Body Scan - Brief

The body scan is designed to come to know the body better and how it is in this moment. It is befriending the body in many ways, accepting it for how it is in this moment, knowing that no one’s body is “perfect,” and yet in many ways all our bodies are. The meditation provides a platform to see what skillful next steps arise, based on the messages that the body shares.

Transcript

So taking a moment to settle in for body scan.

We're typically doing this lying down,

Though it's okay if you want to do it sitting or standing.

A big part of this meditation is to come to know ourselves a little better,

Particularly how each and every part of the body is feeling in this moment.

So we're developing our self-awareness.

We're also developing our attentional control,

Training ourselves to place our mind where we choose,

Which in this case will be each and every part of the body.

So starting off with placing awareness on the part of the body that's in contact with the surface that you're resting on.

So maybe it's the sit bones or the heels on the bed or the floor.

Maybe it's the back of the shoulders,

Wherever you're leaning.

Seeing what's here.

Knowing that as we move through the body,

If you ever find a place that's really not comfortable to be with,

Just to trust yourself and you can skip it or redirect your attention somewhere else like the breath or another part of the body or even pause or stop the meditation.

So really trusting your wisdom here on what's best for you.

So settling in now,

Bringing awareness down through the left leg,

Ending up in the left foot.

Just bringing awareness to the toes there.

What kind of sensations are here?

Let's say touch or temperature,

Comfort or discomfort,

Or if there's not much sensation there,

No one.

You're in pretty good company where a good number of people can't feel their toes.

So when we're with the different parts of the body,

Remembering we're training ourselves to place your mind where we choose,

Training ourselves in self awareness,

But also training ourselves in the mindfulness qualities of like not judging ourselves.

Accepting ourselves at least for this moment just how we are.

That mindfulness quality of curiosity like what's here.

Most of us don't spend a lot of time thinking about our toes.

So what is here?

Is there an injury?

Are you free of injury?

Then continue to draw awareness through the foot now,

Like through the arch of the foot,

The heel.

Come into the foot a little better.

All these muscles and tendons and bones that support us as we walk through the day.

How are they doing?

What's being sensed?

Then drawing awareness all the way up through the left leg now.

This meditation is only 10 minutes so we'll be moving relatively quickly.

So thinking about almost like a beam of light or a beam of awareness just scanning all the way through that lower leg,

The left knee and the upper leg and the hip.

Spending some time with all these parts and just what messages are here right now.

From comfort or discomfort or touch or temperature.

As we shift over now into the right leg and end up in that right foot and the toes,

The foot itself.

So with that beam of awareness,

What's here in the right foot and the right toes.

Then drawing awareness up through that right ankle and into the lower leg and the knee and the upper leg and the hip and just working attention through this part of the body coming to know it.

What's being sensed here?

How does the right leg feel compared to the left leg?

Is it about the same?

Are there differences?

As we start to shift into the hips and then up into the abdomen.

Some of these organs we can't feel too much but sometimes the intestine we can feel if it's distended or feeling relaxed or where the stomach muscles.

Perhaps moving gently with our in-breath and our out-breath.

The stomach itself,

Is it feeling full or empty?

How is the stomach at this moment?

Does it have any messages for us?

How about the back?

Like the muscles in the back along the spine?

Just allowing the back to be as it is.

Knowing that if we're breathing there's more right with us than wrong with us.

Sometimes backs can be injured.

If that's the case for you,

Just notice that.

Caring for ourselves but bringing awareness to what's here.

Come and understand our back maybe a little better and how it is in this moment in this position on this day.

Shift now into the chest.

Where the ribcage and the lungs and the heart within and just seeing what's being experienced in this part of the body.

Coming to know it a little better.

We're doing this full checkup of the body right now.

It's like we're doing an inspection of just how we are.

Starting to shift into the left arm.

Drawing awareness all the way through.

Just at your own pace through the upper part of the left arm and the elbow and the forearm.

And ending up in the wrist and the hand.

Fingers and the thumb.

Just wondering our attention through this part of the body and seeing what sensations are here.

What are the nerves telling us?

And then bringing awareness over to the right arm,

The right shoulder,

The upper part of the arm and the elbow,

Forearm,

The wrist,

The hand.

Fingers and thumbs and just again spending some time in this part of the body.

Seeing what messages are arising.

Are those messages pretty steady or are they shifting moment to moment?

Encompassing that entire right arm and awareness.

Seeing how it's feeling now compared to when we began.

And then allowing awareness to shift up into the shoulders and into the neck.

Don't worry about the sensations of the neck,

Whether it's the muscles or sensations in the windpipe as we breathe in and out or any of the other elements of the neck.

See what's here.

And then drawn up into the head.

Noticing the jaw,

Maybe sensations in the jaw itself,

Maybe muscular like tension or lack of tension.

Sensations in the mouth around moisture,

Dryness or taste,

Lack of taste.

Anytime the mind wanders,

Just notice where it went and know that's helpful information telling us about ourselves in this moment.

And then inviting it back,

Back to the object of meditation,

Which in this case the invitation is for it to be the nose.

There's the sensations of smell or lack of smell or maybe the air coming in and out of the nose as we breathe.

Continuing to draw awareness through the head,

Like spending some time with the eyes.

Seeing what's here in the eyes around dryness or moisture,

Visual sensations.

Drawing awareness up into the top of the head like the skull and down within into the brain.

Noticing what's here in the brain just like any other organ allowing it to be just as it is in this moment.

Coming to know it a little better.

Connecting in with the ears,

The sensations there maybe around warmth or coolness or sound or lack of sound.

And then start to encompass the entire body and awareness,

Enveloping the head and awareness of the neck,

Shoulders,

The arms and hands and chest and abdomen and hips and upper legs,

Knees,

Lower legs,

Feet,

Toes.

So embracing the entire body and awareness now and just seeing what messages are strongest.

Are they steady or do they evolve moment by moment?

And just seeing what's here as we bring our awareness to the entire body.

And taking a moment to notice how the body is feeling now compared to when we began the meditation.

Not needing it to be a particular way,

Just collecting the data on how it is now.

Always emphasizing self kindness and self care as we're coming to know the body so that we can care for it and harness it and its ability to better serve ourselves and our communities.

And then as you're ready in time,

Shifting on to the next part of your day or your evening.

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