Welcome to Waking Waves,
The body scan.
The body scan is a guided meditation which helps build our capacity for attention.
We learn to come out of our heads and get in touch with our direct bodily experience.
It encourages greater openness and acceptance of our experience too and it generates deeper rest and relaxation for the brain and body.
So to get started,
Finding a comfortable position,
Ideally lying down on a mat or bed or sitting in a chair if that's more comfortable and bring what you need to feel supported,
Whether this is a blanket for warmth,
Cushions or pillows for comfort.
And today perhaps bringing an intention to have this time,
This space to simply be here.
Recognizing that there is nowhere else to be for the next 10 to 15 minutes ahead,
Nothing else to do.
And as we begin the practice,
Becoming aware of your whole body lying or sitting here,
The feeling of contact with the surface you're lying or sitting upon.
Sensing into the weight of the head,
Shoulders,
Back,
Torso and legs and the contact wherever your hands lie by your sides or on your lap.
Nowhere else to be right now,
Just being here with the body.
And in the practice ahead,
If at any point you notice the mind wandering,
It's enough to just notice this has happened.
This is what the busy mind does,
What everyone's mind does.
Then with kindness,
With acceptance,
Return to the focus of your attention.
And the first focus of our attention is the sensations in our toes.
Starting with the big toe of the left foot,
What sensations are present in this moment?
You may notice some tingling,
Some warmth or coolness,
Or you may notice nothing at all.
That's okay too,
There's no right or wrong.
Just tuning into whatever is here right now.
And then moving from one toe to the next,
Pausing to notice any physical sensations present,
However light.
And now moving your attention from the toes to the base of the foot and the heel,
Feeling the contact with the surface beneath,
Becoming aware of any pressure,
Warmth or coolness.
Now to the top of the foot,
Resting your attention here for a moment.
And now the ankle,
Important for our balance.
Up now to the calf,
Becoming aware of this larger supportive muscle in the body.
What do you notice here?
Sensing into the whole of your calf and shin,
The lower leg.
Upwards from here to the knee,
Crucial in helping us move about.
What sensations are present for you?
Now resting our attention on the top of the thigh,
Then behind the hamstring,
Sensing deep into the mass of this powerful muscle.
Again,
Moving upwards towards our left hip and pelvic region,
Including the glutes,
The sitting bones which support our posture.
What do you sense here?
Remember,
Welcoming whatever is present with openness and acceptance,
Allowing any tension or tightness or holding on to soften,
To release.
And remembering that we're not trying to change anything,
Not expecting our body to be any particular way,
Not judging,
Simply noticing.
Then moving to the next area of the body.
And now repeating this with the right foot this time,
First by tuning in to the sensations of each toe,
Then moving through the foot,
Ankle and heel,
Noticing any tingling,
Pulsing or vibrations.
Or if there's no sensation,
Then noticing this,
Followed by the top of the foot and each side of the ankle.
And knowing that there's no right or wrong way to do this,
No judgment,
Simply noticing the sensations from moment to moment.
Next,
The right calf and lower leg,
Feeling the sensations of contact with the surface,
Any lightness,
Heaviness,
Warmth or coolness.
And now the right thigh,
Pausing here for a moment.
Did you notice any difference between the right and left leg?
And bringing our attention this time to the right hip and pelvic region,
Giving it space and attention,
Allowing whatever is here to be as it is.
And once more,
If we find our mind distracted or caught up in a story,
Gently returning our attention back to this region of the body,
Without judgment and with kindness.
Now shifting to the lower belly below the navel,
Sensing into this space and anything we notice in this moment.
And now taking the whole belly into our awareness,
A busy part of our body where we digest our food,
Also where we can feel excitement or worry.
Noticing how it feels now,
And leaving the belly now and moving upwards to the ribs and chest area.
Keeping safe your vital organs,
The heart,
The lungs.
You might feel your heart beating,
Your chest rising and falling with each in-breath and each out-breath.
Allowing your attention to rest now on your collarbones and shoulders,
An area that can hold a lot of tension.
Letting them rest.
Now taking in both upper arms,
Elbows and forearms,
Feeling the weight of the muscles,
Moving to the wrists and hands,
And letting your attention travel from the thumbs to the forefingers,
Ring,
Middle and little finger.
Noticing the space between each,
Then the palms of each hand.
Any tingling,
Vibration or pulsing in either hand,
And any differences between each hand.
No right or wrong,
Just noticing.
And again checking in to see if our attention has wandered,
And if it has,
Gently escorting it back if needed.
Leaving the hands now and moving down to the lower back,
The base of the spine.
Then moving slowly upwards,
Deliberately pausing to take in the middle of your back.
Now to the upper back and shoulder blades,
Where we might carry weight,
Responsibility or expectation.
What arises when we observe the whole of the back?
Pausing at the top of the spine,
The base of the neck,
The front and back of the neck.
Now the muscles of the face,
The cheeks,
Mouth and nose,
The eyes,
Now the forehead.
Again where we may hold tension,
Noticing what is here now and perhaps letting go.
Moving round the temples,
To the back and then crown of the head,
Right at the top.
And now inviting you to zoom out and take in the whole body,
The entire landscape of the body here,
Right now,
In this moment.
What do you notice when you take this wider view?
What sensations are present?
And what if anything has changed since you started?
And as we come towards the end of the practice,
Resting your attention wherever it suits you,
On the body or the wider view.
And when you're ready,
Slowly and gently moving your body,
Flexing or wiggling the fingers or toes,
Perhaps gently rolling to each side,
Blinking open your eyes and remembering that this sense of direct connection with the body,
This sense of openness and acceptance of what is here,
Is available to you in any moment.
