The Body Scan For Deeper Sleep & Relaxation

This Body Scan is a powerful way to connect mind and body, cultivating the conditions needed for deep sleep, calm or relaxation. It's designed to ease tension, lower stress reactivity and ground us deeply in the present moment.

Together we'll gently explore bodily sensations, being open and accepting of what we discover - releasing any tension, anxious thinking or worry we may be holding onto. By doing this with self-awareness and kindness, we can also alleviate pain, or soothe emotional difficulty. Giving us the best chance of a peaceful sleep, or an energetic recovery.

Transcript

Hello and welcome to this guided body scan to prepare you for sleep. My name is Derek Hill and I'm a teacher here on Insight Timer and I'm very grateful for your presence today, Wherever you may be joining from. Today's practice can be done anytime but you may find it particularly helpful in preparation for a good night's sleep. The body scan as a practice is a great way to ground us, To lower stress and build our capacity for attention but it is also a powerful way to connect mind and body. In today's practice we'll take it a step further, Deepening this mind-body connection. First by slowly scanning the body from our toes to head, Noticing and releasing tension as we go and secondly by gently letting go of any thoughts, Worries or uneasiness we may be holding on to. We will bring kindness when needed and together we'll cultivate the conditions for deeper calm, Ease and relaxation. Just the right conditions needed for a good night's sleep or a peaceful day ahead. So to get started, Finding a comfortable position, Ideally lying down and remember the things you need to feel supported, Whether blankets for warmth, Cushions or pillows for comfort and today setting an intention to be present, To be here right now. We have nowhere else to be, Nothing else to do or accomplish. We've dedicated this time to our self-care. There will be short silences throughout and the practice will end in a longer silence without a bell should you wish to drift off into a peaceful sleep and as we begin the practice, Resting your awareness now on the whole body lying or sitting here. The feeling of contact with the surface you are lying or sitting upon, The connection, Sensing into the weight of the head, Shoulders, Back, Torso and legs, Noticing wherever your hands lie by your sides or on your lap, The contact, The connection, Getting a sense of the whole body being here, Knowing you've nowhere else to be except here in this moment with the body and in the practice ahead. If at any point you are pulled away by a thought or distraction, Simply acknowledging this, It happens. This is what the busy mind does, What everyone's mind does. Then with kindness, With acceptance and understanding, Return to wherever the focus of your attention was and the first focus of our attention today will be the sensations in our toes, Beginning with the big toes of each foot, Tuning into the sensations present. What do you notice? You may notice some tingling, Vibrations, Some warmth or coolness or perhaps some movement or you may notice nothing and that's okay too. There's no right or wrong, No sensations we must have. We're not seeking sensations, Just tuning in and then slowly, Intentionally moving from one toe to the next, Pausing with curiosity to notice any physical sensations present, However light, However subtle. What's here right now? And next, Taking in the base of the feet, The heels, Sensing into the contact and connection they make with the surface they rest upon, Becoming aware of any pressure, The texture of the material beneath and now the ankles inside and outside of the ankles, Followed now by the top of the feet, Now taking in the whole of each foot, Feeling their weight, The space they occupy and allowing them to rest here a moment in the short silence ahead and now moving upwards, Sense into each calf, The backs of the lower legs, Resting awareness in these larger supportive muscles which may move us about in our busy day and now the shins at the front and now both together, The shins and the calves, Checking in to see if there's any tension present, Allowing them to rest, To be at ease in the short silence ahead, Slowly now allowing your attention to come upwards toward the knees and if it's comfortable for you, Tuning into the sensations present, We may feel strain or fatigue from the exertions of our day or perhaps a sense of relief as we rest them, Recognizing what is here for you and if there is discomfort, Bringing some kindness in this moment, A gentle reassuring word or phrase i am resting now, It is okay and now upwards once more to take in the thighs, The quad muscles, Large powerful muscles which may do a lot of work for us, Sensing in deeply to them what's here and now the hamstrings which may be supporting the weight of the quad muscles, Sensing deep