Thank you for choosing to allow me to share this meditation practice with you.
Meditation is a way to observe and contemplate,
A way to explore our minds,
An active way to pause.
It is a way to use our minds rather than be used by them and it allows us to leave everything behind and to truly live in the now.
Meditation can also help to alleviate pain that we may find in our bodies by promoting relaxation and reducing the perception of discomfort through mindfulness.
Today's body scan meditation will be focused on releasing tension and letting go of anything that we may be holding onto by becoming wholly aware of our bodies.
We will be clearing away the clutter,
Untying the knots of physical and mental tension and allowing a sense of freedom and profound renewal to emerge.
And so I invite you to become aware of what has brought you to this meditation today.
Consider the conscious choice that you made to be here and remember that each minute is just for you for the next 20 minutes.
Ensure that your surroundings are free of distraction and come into a comfortable upright position.
You may choose to sit in a chair on the floor or on a sofa for this meditation,
Just be in a position that is comfortable for how your body is feeling in this very moment.
Place your hands softly in your lap,
With your left hand facing palm up and your right hand on top,
Virabha Madra.
This hand position stimulates our inner strength and encourages feelings of balance and relaxation for our practice.
If you feel safe enough to do so,
Gently close your eyes.
And if you feel that your eyes are a little tight,
Just focus on softening them,
Maybe have them a tiny bit open,
Gazing towards the ground in front of you.
Open your lips to close and try to breathe in and out only from your nose and only if it is comfortable for you.
Notice your breath here for a moment,
Just as it is,
Do not try to change it,
Just notice it traveling in and out,
In and out.
On your next inhale,
Allow a deep breath to awaken your spine from your coccyx to the very top of your head,
Let it fill your entire body.
And as you exhale,
Take this moment to relax your shoulders down along your back,
Sink your hips into the floor,
Grounding your entire body in your intention to be present throughout this practice,
Becoming aware of the support and connection that the ground underneath you is providing for you always.
And just continue breathing naturally in and out,
Noticing the breath as it fills you up watching as it leaves you,
Allowing you to let go a little bit more with each exhale.
Now as we start this tension relieving body scan,
Become aware of your entire body as it is,
The outline of the shape from top to bottom and continue your breath as is natural for you.
Start by bringing your attention to the top of your head,
Notice any sensations,
Any tingling,
Any tension and each time you breathe out,
Keep your awareness on those sensations as you slowly begin to travel down your body.
Come to your forehead and notice if there's any tension here,
Notice if it feels a little tight across your eyebrows and just try to drop them down even if it's just a little.
Come to your mouth,
Let the sides of your mouth fall and the centre of your mouth open ever so slightly and with this feel your jaw melt away from your ears.
Now notice if the back of your head is tingling,
If you have any pain or if you feel any tension along the back of your head or down your neck.
Maybe you feel no tension,
Maybe you are simply starting to feel relaxed,
However you were feeling was meant for you in this moment.
Continue to breathe,
Slowly and calmly.
If you have noticed any tension or pain,
Focus your awareness on this area and imagine that the pain is a rope with a knot right in its centre and each time you exhale,
See yourself untying the knot little by little,
See it begin to loosen.
Continue until the knot is no longer and you can watch the rope floating loosely in your mind.
Continue your breathing,
Noticing if your breath is still just gently travelling through your nose,
In and out of your nose.
As you breathe in,
Find the knot and as you breathe out,
Untie it.
Bring your awareness to your shoulders and chest now,
Check in with your shoulders and again softly drop them away from your ears and down your back.
You may want to anchor your spine from your seat,
Pressing into the ground beneath you to really feel that relief in your shoulders.
Is there any tension in your shoulders,
Across your chest or in your back?
Again choose to focus on any tension you can find in this area and again imagine that each little area of tension or pain or discomfort is just a rope with a knot right in its centre,
Waiting for you to untie it and let it gently loosen until it is just floating freely in your mind.
One by one,
Little by little,
Watch the tension fall away.
As we move down through the abdomen,
Start to again observe the breath,
See how it fills this part of your body,
Where it fills your body.
Where do you feel your breath the most?
Is it in your chest?
Is it under your ribs?
Is it in the upper part of your stomach?
Or maybe it's in the lower part of your belly?
Wherever it is,
Breathe here for a moment,
Take it all in.
Remember that the air that we are breathing in is fueling our bodies.
Watch it fill up the space in our abdomen as we inhale,
And as we exhale,
Feel it travel down our arms,
All the way past our elbows,
Right into the tips of our fingers.
Now come to your seat.
Feel the connection that your body is making to the ground beneath you.
Breathe in the energy from your body's connection to the earth,
And breathe out any feelings of disconnect.
Your body is here,
Your body is connected,
Your body is nowhere else,
Your body is now.
Notice how the upper part of your body is feeling compared to how it felt when you started this practice.
Is it lighter?
Can you breathe easier?
Bring this feeling of lightness and ease now to your legs.
As you breathe in,
Allow that breath to fill your legs right up.
From your inner hips,
Down your thighs,
Through your knees,
Down past your calves,
Into your ankles,
Into your feet and right down to the tips of your toes.
Noticing and becoming aware of any areas of tension,
Pain or discomfort along the way.
And working with your mind to untie any of those knots that you come across.
One by one,
Little by little,
Without judgement.
The tension is just a knot,
Waiting to be untied.
See any knots gently loosen until they are just floating freely in your mind.
And just breathe here for a moment,
In and out.
However your breath comes and however it goes is how it was meant to come and go for you.
Your breath is working to fill your body and to heal your body.
And continue to work with your mind to find any tension,
Any of those knots and untie them.
Continue here for the next minute without the sound of my voice and just with your mind and your body working together.
And as we come to begin to finish this practice,
Become aware once more of your body as its whole being.
This is the body that carries you through each day.
Become aware of how your body felt before this practice,
How it feels now and make the conscious choice to take away any part of this practice that your mind can help your body with in each day.
Mind and body working with each other to make the most of each present moment.
Whenever you are ready,
Start from the tips of your toes and awaken each little part of your body with your breath.
Bringing awareness to each area as you make your way up to the very crown of your head.
And when you reach the top of your head,
First by looking at the ground in front of you gently open your eyes,
Blinking softly and slowly a few times,
Slowly lifting your eyes to the moment that you are in now,
Realising that you are here,
You are now and your body and mind are ready to take on the next moment and the moment after that and set the intention to work body and mind together as one unit,
One being,
Here and now.
Thank you again for sharing your practice with me.
