Compassionate Body Scan

Compassionate Body Scan from the Mindful Self-Compassion (Neff & Germer) training curriculum. This body scan supports grounding safely in the body, enhances a kind and accepting relationship with the body, develops an appreciation for the generous support given to us by the body, and strengthens a compassionate relationship with our experience of pain and suffering in the body.

Transcript

This is the compassionate body scan originally developed by doctors Christopher Germer and Kristin Neff, Read by me Dr. Kimberly Silge of Ottawa, Canada. Please find a comfortable position resting on your back with hands about six inches from your sides and your feet shoulder width apart. Then place one or two hands over your heart or another soothing place. Doing this is a reminder to bring loving connected presence to the body throughout this exercise. Feeling the warm and gentle touch of your hands. Take three slow relaxing breaths and then return your arms to your sides if you like. In this meditation we will be bringing warm hearted attention to each part of the body in a variety of ways. Moving from one part to another, Practicing how to be with each part of the body in a kind and compassionate way. We will be inclining our awareness towards the body with curiosity and tenderness. Perhaps as you might incline towards a young child. If you feel ease and well-being in a particular body part you can invite or allow some appreciation to arise within you towards that body part. If you have judgments or unpleasant sensations regarding a body part perhaps you can let your heart soften in sympathy for the struggle. Maybe even placing a hand on that part of your body as a gesture of compassion and support and imagining warmth and kindness flowing through your hand and fingers into your body. If any part of your body is too difficult to stay with feel free to move your attention to another part of the body for a while especially a part that you may find more emotionally or physically neutral. Just allowing this exercise to be as comfortable as possible. Listening now for the sound of the bell to begin our practice together. You starting with the toes on your left foot beginning to notice if there are any sensations in your toes are your toes warm or cool dry or moist just feeling the sensations in your toes maybe ease maybe discomfort maybe nothing at all just letting each sensation be just as it is and if your toes feel good perhaps giving your toes a wiggle and a smile of appreciation and moving to the sole of your left foot noticing any sensations there the feet of such a small surface area and yet they hold up the entire body all day long they work so hard feel free to send your left soul a bit of gratitude if that feels right and if there's any discomfort opening to it in a tender way now sensing your whole foot and if your foot feels comfortable you can also extend gratitude for the discomfort that you do not have if there is any discomfort allowing that area to soften as if it were wrapped in a warm towel and if you like validating your discomfort with kind words such as it's a little uncomfortable there that's okay for now and gradually moving your attention up your leg one part at a time noticing whatever body sensation or present sending some appreciation if the part feels fine sending some compassion if there is any discomfort moving slowly through the body still focusing on your left side to your ankle to the shin and calf to the knee and when you notice that your mind has wandered as mines to you just returning to the sensations in the part of the body you were attending to you might also wish to add some words of kindness or compassion such as may my knees be at ease may they be well and then returning your attention to the simple sensations in each body part so as we practice the body scan we allow this entire process to be curious exploratory even playful gently working your way through your body gently moving the attention now to your thigh and to your hip and if you feel uneasy or judgmental about a particular body part try just putting a hand over your heart and gently breathing imagining kindness and compassion flowing through your fingers into the body and if you feel ease offering an inner smile of appreciation if that feels right to you and can you wrap your entire left leg in loving awareness making room for whatever you may be sensing or feeling and moving on letting go of the left leg and shifting awareness to the right leg can you feel your right toes from the inside the right soul of your foot and the right foot and the right ankle and the right shin and calf and now the right knee feel free to skip past any part of the body if you notice physical or emotional discomfort that goes into the overwhelm zone for you the intention of this practice is to bring kindness and compassion if there's a little discomfort not to overwhelm so judging your own sense of the zone of tolerance of safe now bringing attention to your right thigh and the right hip and the entire right leg feeling sensations from the inside fully inhabiting this alive body so often we view our body as an observer from the outside and this is an invitation to return home to feel from the inside to move out of language into experience so now bringing your awareness to the pelvic area the strong bones that support your legs and also the soft tissue