Body Scan Practice

A body scan is a mindfulness practice that gently guides your attention through different parts of your body, noticing sensations without judgment. It helps you reconnect with physical awareness, release tension, and cultivate a sense of grounding in the present moment. As you move your focus, you observe what’s there — with curiosity and care. This practice supports working the brain's attentional network and the connection between mind and body. It is not unusual to fall asleep because this practice is internal work; repeated practice is recommended.

Transcript

This is a 30-minute body scan practice which can be done lying on your back on the floor or on a bed or sitting in a chair.

Please use cushions and or a blanket in order to be comfortable and warm.

If you're lying on your back,

Let the arms be on the floor or bed alongside the body with the palms facing the ceiling if that's comfortable.

The legs can be stretched out with the feet falling away from each other allowing the eyes to gently close but knowing they can be opened at any time especially if you find yourself getting sleepy.

In this practice we're not trying to achieve a special state or quiet the mind.

We're not even trying to relax.

See if it's possible to let go of the usual habit of monitoring our experience and comparing it to how we think it should be.

Instead as best you can bring openness to your experience and allow it to be whatever it is from moment to moment.

Having a sense of the body as a whole as it lies here.

Noticing the space that the body takes up.

Noticing that the body is breathing.

Bringing awareness to the sensations of breathing in different parts of the body.

Perhaps feeling the air moving in the nostrils and in the back of the throat.

The movements of the chest as you breathe.

And sensations in the abdomen as it rises on the in-breath and falls away on the out-breath.

If the breath is difficult as a point of anchoring,

Choose something that feels more comfortable.

Perhaps your back touching the floor,

The feet,

The hands resting on your belly.

Allowing the body to breathe naturally and tuning into sensations moment by moment.

When you're ready,

Move the focus of your attention down the left leg and all the way down to the toes of the left foot.

Bringing awareness to the sensations in the toes.

Noticing any tingling or numbness.

Feelings of warmth or coolness.

There's no need to create sensations.

Just tuning in to what is here and allowing them to be just as they are.

As you explore the sensations in the toes,

You might want to see if it's possible to be aware of these sensations and also be aware of the breath in the background or your chosen anchor point.

As you breathe in and as you breathe out,

Noticing the sensations in your toes.

If there are no sensations,

Just being with the experience of nothing much to feel and being with this experience.

When you're ready,

Perhaps on an out breath,

Shift the focus of attention away from the toes and move it to other parts of your left foot.

The heel,

The sole,

The arch,

The top of the foot and breathing with the sensations that you find.

Sensations from the surface of the foot and from inside the foot.

Investigating sensations here in the foot with interest.

And then at a certain point,

Perhaps on an out breath,

Let go of the foot and move attention to the ankle.

What sensations are here in the ankle right now?

A part of the body we often take for granted until something goes wrong.

Sensations from the skin and sensations from the joint.

Sensing the left ankle.

Breathing with this experience.

Noticing what's here or noticing an absence of sensations.

If you notice your mind wandering,

As minds do,

Perhaps registering where it went and patiently bringing it back to the sensations.

And when you're ready,

Perhaps the next time you breathe out,

Let go of the ankle.

And move the focus of your attention to the region between your left ankle and the knee.

Noticing sensations from the left calf and the left shin.

Sensations of contact with clothing,

The floor,

Perhaps feelings of warmth.

Sensations from the inside.

Breathing with them.

Not thinking about this part of the body,

But experiencing it,

Feeling it,

Sensing it.

And when you're ready,

Perhaps on the next out breath,

Letting go and moving the focus of your awareness to the left knee.

Opening to what is here.

There's no need to make it different from how you find it.

Simply sensing the front of the knee,

The back of the knee.

And perhaps bringing a sense of appreciation to this complex joint that serves us so well and enables us to do so much.

And when you're ready,

Perhaps on an out breath,

Letting go of the knee,

Letting it fade in awareness.

Now bringing awareness and interest to the left thigh,

The large muscle,

The heavy bone.

Sensing the weight of the thigh.

No need for thinking or judgment.

Just investigating what's here.

No right way for the thigh to feel.

Perhaps with the sensations from the thigh in the foreground and the breath in the background.

When you're ready,

Take a slightly deeper in breath and on the out breath,

Let go of the thigh.

Moving your awareness to the right leg,

All the way down and out to the toes of the right foot.

Opening to sensations here.

Noticing anything pleasant.

Any unpleasant sensations.

Not thinking about what your toes should feel like,

But noticing what is here right now.

Any feelings of tingling,

Feelings of warmth,

Coolness.

Just tuning in,

Allowing them to be as they are.

As you explore the sensations in the toes,

You might want to see if it's possible to be aware of these sensations.

And be aware of the breath in the background,

So you're breathing with the sensations in the toes.

If there are no sensations,

Just be with the experience of nothing much to feel and breathe with this experience.

And if your mind wanders,

As minds do,

Gently guide it back.

Now shift the focus of the attention away from the toes on the next out breath.

And move to the other parts of the right foot.

The sole,

The heel,

The arch,

The top of the foot.

And breathing with the sensations that you find.

Sensations from the surface of the foot and from inside the foot.

Investigating what there is to be found with interest.

And now on the out breath,

Letting go of the foot and moving to the right ankle.

Noticing sensations in the right ankle.