into them into the whole of the upper leg, Noticing any discomfort or comfort we experience as their weight rests on the surface beneath, Bringing non-judgment about what is here or acceptance that this is how it is right now and resting awareness in the short silence ahead, Now taking in the whole of the pelvic region including the hips, Glutes and sitting bones, Checking in on any and all sensations present, However slight and inviting any areas of tension or discomfort to soften, To be at ease, Welcoming whatever is present, Greeting it with openness and acceptance allowing any tension, Any tightness or holding on to soften, To release and remembering that we're not expecting our body to be any particular way, Not judging or comparing, Just noticing and moving to the next area of the body and even if we tune out being kind and understanding and gently returning our attention back to the body to where we rest here in this moment in the short silence ahead and now moving our attention to the abdomen, Sensing into this space, Noticing any movements, Any shifts in sensations, Anything that comes up for us, This is a part of the body which digests our food, Where we can hold our worries or our excitement, What is here for you right now and not pushing away whatever is here, Not clinging or holding on to any sensation either, Just being present, Now the ribs and chest, Tuning into sensations and movement in this area, A gentle rise and fall with the breath, The place where our vital organs are protected, Our lungs breathing, Our heart beating, Our presence here now in this moment, In this silence ahead and now starting at the upper arms and shoulders, We'll slowly move down to the forearms, Wrists and hands, Feeling the weight of the muscles, Moving our attention down until we reach our fingertips, Doing this slowly, Intentionally, Pausing at each joint, Asking yourself what is present and being patient and non-judgmental if things aren't how we'd like them to be and doing this now in the silence ahead and when you've finally reached your fingertips, Allowing your attention to travel from the thumbs to forefingers to middle fingers, Ring and little fingers, Noticing any tingling, Pulsing, Vibrations, Warmth or coolness, Sensing from the inside out what do you notice and now checking in on anything that is coming up for you, There may be nothing present and this is okay, But if thoughts, Feelings, Worries or emotions come up, Noting each one, Letting them be here for a moment and then one by one, Mentally counting on the tip of each finger as you allow them to drift away as if they were leaves on a pond or feathers on a gentle breeze, Allowing them to drift away and allowing your attention to come back to your body, Back now to the lower back, Giving your full attention to the base of the spine, An intentional shift in awareness to this crucial part of your body and slowly with gentle awareness move vertebrate by vertebrate up the spine, Pausing at the middle, Noticing any shift in sensation and continuing upwards to the upper back and shoulder blades, To the base of the neck, Places where we often feel tension, Where we carry our responsibilities or expectations, What's here for you right now, Other residual worries, Persistent thought, An idea or plan you haven't let go of, Now is a good time to release them, To gently shake them free from our shoulders as if we've taken off a heavy coat that's been weighing us down, Doing this now if you need to, In the short silence ahead, Now sensing deep into the neck and throat, Allowing this area to soften, To relax, To rest, The muscles of the face, Cheeks, Mouth and nose, The eyes and space between the eyes, Allowing the face to soften, To relax, To rest, Now to the forehead where we might hold tension and inviting this tension to ease, The skin and muscles to soften, To relax, To rest, Moving round to the temples towards the back of the head, Allowing this area to soften, To relax, To rest, And then climbing slowly climbing slowly to the crown of the head, To the very top, Pausing here as if you were surveying your whole body at rest, At ease, And then letting your attention fall slowly, Gently, To wrap around your body as if it were a delicate sheet carefully designed to envelop every contour, Every muscle, Every limb, Close and attentive to your body, To what is present in this sense of wholeness, This fullness of connection as you rest here, From your head to your shoulders, Back and arms, Your chest and abdomen, Your hips, Thighs, Calves and feet, Resting here, Your body whole, Breathing, Your heart and mind at ease, Being, Resting, Not holding on, Ready to let go with a sense of peace, Connection and wholeness into the deeper, Longer silence until the end of the meditation

Reviews

Very calming way to prepare for sleep. Thank you for your guidance.

Found it really calming and relaxing and set me up for a really good sleep.