Intentional Awareness: Body Scan

This is a classic body scan practice for building awareness of emotions as they arise as sensations in the body. Together, we let go of any tension, stress or worry, settling the body and mind with complete comfort and ease.

Transcript

Let's connect with your intention for this practice.

This practice is specifically intended to allow you to spend time with each part of the body in turn,

Developing awareness of anything going on throughout the body.

But it's also a wonderful way of simply relaxing.

So bring some specific intention and if that intention is simply to get some relaxation now set that intention for your session.

You're not looking for any special experience or anything unusual to happen.

You just want to observe any sensations that are coming and going in the body and perhaps releasing any tension or tightness that you notice as you do so.

Just letting go.

Notice for example your abdomen is rising and falling gently with your breath.

Don't change it,

Don't visualize it,

Don't clamp it down,

Don't start to manage it.

Just notice it.

Allow your attention just to settle on this gentle rising and falling for a short while.

There we go.

All right.

Cool.

Frequently.

Now,

Using your attention as if it was a beam of light,

Let's move that beam of attention to different parts of our bodies in turn,

Just to notice what's going on there.

There are sensations there already.

They're there before we notice,

They'll be there after we stop paying attention to them.

Start by directing the beam of your attention to any sensations you might notice in your big toes.

Just let your attention drop to your big toes.

Now one by one,

Through the rest of the toes,

Just noticing is there anything there.

If there's no sensation,

Notice that.

Now the soles of the feet,

The heels,

The top of your feet,

What sensations are there?

Relaxed,

Tense,

Numb,

Tingling,

Cold.

If there's any tension,

Just let it go,

Just release it.

But in general,

Just notice what's there to be noticed.

No analysis,

Just noticing.

When you find some tension,

Let go,

Gently allowing the tension to dissolve and settling your attention on that tension as you release it,

Noticing what that does.

Now bring the beam of your attention to your ankles.

Are there any sensations there?

After a breath or two,

Bring your attention to your lower legs,

Your calves.

What is there to notice in your calves?

Is there any sensation or is there a complete lack of sensation?

Just notice.

What about your shin and your knees?

Don't think about the knees,

Don't visualize them.

Gently allow your awareness to drop down and become tuned to any sensations,

Looseness,

Tightness,

Whatever is there is okay.

Just observe and notice without judgment,

Without any need to change it.

Now scan the beam of your attention up to your thighs.

What sensations were waiting for you there?

What was going on before you brought attention to it?

What sensations will be there after you move on?

Do you notice the contact between your clothes and your skin?

Do you notice any sensations of pulsing,

Tingling or warmth?

Just notice anything there is to notice.

There's no good or bad experience.

Now scan your attention to the hips and the pelvis.

Notice that you can drop your attention just into one hip like the right hip and then gently move it over to the left hip and then to the pelvis at large,

Relaxing your attention,

Not straining and settling into a simple open awareness of any sensations that are there in that region.

Now scan your awareness to the middle of your back and to the upper back,

Your shoulder blades.

If you notice any tension in the shoulder blades,

Which is where we often tense up when things are challenging,

Simply let it go.

Just release it.

Just let it go.

Now moving your attention to the front of the body,

The lower abdomen,

Full of nerve endings,

Full of neurons.

What sensations are going on there?

Notice the abdomen is moving with your breath.

These sensations were there before you drew your attention in.

They'll be there after you bring your attention elsewhere.

Notice the way the sensations change as you breathe.

From time to time in this practice and other practices,

You might become restless or you might worry,

I'm doing this wrong or your mind simply gets distracted and that is normal.

Notice those feelings and distractions.

Easy on yourself.

It's not a failure,

It's normal.

Acknowledge the distractions.

Don't analyze them.

Just notice how they're affecting the body.

Where are they manifesting?

What's it like?

Again,

Without judging your performance in any way,

Because this is not a competition,

There are no standards,

Simply bring your attention back to where you had wanted it to be.

So returning your attention to the abdomen,

Let's just breathe a few breaths and notice the gentle rising and falling as you breathe in and out.

Take a deep breath.

Notice the movement in your chest and notice any sensations there.

Stick with those for a few breaths.

Now scan your attention to your hands and your arms and notice,

You can decide just to notice what's going on in your thumbs and then in each finger in turn.

Just noticing what's going on.

And if you want,

Move a finger and notice that you can observe the sensations when that finger moves.

You might want to just gently squeeze each finger so that you notice that you're noticing.

As you take a few breaths,

Scan your attention over all of your hands and up your arms,

Simply noticing any sensations that present themselves.

Now bring the beam of your attention up to your head and your face.

Start with your jaws and your chin.

Notice if the jaw is clenched or the chin is held stiffly and if it is,

Simply let it relax,

Let it go.

Let your attention move to your mouth and your lips,

Lots of nerve endings there.

What sensations do you notice?

Turn to your nostrils,

The surface of your nose,

Out to your cheeks,

The side of your face.

Notice that you can reach out and feel the sensations in your ears.

Bring attention to your eyes and your eyelids,

Your eyebrows,

Your forehead,

Sides of your forehead and your scalp.

For a few breaths,

Just scan around your head and face and notice any sensations that there are to be noticed anywhere in your head and face and just observe,

Just be open to them.

Don't visualize,

Just stay open.

Now see if as you take the next few breaths,

Can you notice the entire body?

You hold your entire body in the beam of your attention,

Very lightly.

Just open up your awareness to whatever sensations are going on and whichever ones call to your attention.

Sometimes there will be lots of sensations.

Sometimes the body will seem strangely sensationalist.

Notice that.

Either is okay.

Just notice what sensations come and go in your body.

Practice with that idea and that experience for a few breaths.

Now for a few breaths,

On the in breath just gently say to yourself,

Relaxed.

And on the out breath,

Don't be afraid to let that go a little longer,

Say calm.

So relaxed on the in and calm on the out,

Just for a few breaths.

Allow your body to relax,

Allow your mind to become calm,

Insofar as it's possible for you in this session.

Just sit as quietly,

As relaxed and as calmly,

Breathing gently,

Not a care in the world,

Just letting everything be for the next few seconds.

So now as you take these last few breaths from the practice,

Just allow your attention to tune back in to what's going on around you.

Notice what's going on in the room and how you feel right now.

And as you exit the practice,

Set the intention that you'll bring as much relaxation and calm from this session out into your interactions as you go about your day.

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