in the area of the pelvis perhaps feeling your buttocks on the floor or on the chair these large muscles that help you climb stairs and run and jump and also allow you to sit softly and comfortably now shifting attention to the lower back a lot of stress often is carried in this area of the body so if you notice any discomfort or tension you might envision this area relaxing softening melting with tenderness feel free to shift your posture a little if an adjustment will make you more comfortable moving awareness into the sensations of aliveness in the upper back now moving attention to the front body to the abdomen this area that protects so many vital organs and body functions perhaps sending some appreciation to this area of the body some gratitude for all that it carries for us giving us life and vitality digestion emotion even that gut sense we talk about the intuition the brain and the gut and if you notice the mind leaving the inhabitation of the body and moving into evaluation and judgment about the belly or other soft parts of the body seeing if you can say some words of kindness and acceptance of what it's like for the body to receive this judgment an antidote to separation and judgment this connection acceptance kindness and then moving awareness up to the chest center of breath also your heart center so infusing the chest with awareness appreciation acceptance perhaps placing a gentle hand on the center of the chest can you let yourself feel whatever it is you're feeling right now and an invitation here to feel free to touch any part of the body as we go along even gently stroking that part whatever feels right to you offering some appreciation and kindness for this hard-working body supporting us even when our attention is not on it and continuing to incline awareness towards the body with the same quality of warmth that you might have towards a young child feeling now the sensations in the left shoulder and the left upper arm and the left elbow bringing tender awareness to each part of the body your lower left arm left wrist the left hand and each finger suffusing each finger of the left hand with awareness and feeling free to wiggle your fingers if you like just savoring the sensations that arise as they move your hands are uniquely designed to hold and move fine objects sensitive to touch to reach out and grasp what you need to soothe to connect to defend feeling the hand from the inside and suffusing your whole left arm and hand with loving and compassionate awareness and moving now letting go of the left and shifting attention to the right to the right shoulder your right upper arm the right elbow opening awareness to sensations in the lower right arm and right wrist and right hand wiggling the fingers of the right hand one at a time and again if you like playing a bit bringing curiosity wiggling the fingers feeling the sensations from the inside and now proceeding with awareness towards the head bringing awareness to the neck if you like touching your neck with your hand remembering how the neck supports the head throughout the day how it's a conduit for blood to the brain and air to the body so offering appreciation and kindness to the neck either mentally as you touch it with awareness or physically as you touch it and if your neck feels good bringing some appreciation or sending compassion if there's any tension or stress being held there in this vital part of the body so finally moving on to your head beginning with the back of the head the hard surface that protects your brain and if you like gently touching the back of the head with your hand or simply touching it with your awareness and then your ears those sensitive organs of perception that tell us so much about our world if you're glad for the capacity to hear allowing appreciation to arise in your heart and if you're worried about your hearing perhaps putting a hand over your heart and giving yourself some compassion for these changing qualities of perception sensation and perhaps offering the same loving or compassionate awareness to your other organs of perception such as your eyes your nose your lips and don't forget to recognize your cheeks and jaw and chin for how they help you eat and speak and shout and smile and finally your forehead and the crown of your head and underneath this complex brain the tender brain comprised of billions of nerve cells communicating with each other all of the time helping us make sense of our world and if you like saying thank you to your brain for constantly working on your behalf and when you've finished giving kind and compassionate attention to your whole body try offering your body a final shower head to toe soaking in appreciation compassion respect thank you dear body if you like you can pause this audio and just continue on noticing the landscape of sensation in this vibrant presence of aliveness of embodiment when the time feels right gently opening your eyes hear the burst? You're almost there. All over RareONYM Where do they have called us? You

Reviews

Ahhh. Your voice and your pacing of the meditation are so soothing. Just what I needed. I have bookmarked this one to return to again and again. Thank you! I would love if you recorded this one again to improve the sound quality and clear some of the background noises. Still a lovely meditation.

Thank you 🙏🏾! I appreciate all of the alternatives that you included. 😊