle,
Bone or organ.
You might notice warmth,
Cold,
Tingling,
Discomfort,
Relaxation,
Nothing or any other qualities.
See if you can be present with whatever is here in the moment.
And if you do notice some discomfort,
See if it feels right to offer words of loving kindness or just your supportive attention.
So now let's begin.
Letting your awareness travel like a spotlight from the belly all the way down to the left foot.
See if you can notice the contact of the left foot with the floor.
Or maybe you have a sock on or no socks.
So maybe just noticing that sensation of air on the foot.
And any sensations inside the left foot.
Moving into each toe.
And then shifting your awareness to the right foot.
The top and bottom.
The inside.
And each toe.
Pausing for a few breaths to notice,
Sense and feel what's here in this moment.
And then moving into the lower leg.
So maybe starting at the top of the lower leg.
And moving in and to the back of that leg.
Maybe investigating any sensations from top to bottom of that left lower leg.
And then moving your awareness to the right lower leg.
Again,
Moving through the leg.
Seeing what you notice in this moment.
And then starting to shift the awareness to the left upper leg.
If you like.
Becoming aware of the skin,
The muscle.
Any bones in the left upper leg.
The sensation of the back of the leg resting on the earth or a chair.
And shifting your awareness over to the right upper leg.
Again,
Taking some time to explore.
Any sensations you might feel in this part of the body.
And again,
If you notice any discomfort.
If you like,
Offering some words of support,
Loving kindness,
Whatever feels right to you.
Then shifting our awareness to the pelvis.
And low belly.
Maybe imagine sensing and feeling into any organs in this space.
And then letting that awareness sink from the belly and pelvis to the back part of the body.
The low back.
The middle back.
The upper back.
What do you notice here?
Maybe again that sensation of resting upon the earth or a chair.
Whatever it is,
Just seeing if we can be present with it for this moment.
Letting our attention travel into the left arm.
Maybe the top of the left arm.
To the elbow and wrist.
The inside of that arm.
Notice what you're feeling in this moment right here.
And then bringing your awareness to the right arm.
The top of the right arm and shoulder.
The right elbow and wrist.
And anything inside the right arm.
Let your awareness travel into the left hand.
Maybe the top of the left hand.
The palm.
What qualities are here?
Letting the awareness move into each finger on the left hand.
And then bringing awareness over to the right hand.
The back of the right hand.
The palm of the right hand.
And each finger.
You might even notice the sensation of air moving over the palm of the right hand.
And then allow your attention to travel up.
Moving back up to the chest.
The neck.
The front of the neck.
The sides of the neck.
And the back.
And then moving into the face.
The right and left jaw.
Maybe noticing the sensation of breath at the nostrils.
Maybe noticing the right ear.
And the left.
The space below the right eye.
And the right eye.
And sensations below the left eye.
And the left eye itself.
Let your attention move to the space between the eyes.
And spread into the space above them,
The forehead.
Spreading outwards towards the temples and the hairline.
And starting to let that awareness spread.
From the head.
And expand to include the shoulders.
The chest.
The right and left arms and hands.
The back.
The belly.
The legs and feet.
Your whole body.
Now imagine,
Sense,
And feel the breath breathing in the entire body.
Not needing to change the breath in any way.
But just seeing if you can sense the presence of it.
From the top of the head all the way to the toes.
Holding the whole body in your awareness.
And then maybe imagining to allow each inhale to bring in exactly what you need in this moment.
Into the entire body.
And letting each exhale take away what's no longer needed.
With each inhale,
You restore.
With each exhale,
You remove any obstacle that's in your way.
Maybe the breath becomes a little bit easier.
Anytime you're ready to let go of this practice.
You can let go of your attention to the breath.
Slowly begin to move the body in any small way.
Maybe placing the hands over the eyes if they were closed.
Gently starting to open them.
And then bringing the hands away to start this new moment.
