Hi,
And welcome to the Art of Living and Learning,
The 10-minute body scan.
The body scan is a time to become attuned to the sensations of your body.
So to prepare,
Find a comfortable place to lie down or perhaps sit,
A bed,
Couch,
Yoga mat.
Find an area that is quiet and private.
And just begin to get settled into a comfortable position.
Just noticing the shifts of the day as you move into this period of receptivity,
Of listening to your body.
So perhaps inviting a few deeper breaths in,
And we'll begin.
Allowing your attention to land and your left foot.
Bringing awareness to the big toe of your left foot.
And circling the big toe,
Noticing what sensations arise in this moment.
And letting your attention circle each of the toes of the left foot.
And then the bottom of the foot.
Perhaps noticing the points of contact between your foot and the floor or furniture.
Maybe just noticing the subtle pressure of gravity pulling the foot down.
Perhaps noticing sensations of coolness or warmth.
And letting the attention circle the entire left foot and then rise up to the ankle.
The lower part of the left leg,
The calf.
And then letting your awareness circle the left knee,
Taking in the kneecap.
The tender skin and muscles in the back of the left knee.
Then rising up to the left thigh.
Perhaps letting awareness sink beneath the surface of the thigh,
Taking in the thigh muscles.
The large bone of the upper left leg.
And then allowing awareness to rise up to the left hip.
And then taking in the entirety of the left leg.
And allowing the attention to shift from the left leg and left hip across the body and down your right leg all the way to your right foot.
And now here too,
Noticing the points of contact between the right foot and the floor,
Chair,
Perhaps the sensation of a sock if it's being worn.
Just noticing what sensations are here in this moment in the right foot.
Perhaps a tingling or a tightness,
Coolness or warmth.
You may notice very little sensation and just acknowledging that lack of sensation.
And moving your attention from the right foot to the right ankle.
The lower part of the right leg,
The right knee,
The right thigh.
And letting the attention land in the right hip.
And pulling the awareness back to take in the entire right leg from the hips to the toes.
Maybe noticing if there's a difference in the sensations in the right side and the left.
And then allowing attention to move from the right leg and the right hip to the pelvic bone.
And up to the core of the body.
Just taking in the inner organs around the stomach.
Perhaps simply noticing the rise and fall of the belly as the breath enters and exits.
Allowing attention to move upwards inside the rib cage.
Taking in the ribs that protect the organs of the body.
Noticing as you listen and pay attention to sensations in the body,
You may come across areas of discomfort.
And perhaps lingering in that discomfort for a moment or two.
But always following the needs of the body.
So if ever there is a moment of too much or feeling overwhelmed,
You can always breathe,
Shift your position,
Open the eyes until you find a moment of stability to perhaps return to that area of discomfort or moving past it.
Now landing attention at the heart.
And then up towards the shoulders and allowing awareness to shift to the left shoulder and down the left arm all the way to the tips of the fingers of the left hand.
And here in the fingers notice what sensations are arising in this moment.
Again perhaps sensations of warmth or even the coolness of air.
Taking in the different textures and pressure points where the hand and finger make contact with your surroundings.
Remembering there is nothing that needs to be changed or fixed.
This is an act of noticing what is here moment by moment.
So letting attention rise from the left hand,
The lower left arm to the elbow.
The biceps and triceps of the upper left arm.
The left shoulder.
And then moving attention across the body,
Across the shoulder blades to the right shoulder and down the right arm to the fingers of the right hand.
Taking in the sensations of the right hand.
Perhaps noticing subtle differences.
And allowing awareness to rise up the right arm to the elbow.
Triceps and biceps,
The large bone of the upper right arm.
Perhaps letting the attention explore how the bone fits into the right shoulder blade.
And letting the attention rise from the right shoulder to the shoulder muscles in the back of the neck.
These shoulders can be a place we hold tension,
So perhaps just playing with the inhale and the exhale.
Letting the shoulders soften if needed.
And then letting awareness rise up the back of the neck,
The back of the head.
The very top of the head.
And letting the awareness move to the forehead,
To your eyes,
Nose.
Perhaps taking in the lips,
Tongue,
Your jaw.
And allowing the awareness to take in the face.
And then moving from the face and the head and pulling awareness out to take in the entirety of your body.
Perhaps scanning from head,
Shoulders,
Chest,
Hips,
Legs,
Down to the toes.
As though you're just checking in with the body and what is here in your body in this moment.
With a gentleness and a kindness.
And as we finish this body scan,
Perhaps inviting a few deeper breaths in.
Inhaling and filling the lungs and belly with a nice long exhale.
A few deeper breaths.
And you might take a moment of appreciation for the body that has been with you from the very beginning of your life.
And then as the deeper breaths continue inviting some movement into the hands and feet.
Just flexing the fingers.
And as you open your eyes in your own time,
You might invite a stretch of the arms or legs.
And find your own way to move ahead with the rest of your day.
