Welcome to your 10-minute body scan.
Start by finding a comfortable position you can hold for at least 10 minutes,
Whether that's sitting,
Standing,
Or lying down.
When you find your position,
Bring a sense of energy and ease to the body,
Uncrossing your hands and feet,
And just taking a deep breath to settle into the right now moment.
You might find it helpful to close the eyes or soften the gaze,
And just take a moment to become present to what's here for you in this space right now.
Doing a really brief body scan from the top of the head to the bottom of the toes,
Just noticing if anything stands out.
If there's any aches or pains,
Perhaps tightness in the chest or stomach,
And just allowing yourself to notice and begin to become aware of the body.
During the body scan,
You'll be placing your attention on different parts of the body.
Some places it might be easier or harder than others to feel sensations,
But just place your awareness there as if you can feel something.
Start by placing the attention on both feet,
The left and right foot,
Seeing what you can notice on the bottom of the feet.
Maybe you notice a temperature or the feel of socks or shoes against your skin,
Perhaps a little tingle in the foot.
Just seeing what there is to notice.
Now removing the attention from the feet and working the attention up through the ankles,
Shins,
And calves.
Maybe there's something really easy to notice,
And if there isn't,
Just allowing your attention to rest there anyway.
Now bringing the awareness up to both kneecaps,
Seeing what there is to feel in the knees.
Even if you can't feel into the different tendons and spaces,
Just knowing that they're there.
Now bringing the awareness up through the thighs,
Noticing your thighs taking up space.
If there's any judgment around any parts of the body,
Just letting those thoughts come and pass as if they were leaves floating down a stream,
Realizing that they are just thoughts.
And if it becomes too difficult to keep your awareness on any particular part of the body,
Giving yourself permission to turn to something easier,
Like perhaps the breath.
Giving yourself permission to do that.
And now holding the legs in awareness from the top of the hips,
Down through the legs,
Ankles,
And toes.
Realizing how much your lower body does for you.
Me thanking it for what it's done for you today.
Now letting go of the lower half of the body and allowing the attention to rest on the pelvic region.
And again,
Giving yourself permission to turn to the breath if needed,
But just seeing what there is to notice in that area of the body.
And moving the awareness up through the stomach.
Perhaps you can notice signs of digestion or hunger.
Just allowing whatever sensations are present to be there just as they are.
Simply allowing yourself to notice.
And now moving up through the chest.
Noticing the quality of your heart space.
What sensations can you feel in your heart space and chest?
Now moving the awareness to the lower back,
Mid and upper back.
Realizing that all sensations might not be pleasant.
And even if there's pain present,
Trying to stay with it as best you can.
And bringing that attention to that area of your body as a gift.
Your attention can be healing.
And now bringing the awareness up to the shoulders.
Noticing any tension.
Not to change,
But just simply to notice.
And now moving down through the upper arms,
Elbows,
Forearms,
Wrists,
And hands.
What sensations can you feel in the hands,
Palms,
And fingertips right now?
Noticing if it's easier in some parts to feel sensations in the body than others.
Now bringing the awareness up to the throat and neck.
Does the quality of the throat feel open or closed?
Is there pain or tension in the neck?
Noticing just to notice.
Letting the throat and neck go and moving the awareness up to the face,
Your lips,
The nose and navel cavities,
The eyes,
And the space between the eyebrows,
Forehead,
Up through the crown of the head.
Being aware as you can be of what each of these body parts feel like in the right now moment.
And if your mind wanders at any point,
Just gently and lovingly bringing it back to the present.
And once again,
Bringing your entire body into your field of awareness from the tip top of your head,
Down the torso,
Through the fingertips,
Down the pelvis,
Thighs,
And legs,
Down through the bottom of the toes.
Holding your entire body in your loving awareness.
Noticing if any sensations have changed from the beginning of the meditation to now.
And when you're ready,
Opening your eyes if they were closed and ending your meditation.
Namaste.