The contact of the clothing on your skin.

Sensations from the joint.

Breathe with this experience.

Noticing what comes up or an absence of sensations.

And when you're ready,

Perhaps the next time you breathe out,

Let go of the ankle.

And move the focus of your attention to the region between the ankle and the knee.

Noticing sensations from the right calf and the right shin.

Perhaps sensations with the floor.

Feelings of warmth.

Sensations from inside.

Breathing with them.

Not thinking about this part of the body,

But experiencing it directly.

Feeling it.

When you're ready,

Perhaps on the next out breath,

Letting go.

And moving the focus of your awareness to the left knee.

Opening to what is already here.

Sensing the front of the knee,

The back of the knee,

The sides of the knee.

Perhaps bringing a sense of appreciation to this complex joint.

When you're ready,

Perhaps on an out breath,

Letting go of the right knee.

Letting it fade in awareness.

Bringing your interest to the right thigh.

The large muscle,

The heavy bone.

Sensing the weight.

Investigating sensations in the thigh.

Being with them without judgment.

Perhaps with these sensations in the foreground.

And the breath in the background.

And when you're ready,

Perhaps taking a slightly deeper in breath.

And on the out breath,

Letting go of the thigh.

Now bringing attention to the whole midsection.

Experiencing what is here,

On the surface,

And within.

And being with these sensations.

Not trying to change anything.

If you notice your mind has wandered,

Gently guide it back.

Coming back to the sensations in this moment.

On the next out breath,

Letting go.

And moving awareness to the lower back.

This part of the body is a place where tension and stress can store.

So now,

Allow the lower back to open and soften.

Allow any tension to leave on the out breath,

If it will.

When you're ready,

Take a deeper breath.

And on the out breath,

Letting go.

And moving to the abdomen.

Tuning in to the patterns of sensations that arise as you breathe.

The rising of the belly on the in breath,

And the falling away on the out breath.

Breathing into and out from the abdomen.

Opening to sensations from within.

Perhaps giving particular attention to any sensations in this part of the body that feel pleasant or smooth,

Comfortable.

Pleasant sensations.

Moving close.

Breathe with them.

Feel them fully.

Savoring what is here.

When you're ready,

Letting go.

And moving on to the chest.

Holding the chest in gentle awareness.

Feeling the movements of the chest as you breathe.

Perhaps sensing the beating of your heart.

Breathing into and out from the chest.

At any time during the practice,

Feelings may arise.

Pleasant or unpleasant.

When this happens,

Notice these feelings.

And allow them to be as they are.

And continue with the practice.

There's no need to chase away difficult feelings.

Or hold on to pleasant feelings.

Just experience them coming.

Experience them going.

And on an out breath,

Shifting awareness to the upper part of the back.

The shoulder blades and the shoulders.

Another region of the body where tension is often stored.

A part of the body that often reacts to stress by tightening.

As best you can,

Open to the sensations.

Loosening and softening these muscles.

Breathe with this loosening.

Breathe with these sensations.

When you're ready,

As you breathe out,

Letting go of this part of the body.

And moving the focus of the awareness to your hands.

Both hands at the same time.

Tuning in to the sensations at the tips of your fingers and thumbs.

Tingling,

Pulsing,

Coolness.

Tuning in to what's present,

Just as it is.

Letting the awareness expand to the rest of your fingers and thumbs.

Then to the palms of the hands and the backs of the hands.

Those hands that serve us so well.

Appreciating them.

Allowing the field of awareness to expand to the wrists,

The lower arms.

Bringing a friendly and curious attention to what arises.

Expanding again to the elbows.

The upper arms,

The shoulders.

And breathing whatever sensations you find.

Moving on to the neck.

The front,

The sides,

The back.

The muscles at the back of the neck.

Softening and opening to what arises in this moment.

Sensing the air passing through the throat as you breathe.

On and out breath.

Letting go of the neck.

And moving to the face and head.

Beginning with the chin and the jaw.

What sensations are here?

The cheeks,

The lips,

The teeth.

The gums,

The tongue,

The roof of the mouth.

Where the mouth meets the throat.

Expanding awareness to the surface of the nose.

The nostrils,

Inside the nose,

Where the nose meets the throat.

Noticing what's changing from moment to moment.

And what stays the same.

Relaxing the temples,

The eyelids,

The eyeballs,

The eyebrows.

The forehead.

Sensing any tightness in the forehead and relaxing it if you should choose to do so.

Expanding the field of awareness again to the sides of the head and the ears.

What sensations are here?

Being with them.

The back of the head.

Feeling the head resting on the floor.

Moving in close if you choose to.

The top of the head.

When you're ready,

Taking a slightly deeper breath and letting go.

And seeing if it's possible to hold the whole body in awareness.

From the top of the head out to the fingertips and down to the toes.

Opening to sensations from any and all parts of the body.

Aware of the body as a whole.

The landscape of sensations.

And breathing with this awareness.

If you choose,

Bring awareness to the part of the body that feels comfortable,

Pleasant,

At ease.

Move in closer to that ease.

Breathe with these pleasant sensations.

Opening to them.

Savoring them.

Enjoying them for a while.

Come back to a sense of your body as a whole.

Lying there.

Breathing.

As best you can.

Allow your body to be exactly as you find it.

Honoring the body.

Coming home to the body.

Right here.

Right now.