Mindfulness - A Beginner's Body Scan Meditation

This is a mindfulness meditation that will help you pay attention to your body slowly with breathwork. This is great for inducing sleep, becoming aware of the body, and letting go of the emotions that are stuck in the physical body as bodily aches and pains.

Transcript

Find a comfortable place to sit.

And once you settle into a comfortable seated position,

Keep your arms and legs uncrossed to allow positive calming energy to freely flow throughout your body.

And as you make way for relaxation,

Begin deepening your breath.

And as you begin to deepen your breath,

Lower your gaze to focus on the tip of your nose.

And now breathe in very slowly and gently until your lungs feel so full that you can't breathe in any more air.

And begin to exhale through your mouth very slowly and gently as if the air you breathe is soft.

Once your lungs feel empty upon exhaling,

Hold here for a moment and now begin to inhale deeply and slowly again.

Continue these deep and gentle inhales and exhales as I stay quiet for a few moments.

As you continue to breathe deeply bring your attention to the sound of your breath.

Notice the rhythm it follows,

The tune,

The beats and notice the silences in between.

And with each breath let your body relax.

And as that happens let your eyelids close and soak in this moment of peace and calm.

Now consider this body scan meditation like a walk in a dandelion field.

Each time you come across an emotion while scanning your body let it go.

Like blowing on a flower and watching its petals disperse with the breeze.

Upon your next inhale gently steer your attention to your toes.

Wiggle them a little.

Notice if you find any signs of tension here.

If so allow your toes to relax.

Slowly and steadily with each breath you take,

Take your attention from your toes to the soles of your feet and to your ankles.

What do you notice here?

What emotions if any does scanning your feet bring to the surface?

Let your next exhale be like blowing on a dandelion flower of this emotion.

Gently blow on it and watch it fly far away.

With your next inhale carry your attention up from your feet to your shins and your calves.

Scan every muscle,

Fibre and bone.

Do you notice any signs of tension there?

If so let it go.

Do you find any emotion there?

Just get the knowing of that emotion.

Identify its purpose.

Accept that it is there.

And with your next exhale blow on this dandelion flower and observe how the petals fly far,

Far away from you.

Notice that the lower half of your legs are relaxed.

It is time to begin scanning your knees,

Moving up to your thighs and your hips.

Does the position in which you're seated feel right?

If not,

Take a moment here to readjust yourself and re-establish comfort.

And as you do that do you notice any emotions there?

Any memories?

Get the knowing of the purpose.

And bring your attention to these emotions and memories and then watch them fly away with the breeze.

As you blow on the metaphorical dandelion that embodies these emotions and memories.

Take a moment here to remind yourself to allow the thoughts and feelings to freely flow.

Acknowledge their existence and let them go.

Each emotion teaches you something more about yourself.

Each emotion reminds you to discover the choice of being human.

Each emotion serves a purpose.

The identification of this purpose is what helps you grow.

And now with your next inhale,

Begin to move up with your body scan as you bring your notice to your pelvis,

Your waist and your lower back.

You may slide or sink into your seat a little to adjust yourself into an even more relaxing posture.

Allow your lower back to feel at ease.

What sensations do you feel there?

What emotions come up?

And get the knowing of the purpose of those sensations and emotions.

Acknowledge that they are there.

And with your next exhale,

Let them go.

With your next inhale,

Bring your attention to your belly,

Your ribs and your spine.

What are the sensations you feel there?

What are the emotions that surface there?

Are you reminded of any person,

Place or event when you scan your middle body?

Now take a deep breath and bring your attention to your chest and your shoulders.

Are your shoulders stiff or tensed?

If so,

Allow them to relax with your breath.

Does your heart beat too fast when you pay attention to it?

If so,

Try to notice what's in your heart.

Bring both your palms closer to your chest and place them upon your sternum.

This gesture is to help your heart calm down and let go.

To show your heart that every emotion that arises here has a purpose and you respect its purpose.

And at the same time you choose to learn from it and let go.

Now bring your hands back to their normal position.

Now begin moving up through your shoulders and then let your attention move into your arms,

Your elbows,

Your hands,

Your wrists,

Your palms and your fingers.

Make a mental note of any tingling sensation in your fingers.

If your palms have curved into fists,

Then use the rhythm of your breath to synchronize the act of gradually opening your palms,

Spreading your fingers and letting go of any emotion you may feel there.

Let your attention move back up through your arms and into your neck.

Does it feel stiff there?

If so,

Use your next exhale to actively let go and relax your neck.

Your neck does so much for you.

It supports your head which keeps your brain safe and sound.

Your neck can sometimes be a storehouse of stress.

If you feel any consciously acknowledge their presence and then slowly and gently let them go while you exhale.

With your next breath in,

Raise your focus from your neck into your jaw,

Your cheeks,

Your ears,

Your forehead and your head.

Notice if your jaw is clenched.

Relax it.

Notice if your forehead muscles are stiff or tensed.

If so,

Actively relax them in sync with your breath.

Do you notice any emotions there?

Maybe your lips curve into a gentle smile.

Maybe your sense of smell or hearing feels heightened and that's alright.

Take a deep breath in and with your exhale,

Relax the muscles of your face and your head.

What emotions can you acknowledge here?

Take note of them and observe them move away slowly and gently.

And as this recording nears its end,

Take a moment here to rejoice in the journey you had today.

By scanning your body,

You've been able to establish a newer,

Deeper and more insightful connection with your physical and emotional self.

Pause for a moment here and allow the gratitude to multiply.

And now as your awareness of your surroundings begins to resurface,

Give yourself a tight hug to appreciate yourself a little more.

You have learned so much about yourself today.

Every now and then,

When these emotions overcome you,

Simply imagine yourself in a dandelion field,

Witnessing the breeze carrying with it the petals of the flowers.

Observe the majesty of the moment and just like the petals,

Let your emotions be carried away too.

In a moment,

You will be up at five as I count from one to five.

So start coming up with one,

Higher up at two,

Further up at three.

All your mental,

Emotional,

Physical and spiritual bodies aligned at four.

At five,

Eyes open,

Wide awake.

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