Full Body Scan By Emma Hamshare

The full Zen bodyscan, will help you to practice the skill of 'Interoception' Feeling the sensations in your body.
You can practise this sitting, standing or lying down. I would recomend that you practise this lying down with your palms facing up.
Feel free to adjust to make yourself comfortable.
Relax and breathe into your belly. Stay present with how things are in your body. The physical body, relaxed and yet broadly straight reflects the mental state. Allow thoughts to come and go.

Transcript

Okay,

We're going to work with this practice called the body scan meditation.

This is a variation on a practice taught by Hakuin Zenji,

Who is a Zen master.

And as we mentioned,

You can practice this meditation sitting,

Standing,

Walking or lying down.

I'd recommend that you lie down if you can.

So come into a comfortable position,

Lying on your back if that's comfortable,

Or if you need to,

You can lie on your side.

Have your palms at your side facing up.

Make sure your spine is long and straight and your neck as well.

So just adjust your position so you can get as comfortable as possible.

Allow your eyes to rest downwards,

Or you can close your eyes and rest them half open along the line of your nose,

Whichever for you is most comfortable.

Have your mouth closed and your tongue resting on the roof of your mouth.

Just relax and feel your breathing in your belly.

When you relax,

You can naturally feel the rising and sinking in your belly.

As your body relaxes,

Have your mind be aware and sensitive.

We're going to bring this presence or awareness through the body.

First of all,

We're going to bring the attention to the crown of your head.

Just becoming aware of the crown of your head.

Don't try to change anything.

Don't try to do anything.

Just being present with how things are in the crown of your head.

And now bring your awareness into your forehead.

Just present and aware.

And now into the left side of your head above your ear.

The right side of your head.

And the back of your head behind your forehead.

And bringing your awareness now into your eyes.

First your left eye.

Now your right eye.

Your right ear.

The back of your head in line with your ears.

Your left ear.

And now bringing your awareness into your nose.

Moving downwards through your body all the time.

Just being present,

Aware of how things are in your nose.

And now down again,

Aware around your mouth.

Your right jaw.

The back of your head at the base of your skull.

Your left jaw.

Moving your awareness down again into your throat at the front.

Not doing anything.

Not changing anything.

Just being aware.

All the transformation that you need comes simply from your awareness.

Moving your awareness to the right side of your neck.

The back of your neck.

The left side of your neck.

Moving your awareness down again to the top of your chest at the front.

Into your right shoulder.

Into the top of your back.

Your left shoulder.

Just being present,

Just simply aware.

Moving your awareness down again.

Moving always downwards into the area of your chest on the level of your heart.

Simply to your left.

Across to the right side of your chest.

Under your right arm.

Your upper back on this level.

Under your left arm.

Becoming aware of your arms themselves.

Your right upper arm.

Your left upper arm.

Moving your awareness down into the lower part of your chest.

First on the left side underneath your ribs.

Over to the right side under your ribs.

And now the right side of your body roughly on the level of your elbow.

Your back on this level.

On the left side of your body on the level of your elbow.

The centre of your body at the level of your elbows.

The right side of your abdomen.

The right side of your body.

The rear side of your body on this level.

And the left side of your body.

Becoming aware of your elbow on your right side.

Your left elbow.

Simply present,

Simply being aware and moving your awareness down again to the level of your navel.

Just being present,

Just being aware what's here at the front of your body.

The right side of your body on the level of your navel.

The rear side of your body and the left side of your body.

Moving your awareness down again to the level of your pubic bone in your lower belly.

Just present,

Being aware now.

Of the right side of your body on this level.

The rear of your body.

Your lower back.

And the left side of your body.

Moving your awareness now into your right lower arm.

Your left lower arm.

Moving your awareness down again into your right hip.

The rear of your body on this level.

Into your left hip.

Moving your awareness down again into your right upper leg.

Just the front of your right leg.

The right side of your right leg.

The rear side of your right upper leg.

The left side of your upper leg.

Moving your awareness across into your left upper leg.

First the front of your upper leg.

The right side.

The rear side.

And the left side of your left upper leg.

Moving your awareness,

Your presence into your right wrist.

What happens when an area comes into your awareness like this?

Moving your awareness into your right palm.

The back of your hand.

Your right thumb.

Your right index finger.

The middle finger.

Your ring finger.

And your little finger.

Moving your awareness over into your left wrist.

The palm of your hand.

The back of your hand.

Your left thumb.

Your index finger.

Your middle finger.

Your ring finger.

And your little finger.

Moving your presence,

Your awareness down into your right knee.

First the front of your knee.

The right side of your knee.

The back of your knee.

The left side of your knee.

Moving your awareness into your left knee.

The right side of your left knee.

The rear side of your knee.

And the left side of your knee.

Moving your awareness down again into your right lower leg.

The front of your leg.

The right side of your lower leg.

The rear side of your lower leg.

The left side of your lower leg.

Moving your awareness over to your left lower leg.

The right side of your lower leg.

The rear side.

The left side.

And back to the front.

Moving your awareness down again into your right ankle.

First the front of your ankle.

The right side.

The rear side of your ankle.

The left side.

Back again to the front.

Moving your awareness down into your left ankle.

The front of your ankle.

The right side of your ankle.

The rear side.

And the left side of your ankle.

Moving your awareness into your right foot.

The top side of your foot.

Into your right heel.

The sole of your foot.

Into your right big toe.

Your second toe.

Your third toe.

Your fourth toe.

And your fifth toe.

Moving this presence,

This awareness into your left foot.

The top side of your foot.

The left heel.

The sole of your foot.

Your left big toe.

Your second toe.

Your third toe.

Your fourth toe.

And your fifth toe.

Now moving your awareness again up to the crown of your head.

Together we're going to let your awareness now just sweep down through your body.

More easily this time through from the crown of your head all the way through over your face,

Your head,

Your neck,

Over your shoulders,

Your chest,

Your upper back.

Down through your upper arms.

Down through your mid back.

Your abdomen.

Your elbows.

Your lower arms.

Your hands.

Down through your pelvis into your legs.

Through your upper legs,

Your knees,

Your lower legs,

Your ankles and your feet.

That's right.

As you become aware of all of these areas you may find your awareness can slip down through the body even more readily,

Even more easily.

Just letting this happen very naturally.

And now allowing your awareness to be generalised through your whole body.

Particularly allowing yourself to be aware of any places of any kind of discomfort,

Tension or stress.

Something that's not 100% how it might be.

Allowing these areas to be held in this gentleness,

This curiosity,

In this presence of your awareness.

Don't try to change anything.

Just be aware,

Be present.

The changes come when they're ready.

And even if they don't come,

That's fine too.

When you're in this quality of awareness,

Your relationship to all of these things changes in a very beneficial way.

And when you feel your awareness very diffused throughout your body,

Very present,

You can very gently become aware of your fingers and toes.

Really starting to move into your fingers.

Move your toes.

Very gently and slowly you can allow yourself a really good deep stretch.

Allow your body to open up and wake up so that you're ready to carry on with whatever's next.