To prepare for a body scan meditation,
Find a comfortable position.
I recommend lying down as you can most easily rest and relax your body.
I also recommend being warm,
So wearing socks or putting on a blanket,
Something like that,
So you can be as comfortable as possible.
And once you're settled,
You can close your eyes and turn your attention inward to notice the sensations of your breath moving into and out of your body.
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As you breathe,
Allow your attention to travel along with your breath,
So that you watch the path your breath is taking into and out of your body.
And you notice what areas of your body expand on your inhales,
And what areas of your body soften on your exhales.
And allow the path your breath is taking to go a little further,
To be a little longer,
With every subsequent breath.
So that your inhale travels a little bit further into your body,
Maybe past your chest and into your belly,
Or even further.
And you follow the path your breath is taking out of your body with each exhale.
And over the course of your next few breaths,
Allow your attention and your breath itself to shift even further,
So that it travels all the way down into the soles of your feet.
And allow your attention to rest at the soles of your feet.
Allow your breath to exist in this area as well,
As you notice all tingling,
All sensation at the soles of your feet.
And again,
Shifting your attention around both of your feet,
So you notice your toes,
And the spaces between your toes.
Notice the sides of your feet,
And the tops of your feet.
And even the heels.
You notice whatever is touching the feet,
Either socks,
Or a blanket,
Or even air around the feet.
You even notice what's going on within the feet,
The bones,
Nerves and tendons and ligaments,
And muscle.
Hold both feet in their entirety,
In your attention.
And invite your feet to soften.
Begin sliding your awareness upward,
So you notice your ankles,
The bones they're in and the spaces between them.
Allow your attention to shift from ankles to knees,
As you spiral your attention up your lower legs.
Noticing shins and calves.
Softening muscles as you go.
Allowing the weight of the lower leg bones to sink into the support beneath them.
As you shift your attention to your knees.
Again,
Noticing the bones and the spaces between them at your knee joints.
Maybe even notice the cushioning,
The fluid that protects the joints.
Then allow your attention to continue shifting as you spiral it upward from knees to hips.
Softening thigh muscles.
Allowing the bones of the upper leg,
Each femur,
Femur,
Each femur,
Sinking heavy.
And as your attention shifts into your hips,
Broaden your awareness to include both legs from hip to foot and everything in between.
And notice all sensation,
Any tingling,
Any vibrating,
Any movement of fluid or breath.
And invite the lower half of your body to soften and relax into the support beneath it.
Then shift your attention back into your hips.
Notice your breath expanding your hips and softening them.
And then begin allowing your attention to travel from your tailbone,
Your sacrum,
The back of your hips all the way up your spine and the muscles alongside it,
Softening them as you go.
So noticing the low back and any sensation there.
Noticing the middle back.
And even the upper back.
Inviting a sense of ease as you go.
And allow your attention to curl up over your shoulders from back to front.
And allow your attention to continue shifting and moving.
Now from your collarbone down the front half of your body toward your hips.
Noticing any sensation in your chest.
Maybe the expansion of your rib cage as your lungs fill with fresh oxygen.
Maybe the beating of your heart.
Notice any sensation in your belly.
And your viscera and organs.
Invite a sense of ease as you shift your attention down into your hips.
And split your attention again,
Sending it into both hands.
Notice any sensation in your hands.
Maybe the feel of the back of your hands on the floor if you're lying down.
You might notice the pulse of your heartbeat in your palms.
Notice what temperature your hands are.
Notice your fingers and the spaces between them.
And consciously soften the hands.
As you gently shift your attention into your wrists.
Noticing all the little bones in there and the spaces between them.
And then allow your attention to spiral up your forearms from wrists to elbows.
Noticing the bones,
The muscle,
Everything else,
And softening as you go.
When you get to your elbows,
See the bones meeting and the spaces between them,
The cushioning there.
And then shift your attention further up your arms from elbows to shoulders.
Enjoying all sensation and softening any tension.
And once you've scanned up to the tops of your shoulders again,
Broaden your awareness to include your whole torso from shoulders to hips,
Including your arms and hands.
And notice all sensation in the middle half of your body or upper half.
And then vibrating in the sensation of your heart beating or breathing.
Allow all cells to soften.
And then gently shift your attention back to the tops of your shoulders.
So you can begin spiraling attention up your neck,
Softening muscle as you go.
Notice your head as you shift your attention toward your face and allow your tongue to rest on your bottom jaw.
Soft throughout your cheeks and nose.
Allow your eyes to sink heavy in their sockets and your forehead to relax.
And shift your attention around the sides of your head.
Do you notice your ears and the spaces around them?
And shift your attention to the back of your head.
And if you're lying down you might notice the pressure of your head on the floor or pillow.
And then take your attention right up to the top of your head.
Notice any vibration there.
And then broaden your awareness to include your whole head and neck.
Noticing all sensation and inviting a sense of relaxation.
And for the next few breaths you can either hold your entire body in your awareness,
Noticing all sensation.
Or you can scan your body a few times with the pace of your breath.
Scanning your body from the top of your head all the way down on your inhale and scanning your body from the soles of your feet all the way up on your exhale.
And fully present with whatever is going on in your body and inviting a sense of ease.
And that's it for this video.
Thank you for watching.
