Hunger Awareness Body Scan For Weight Loss

This is a variation on a body scan intended to put you in touch with how hunger shows up in your body. When you learn to feel your hunger, while decoupling it from thoughts, beliefs and emotions, you can experience hunger as a neutral sensation and use it as a tool in your weight loss journey.

Transcript

Hello,

Dr.

Karen here,

And this is a meditation I have created to help you get in touch with your hunger and your satiety as part of your weight loss or weight maintenance journey.

What we're going to do in this meditation is a variation of a body scan,

Where we will explore the sensations in our body and identify how hunger shows up in a neutral and supportive way.

So we can use it to optimize our health.

In general,

Hunger is often assigned a value or a judgment,

And these are different for everyone depending on the path your life has taken.

Sometimes hunger feels virtuous,

And you experience the feeling of pride,

Knowing you are allowing the sensation to build.

Sometimes you associate negative feelings like guilt with it,

Believing that you shouldn't be hungry,

And that there is something wrong with you if you're feeling it.

And in some cases,

Hunger might feel scary.

If you experienced food insecurity at any point in your life,

It may trigger a fight or flight response and bring up feelings of unsafety.

Whatever emotion you feel,

They're valid,

But this meditation is designed to show you the neutrality of hunger itself,

And how it can be experienced objectively and then be responded to in a way that is aligned with your personal goals.

You can feel it and respond to it,

Or you can feel it and let it be.

You choose.

So let's start like we always do with finding a comfortable position,

Seated or lying on your back,

In a place where you will have some time to yourself.

Make sure the room temperature is comfortable for you,

And that you can maintain this position for the next 10 minutes or so.

Now let's breathe together so we can get our body into a relaxed,

Receptive state.

Take a deep breath in through your nose,

Hold it for a moment at the top,

And release it through your nose until you feel all the air is emptied from your lungs.

Let's do this one more time.

In through your nose,

Hold it a moment,

And naturally let it release through your nose.

This final time,

Let's release a sigh as we exhale.

In through your nose,

Hold for a moment,

And let a sigh out as you exhale.

Continue breathing in and out through your nose as feels comfortable for you.

So let's start by focusing our attention on our feet.

This is a place in our body where we are unlikely to feel any sensations associated with hunger,

But perhaps associated with other experiences.

Let your attention rest first on your left foot,

And notice anything that is there along the bottom of your foot,

From the ball to the heel.

Notice pressure if you're seated with your feet on the floor,

Or maybe tingling,

Maybe discomfort if it's the end of your day,

Maybe a temperature you notice.

Just be with that.

Now shift attention to the right side,

And do the same,

From the ball to the heel,

Noticing what's there,

Examining anything that shows up for you.

You can move your attention through your ankles and into your legs.

Again,

You probably don't feel hunger here.

What we are doing is just exploring ourselves from the inside.

What does it feel like in here,

In this body?

As you move up your knees and into your thighs,

Let your attention rest for a moment at your hips.

Just your left hip,

And then over to your right.

What sensations are there?

Is there pulsating or throbbing,

Stiffness,

Tightness?

Then focus on your pelvis and your lower back,

Exploring these areas for any sensations that you might notice.

As we move into our abdomen,

You may recognize that this is a part of our body that usually registers the sensations of hunger and fullness.

What you feel right now will depend on the last time you ate,

So what you feel right now will be unique to you.

But I want you to take a moment here with this part of you and notice what's here right now.

If you haven't eaten recently,

You may notice the sensations of hunger,

And this might show up as a tugging sensation,

Or even something like pressure,

A pushing from the inside,

Or rumbling.

It might feel empty.

Do you feel it near your heart center,

Or under your ribcage,

More so on one side than the other?

And if you've eaten recently,

You might feel something completely different.

It might be relaxation,

Or again it might feel like pressure from the inside,

A feeling of distension.

Whatever you feel,

These sensations are just part of your being right now.

Let's take a few moments to explore what's here.

Whatever is here in this part of your body is safe and allowed.

If you notice judgment,

Allow that too,

And name it saying,

Judging.

If any feelings show up,

Welcome those as well,

Recognize them,

And maybe even spend a moment with that,

Before returning attention to the sensations.

Feelings show up because of messaging you received from the earliest moments of your life,

And they're natural.

We may associate them with the sensations we have,

But the sensation itself is completely neutral.

It doesn't mean we need to ignore the sensation,

Or not respond to it appropriately,

But we can learn to separate the physical sensation from the meaning,

So that when we respond to our hunger,

We are meeting our physical needs,

And not trying to change the emotional state that arises.

Hunger requires food.

Emotions require acknowledgement,

Love,

Caretaking,

And expression.

Now,

As you come up from your chest and into your shoulders,

Pay attention to what's here as well.

Hunger or fullness might elicit tightness here,

Or relaxation.

What does this space between your shoulders feel like,

Around your neck,

In your throat?

What's here right now?

And finally,

Let's take our attention up into our heads.

This is another place hunger or fullness might show up for us.

What does your jaw feel like right now?

Is it clenched,

Or loose?

And even inside your mouth,

Is there dryness,

Or moisture,

A taste you notice?

Does that taste metallic,

Or bitter,

Or acidic?

Just notice what's there.

And then take your attention up behind your eyes,

And notice what's there too.

Finally,

Direct your attention into your forehead,

Through to the back of your head,

And notice anything in that space.

Maybe there's fogginess,

Or tension,

Warmth,

Or tingling.

Do these sensations indicate hunger for you?

Now,

Just rest for a moment and let your awareness flow to wherever it naturally wants to go.

You've just explored many,

If not all,

The places hunger might make itself known to us.

And we have intentionally let those sensations communicate to us,

While letting go of any beliefs we once assigned to those sensations.

It might take time to start to be able to sit with hunger in this non-judgmental and curious way.

You can return to this exercise as often as needed.

As we come out of this meditation,

We have the opportunity to attend to ourselves.

If we choose to eat,

It's because we've made the connection that our bodies communicated this need to us.

If we choose to wait,

We're consciously doing this,

As part of our own plan for self-care.

Remember,

Hunger is normal and natural,

And will show up again and again.

If we had emotions come up as part of the noticing of these sensations,

We can attend to those too,

With action,

Or just observance.

We might want to journal,

Or stay in this meditation a bit longer,

Talk to a loved one,

Take a walk.

You can even eat in response to those feelings,

With awareness that right now,

This is what you needed to do.

Continue to breathe,

Come back into the room,

And then you can move on with your day.

Reviews

Wow, what an incredible meditation. Growing up, my parents with-held food as a means of punishment. As an adult, I have struggled with being overweight & overeating. I realize now, that I couldn't handle the sensation of hunger, due to the negative feels it caused as a child. Feeling hunger does not mean that I am "bad", it is simply a sensation. WOW WHAT A BREAKTHROUGH!