Hi there,
My name is Emma and today's meditation is a body scan designed to help you get in touch with what is going on in your body in the present moment.
Most of us have sort of a complicated relationship with our physical body.
A lot of us use distractions from our mind or our daily lives or to-do lists,
Other people to distract us from what is going on in our physical bodies.
And that might be because what's going on in our physical body isn't very comfortable.
It might be in pain or uncomfortable tightness or tension.
There could be different emotions or feelings present that we don't want to deal with or acknowledge.
Our bodies are such a powerful tool to help guide us through our days,
And when we ignore what's going on in our physical body,
Then we don't get that guidance.
We kind of gloss over it with what our mind thinks is best or what the people around us think is best and we don't have the connection to that deep inner knowing that can help us make really aligned decisions for ourselves and for our lives.
I call this a simple body scan,
But.
It may be a really difficult practice for you.
And all I ask is that you stay open and connected to your breath and just see what is alive inside of your body today.
And so we'll begin with just a little bit of intuitive movement.
So just take a moment and like stretch.
And if you're feeling particularly restless this morning,
Maybe you want to take a nice shake and shake it all off.
Or you can just move nice and slow and just like.
Stretch your hips,
Stretch your feet.
Maybe you wanna use your hands to connect to your body this morning by rubbing your thighs or your belly and just placing your hands somewhere on your body and giving yourself a little massage.
And then as it feels natural.
Slowly begin to come into a comfortable position,
Seated,
Standing,
Laying down,
It doesn't matter.
And start to find some stillness.
Just allowing your body to relax.
Come into a natural,
Comfortable position.
And wherever you are.
Just take a moment to lengthen through your spine.
So really lengthen through the top of your head.
And press down through the tailbone into the floor and create space between each vertebrae.
And then as you find and create that length.
Just gently let go of any holding in your muscles.
And just settle into that space that you just created in your spine.
Kind of like you're leaning back and into.
Your spine and really allow it to support you.
And if you haven't already,
You can just gently begin to close down your eyes.
And just take a moment and tune into the rhythm of your breath.
So just following the in and the out.
And notice how you're breathing this morning.
Notice the breath is soft.
Or maybe there's a little more energy behind it.
Notice if the breath feels easy.
And smooth through the body.
Or maybe it feels like it's getting stuck somewhere on the way in or on the way out.
And then in your own time.
Just gently begin to deepen the breath.
And see if you can pull the breath into the belly with each inhale.
And with each exhale,
See if you can empty the body of breath.
So just taking some deeper and longer breaths.
In and out.
Take a few more.
Full belly breaths.
And as you do,
Just become aware of the body breathing.
Feeling.
That inhale,
Move the belly,
Move the chest,
Creating space.
And as you exhale,
Just feeling everything flow out.
Emptying out Taking a moment here.
To be with your body breathing.
You and then continue.
With some nice deep even breaths Finding now a steady rhythm with the breath.
Something you can maintain without conscious thought.
But also a little bit deeper than your.
.
.
Natural breath.
Just a nice steady rhythm.
As we begin.
Our body scan.
The top of the head.
And on this first pass through the body,
I just want you to go nice and slow.
Just begin to notice.
How your body feels right now.
As you move from the top of the head down to the forehead.
And into the face.
Down the back of the head.
Just begin to notice.
Anywhere that feels tight or tense.
And anywhere that feels open.
Notice any emotions sensations.
Even thoughts that come up as you pass through the different areas of your body.
And not dwelling so much on each area.
Just noticing.
Making a note.
Just continuing down through the body at your own pace.
Making your way from the face.
To the neck and shoulders.
Making sure to go all the way down the arms.
Past the elbows and wrists.
The palms and fingers.
And as you pass through the torso,
Noticing all the complexity you contain.
Within.
Yes,
There's muscles and skin and ribs.
And your spine,
But there's also all of your organs.
Your lungs.
Your heart.
Kidneys,
Liver,
Intestines.
All the pieces keeping you alive Making your way down.
To the hips.
Through the legs.
Just noticing what's here.
All the way down the shins.
Have.
Ankles into your feet.
All the way down to your toes.
Brushing up this first scan through your body And as you do,
Just finding that breath again.
That nice steady rhythm.
Noticing just for a moment here.
Any changes after that first scan through the body?
Maybe you already feel more at ease and calm.
Resting in your body and in your breath.
And maybe not.
Maybe that was just enough to.
Help you notice all the things that are chaotic in your body right now.
Either way.
Just taking a moment to be.
And notice your body.
And then we're going to reverse the scan.
So going this time from your toes to the top of your head.
And on this body scan.
We're going to pause in all the places that we noticed the first time.
We're gonna pause and breathe a few deep breaths in each of those places.
And just see.
What happens when you breathe into it?
Into the tightness,
The discomfort.
Into the anxiety,
The fear.
Into the space that's already there.
So just taking your time and moving.
Slowly from the tips of your toes back up through the body and pause anywhere that needs a little extra attention this morning.
And allow your breath to shift.
Even if it's just a little bit.
Energy in that space in your body.
And I'm going to be quiet for a few minutes as you just gently Do this at your own pace.
If you start to get distracted.
By noise in your environment or by thoughts.
Just gently returning to that nice,
Gentle,
Even breath.
And let it bring you back.
Your body.
Back to the scan.
Sometimes.
Easier to let ourselves be distracted than to be with our bodies.
And if that's happening for you,
It's okay.
Just noticing that too.
It may just be your mind trying to.
Protect you from whatever is in your body this morning.
So just thanking your mind and coming gently back.
If you can,
To the body.
Take a few more breaths.
And finish up your body scan.
Making your way through the face and the jaw.
To the forehead.
All the way to the top of your head.
And then as you finish your body scan.
Just take a moment to notice how your body feels.
Hopefully a little more open.
Spacious,
Grounded.
Notice how you're breathing.
There's an ease and a slowness to your breath that wasn't there at the beginning of our meditation.
And as we come to the end of our meditation,
Just taking a moment to really feel the ground where it presses up against your body feel the steadiness heaviness.
Of your body.
The support of your spine.
Ease of your breath.
Grounding this feeling.
Into your muscles,
Into your bones.
So you can carry it with you as you move through your day.
Steady.
Connected to your body.
And then slowly in your own time begin to move.
Fingers and toes,
Wrists and ankles.
Maybe you start to move other parts of your body,
Take a nice stretch as you wake yourself back up.
And then when you're ready.
You can open your eyes.
